It’s hard to avoid the religious aspect of the current war, and its roots in thousand-year disputes over how best to suck up to the deity at the heart of it all. The deity who, for a chuckle, put vast quantities of petroleum under the Middle Eastern lands, added geographical pinch points and political instability, and seeded three fightin’ religions that are basically fairly minor variations on each other. What a guy!
When Pete Hegseth has Crusader symbology tattooed on his pecs (though I thought at first it was a German Iron Cross) and Deus Vult on his arm; when Trump hosts those (fucking weird) performative anointing sessions in the Oval Office, I wonder what non-mad Christians – and Jews – make of all this.
I always understood Christianity to be a peaceful, neighbourly religion. Thou shalt not kill, love thy neighbour, that sort of thing. “The religion of peace” is the eye-rolling sneer directed at Muslims following some atrocity. We’re the good guys. But this administration is exulting in – essentially – state-sponsored, religiously-inspired, terrorism.
Don’t get me wrong; Islam has a massive image problem. When some dickhead blows himself up on a bus or at a pop concert, I share the revulsion of my in-group. They do far more harm than good to their cause. I don’t understand the brutality. But Muslims are no more responsible for these actions than the Archbishop of Canterbury is responsible for Pete Hegseth.
These religions are, as I say, variations on a theme. Their holy books contain similar moral strictures, similarly ignored by fanatics, along with some dubiously contradictory aggression and brutality. They pick consecutive days to represent God’s Seventh Day Off, they all start with Adam and Eve. Mary appears seventy times in the Quran. They all have weird dietary restrictions (God looks favourably on people who make life unnecessarily hard for themselves). But those guys over there – they’ve got it wrong. Though entered largely by accident of birth. my religion is the right one. What a stroke of luck.
Muslim Medics at a hospital in Barrow, half an hour down the road, got together and initiated a faith centre in nearby Dalton. I can hear the howls from here. “We’re a Christian country!” from people who only see the inside of a church at weddings and funerals. Numerous protests have taken place, with more to come as right-wing figures attach themselves. People have suddenly developed an interest in the minutiae of planning regulations, and building aesthetics. Local papers looking for a bit of online engagement post ‘what do you think?” clickbait as commenters hilariously suggest they will go down and wave bacon sandwiches, or smear pig shit on the doors (forgetting that Jews, with whom we are temporarily allied, also reject pork products). Disappointingly, several friends have indicated, by ‘like’, support for the campaign. The hospital, meanwhile, is struggling to recruit and retain staff, and closing departments. A place of worship would not hurt recruitment, but the hatred being poured out might. I trust protestors will enjoy, or at least survive, the trip to Preston to sort out their bacon-clogged arteries.
keiths,
Again you use the word lie so commonly it has become devoid of meaning.
So, you don’t know what a lie is anymore. You are unable to call someone posting pics of himself as Jesus for what it is. You are unable to call someone kidnapping and killing heads of other countries and pirating the oceans for what it is.
Well, no worries. This only makes you as insane and stupid as Trump. And you have an advantage – you are not president. This makes you less dangerous and you can be taken less seriously. Good for you!
Erik,
I know a lie involves a misstatement and intent. You have made many unsupported claims here as you were not able the prove intent.
Maybe when your arguing a case the facts don’t support then manipulation is a persuasive tactic to some.
colewd:
keiths:
colewd:
We have frequently used the word ‘you’ in this conversation. Has it become devoid of meaning? Frequency of use is irrelevant.
I use ‘lie’ the same way you do. If someone makes a statement they know is false, with intent to deceive, then they are lying. Trump was clearly lying about the image.
Again, for the record: Do you think he was being honest when he said “I thought it was me as a doctor”? Do you think your Dear Leader is so addled, so mentally incompetent, that he can look at a man wearing a robe and stole, with light shining from his hand as he places it on the forehead of a sick man, and think “that’s a doctor”?
Those are your choices: addled or lying. Or you can refuse to answer, thus confirming what everyone has already figured out: you know he’s lying, but you’re afraid to say so.