09 August 2010

10 More Dead...

You may or may not be aware of the alleged missionaries killed in Afghanistan recently. Read more HERE.
It brings to the fore a part of the reason for the occupation/crusade in the region by Western forces.
International Assistance Mission has said the doctors shot to death by the Taliban were there for humanitarian reasons, to provide eye care for people who lived in remote, almost inaccessible regions of the country. Yet I am not completely convinced.
What I am convinced about is just how stupid, yes I have to use that word, stupid we are that of all the things in the world we could be doing, experiencing,  discovering, enjoying - we kill each other for imaginary entities. It is so crazy to think of people killing each other because one thought Peter Pan was real and another Paddington the Bear! Yet that is what has happened.
The 10 people killed are a tragic illustration that we need to wake up from this mind-fog that has had a strangle-hold on our thinking for thousands of years. It sometimes makes me weary as I see it all around me.

I listened to an audio book the other day, a mp3 of pure excellence from a man who wrote clearly, succinctly and I was enthralled. Within the first couple of minutes I was hooked, paused the recording and switched off everything in the place that could ring, whistle or make any other noise to disturb me. I ran back to repose on my couch, making myself extremely comfortable in the process. Around chapter 3, the 'god stuff' came churning out. I was in shock. I felt as if I had been slapped with a wet rag! This was from a man who had travelled, lectured on critical thinking, started and sold businesses around the world, written award winning books (this was my first encounter) and there he was dropping in 'praise god', 'thank god', 'oh, I prayed so hard'.

It is insiduous. Gets into almost every nook and cranny, distorts thinking, makes people do crazy things and arrests development. It makes some people a lot of money, it relieves a larger majority of a lot of money. It is clever as it extracts money in small dribs and drabs and also in a big chunk. It makes people feel guilty, obsessed about sex, worried about death, worried about life. It makes people participate in meaningless ceremonies which encourage them to spend money: christenings, church weddings, church funerals.
It encourages dangerous practices: penile mutilation on young helpless male babies, exorcisms, female genital mutilations.

It is encourages people to believe absolute rubbish and then kill others because of it and so 10 more dead.

When will we wake up?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"When will we wake up?" If by waking up you mean coming out of the fog of religious vanity; the answer is never. We have always been and will remain a vain species of mammals. We are hopelessly in LOVE with ourselves and even more hopelessly IN LOVE with the deities that we've made in our own image. That's why we made (they made) the Gods make us in their image and likeness. When we (again they) thank their god(s) or give praise they are in essence bestowing these feelings upon an imaginary personification of themselves. Religions are here to stay my friend. Religions are here to stay my friend. That doesn’t mean that we should roll over, quite the contrary.

Warmest regards,
Rob H.
The African American Agnostic

Chinaren said...

Totally and utterly agree! I'm going to add you to my Atheist list, if you don't mind!

Unknown said...

"Black Woman Thinks..." has been included in this weeks A Sunday Drive. I hope this helps to attract even more new visitors here.

http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2010/08/sunday-drive_29.html

C Woods said...

Great post. I agree totally.

si said...

Anonymous; it's an infatuation with a love for the collective, not self. Especially if we're talking about certain religious organizations. I really don't understand how love for self can create religion. How can people who love themselves stand to give someone else credit?

It's too bad atheists have a tendency to become atheist out of rebellion and not by reason.