The American Religion: The Test of Blasphemy

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Some people make the vain assertion that Communism (of the Marxist-Leninist variety) is not a religion. As a student of religion, I couldn't fail to see the religious zealotry in the reaction of an accusation of blasphemy upon referring to Marx as "Uncle Karl." Where can we find acts of blasphemy in the American religion? Is flag burning an act of blasphemy?

During the catastrophe of the past decade, the people at an Internet site sold bumper stickers with an inverted flag. To gung-ho Bush worshipers, such an act of political expression may have seemed blasphemous. Did the Tea Partiers who now fly their flags inverted do so back in the day? Are they true believers in the American faith, or are they just in it for the money?

An American soldier recounted her experience in Iraq observing a woman and her infant lying dead by the side of the road. Such an atrocity cannot be seen as anything but the unfortunate consequences of Saddam Hussein's policy of deceiving people into thinking he still had an arsenal of weapons similar to the ones American soldiers employed during the previous century. If the fault of the dead baby were placed on the shoulders of American cowardice and delusion, that would be an act of blasphemy.

Do you have any experience of being accused of blasphemy, whether by a faithful American, a worshipful Marxist, or a zealous Bushite? If not, what are you doing wrong?

Comments

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

http://www.daylightatheism.org/2009/06/stalin-the-divine-savior.html

http://freethoughtnation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=334:were-stalin-hitler-and-pol-pot-atheists&catid=39:atheism-agnosticism

And here's one of the ones I figured would be smoked out of the woodwork.

My only comment on the Teabaggers is that they're nasty bastards but a movement made of an old and graying class that's eroding influence by the year and refusing to face reality until it's too late will not be the new Bolsheviks.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

And the ultimate fault with the dead baby was really not with the USA or Iraq, but in the form of Ayatollah Khomeini rising to power and promising to depose Saddam by using Shias as proxies against him. Yank the saltie's tail and you lose an arm. And that's just what the Iranians did. The Iraqis drowned themselves in the resulting debt, which is why we invaded the first time. After a decade of maintaining no-fly zones it was only a matter of time before one or another dumbass decided to finish the job. But of course it would have *helped* if there hadn't been another war that had already lasted 2 years at that point.....

[a-new-machine.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but you can trace Khomeini and his influence back to American intervention on the Shah's reign and in Israel. We could sit here chasing our tails backwards until we end up blaming everything on those goddamned fish that crawled out of the water.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Technically speaking no colonialist misadventure in the Near East is the USA's mess except for Israel. The decision to carve up the Middle East was entirely the decision of the EU and the EU powers should be the ones exerting themselves to fix things like the Iran-Iraq War and its aftermath. Instead they were content to sit back and watch genocides of Bosnians so I can't be surprised the EU wants us to fix their former imperial messes.....

[a-new-machine.livejournal.com]

See, my point was "Well we can trace blame all we like, but the point is that we have a situation now and we should deal with it." And you replied "You traced blame wrong. Here's how to do it right."

Let's not forget...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

... the policy of the Reagan administration to sell arms to both sides of the Iran/Iraq war, increasing the deadliness of the slaughter. There is an interesting theory that Iraq was "egged on" to invade Kuwait by the encouragement of Kuwait to undercut the price of oil and by telling Iraq that the US was indifferent to regional confrontations when asked about Kuwait.

God = Allah

[rev-proffessor.livejournal.com]

Substitute the word 'Allah' for the word 'God' in all Federal appearances, like on money, "In Allah we trust" and in the pledge of allegiance, "One nation insha'Allah". See what howls of blasphemy you get. It's twice as sacrilegious for the price of one.

Re: God = Allah

[dwer.livejournal.com]

it surely makes them squirm. No idols indeed.

Re: God = Allah

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

I've seen many instances where "Allah" is translated into "God." This provides the same comfort as translating "Elohim" and "Yahweh" into "God".

Re: God = Allah

[rev-proffessor.livejournal.com]

Shahada There is no god but god. People are people, no matter how small, as my mother is fond of saying.

Who believe in the unseen, observe prayer, and from God's grace unto them, they give to charity. And they believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, and with regard to the Hereafter, they are absolutely certain. These are guided by their Lord.

I'm paraphrasing of course.

[sgiffy.livejournal.com]

I get accused of blasphemy all the time mostly because I don't consider religious views as different from any other and flaunt them with impunity.

[hey-its-michael.livejournal.com]

This. I don't consider religious views as being entitled to any more respect than any other opinion (political, personal taste, etc.). If I find a political belief offensive, I say so. Same with religion.

[root-fu.livejournal.com]

I'm seldom accused of blasphemy nor heresy. Moreso insanity!

Of course not...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

... we'd prefer to humor you.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Religions are not ideologies, but not all ideologies are religions, even the fanatical ones.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

er *Religions are ideologies.

[readherring.livejournal.com]

I agree completely. But maybe the parts of brain that make some people fervently and fanatically throw themselves into a religion can also be stimulated by other ideologies like Communism, Hegelism, Captialism, or that weird Insane Clown Posse fan cult. The people who follow these ideologies fanatically aren't following a religion, but their brains may function just like they are.

[spaz-own-joo.livejournal.com]

I think both religions and fanatical ideologies are just confirmation bias, writ pathological.

