NOT COOL

[bloodyrosemccoy]

Okay, two things about this clusterfuck:

1. Terry Jones is an anthropologically myopic asshole, ascribing attributes to another religion that could have an equal application, or misapplication, to his own. On the other hand,

2. I don’t fucking care what the book says; it is not more important than somebody’s life. If you have become murderously violent toward random people simply because some asshole on the other side of the world has disrespected a copy of it, you really need to reexamine your priorities.

People wonder why atheists get exasperated by religion. Sure, without it I’m sure humans would behave this stupidly over something else, and I would probaby get just as exasperated over that, too, but I hate that religion gets a free pass to do this sort of bullshit. This is just unbelievable.

Comments

[wendyzski.livejournal.com]

You have to remember that these aren't terribly literate people, and acting out in this kind of fashion is one of the few ways they are conditioned to express the kind of anger and fear they feel at the idea that someone would burn their holy book. They can't wrap their heads around things like "just how big America is" and "how many different kinds of 'Christian' there can be" - because for them there is only one way - the way things are, and any deviation from that.

Not excusing, but a little understanding.

[black-rider.livejournal.com]

Actually, I wouldn't say it's their literacy or failure to grasp that people are different, because these people ARE educated. They have a functional society with arts, education, and high culture. Not to mention a military engaged in international warfare, which takes at least a bit of a large world-view. It's insulting to imply otherwise, and trivializes their suffering.

I wouldn't even say that they only see one way and tolerate no deviation -- that seems colonialist at best.

I would say that it's the mob-response of people and a society that has been pushed to its breaking point by unwaivering rhetoric (from both sides) and violence (again from both sides) and as a result, they feel they have no other way to be heard.

For some reason, the world listens when you scream about religion. It cares a lot less when you scream about justice, famine, lack of social equality, secret prisons and pervasive fear, or just about anything else that isn't religion.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

For some reason, the world listens when you scream about religion. It cares a lot less when you scream about justice, famine, lack of social equality, secret prisons and pervasive fear, or just about anything else that isn't religion.

That's what I find so frustrating. I feel like religion keeps getting in the way of solving, y'know, REAL SHIT.

[stormteller.livejournal.com]

There are about as many kinds of Muslim as there are Christian. None of them would probably condone burning a Quran, but most would probably not condone killing random innocents in retribution. The people acting out now are the same kind of extremist as Jones himself- idiots with no true grasp of their own religion, using it as a crutch to justify expressing their own fear and frustration.