Good point.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Not all Marxists are religious about. A more rational Marxist would not have thought the term "Uncle Karl" to be degrading. Likewise, not all patriots get their knickers in a twist when they see someone burning a flag.

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

the Tea Partiers who now fly their flags inverted

Citation needed.

It was in a photo...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

... that someone took at one of those parties.

Re: It was in a photo...

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

So, one guy did it once and now it's become "some of them" do it consistently. Yeah, no bias there.

Re: It was in a photo...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

That was your impression. I merely asked about those who do. The word "consistent" did not enter into it. Besides, a Tea Partier who flies her flag inverted now will probably not turn it around until after she gets her way.

Re: It was in a photo...

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

The phrase you used, "who now fly their flags", implies a continuous action and you know it.

Re: It was in a photo...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

I can see how it could be interpreted to mean that I exclude the minority of flag inverters who only did it once. On the other hand, "now" can also be interpreted to include those people in the sense that it means of recent times rather than in years past.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

http://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&source=hp&q=tea+party+inverted+flag&btnG=Google+Search

[gunslnger.livejournal.com]

I guess they should have stuck with just burning flags then.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

Whatever makes your winkle twinkle.

[rasilio.livejournal.com]

Oh I don't know, I think the only blasphemous statements one can make in America today are violations of political correctness.

For example, to argue that a persons choices and character have far more to do with the outcomes in their life than what happened to their ancestors 3 generations or more ago would be taken in most parts of the country as blasphemy.

As far as other types of political speech, most Americans, even those illiterate red-staters have nuanced enough world views to recognize a flag burners right to burn the flag, that said they also recognize that they do not have to accept that persons views or opinions as valid nor do they have to treat someone whose views contemptible with false civility.

[rev-proffessor.livejournal.com]

If I read you right, you are saying that everyone has the right to their opinion and I have the right to call that opinion contemptible and treat is as uncivilly as I see fit?

If that is the case then the opinion you have expressed as "a persons choices and character have far more to do with the outcomes in their life than what happened to their ancestors 3 generations or more ago", is indeed contemptible and worth of derision. This is a classic example of "born on third but thinks he hit a triple" entitlement thinking.

[rasilio.livejournal.com]

If being born on 3rd base equals being the product of a shotgun wedding (after knowing each other less than 2 months) between a drug addicted recently divorced (the ink wasn't dry on the papers yet) high school drop out suffering from untreated PTSD following 2 tours in Vietnam and recent high school graduate with a Donna Reed complex whose families only source of income was Social Security Survivors benefits and other state aid following the death of her father a decade earlier then I'd hate to see what a striking out looks like.

And yes, you are welcome to treat me in as uncivil a manner as you see fit, right up until you start throwing fists, I also have the same right to treat you in said manner.

That said however thank you for proving my point that the PC 'Left' is far more oversensitive to blasphemy than the 'right' is.

[rev-proffessor.livejournal.com]

Ok, so you were only born on first base. Sorry, I didn't realize you were on the other end of the spectrum, one of the "I beat the million to one odds against me so why can't everyone else" crowd. Just imagine how much harder your life would have been without SSI and state aid. Now imagine battling against prejudice too. Of course, since you won the lottery through your own sweat so, you can beat any odds right?

I think you are reading in much more sensitivity than I feel. You're confusing a reaction to blasphemy with a reaction to stupidity.

People admit to bad choices.

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

I've heard honest stories about suffering from bad choices. I've also hear horrid stories about suffering from ongoing abusiveness in society. The latter did not happen three generations ago, nor is it completely unrelated to why people make bad choices. I heard one guy say that when he was growing up the only careers open to his view were pimp or pusher. When facing those choices, it's no wonder that people pursue a negative path.

[reality-hammer.livejournal.com]

What catastrophe?

Let me translate that into hammer speak...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

In your language it would translate as roughly, "During the glory of the past decade"

Glory?

[reality-hammer.livejournal.com]

There was precious little of that.

Re: Glory?

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

That sounds catastrophic.

I heard it through the grapevine...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Someone observed that Marxism may not be considered a religion today, but in a few hundred years when people worship the relics of martyred comrades, it will finally be understood as such.

I love hanging out...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

... with fire breathers. It is so amusing to watch them get upset. Eventually they will see the error of their ways and come to see their anger as a form of baptism by fire.

You want blasphemy, check this out...

[rev-proffessor.livejournal.com]

http://blog.sojo.net/2010/07/02/why-christianity-and-july-4th-are-incompatible/

A Mennonite basically calls Independence day a celebration of killing thousands of Christians.

Re: You want blasphemy, check this out...

[sophia-sadek.livejournal.com]

Quite fascinating. It's interesting that he portrays the holiday as commemorative of the "day when America won freedom." This is a bit off the mark, to say the least. He is also off the mark on the "trigger happiness" of Washington's army. They had a reputation for avoiding battle. The British goal was not so much the continuation of taxation as it was the suppression of an insurgency. Likewise, the call for an independent governing structure was not a call to slaughter enemy forces.

Re: You want blasphemy, check this out...

[rev-proffessor.livejournal.com]

Yea, I'm not saying I agree with him. He kinda focuses on the killing too much and the broader political ramifications not at all. Still, that's gooooood blasphemy!