'Why They Hate Us'
Decades of purging the effects of the Deep South Bible Belt, i.e. Southern Baptist and Methodist persuasions, a lengthy obsession with various renditions of indigenous animism, shamanism and paganism, concurrently toe-dipping into Buddhism and Taoism and an immersion into the works of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, what a long strange trip. And it seems this lava lizard's currently held position regarding the sense and significance of life on this planet, and particularly that of mankind, is one leap-frogged and short-cut to by a growing population of humble, bi-pedal consumers of natural resources whose general wish is to lessen the stress our unique species imposes on the larger organism we refer to as Earth. To wit, the primary construct of humanity that generates the largest global stress is that of Religion. If Religion is understood as an ideology of our place and purpose in the universe, is it possible to globally govern our existence in a sustainable way while diametrically opposed ideologies influence our priorities?
Link to a Salon article by Sarah Chayes (on The Daily Show 1/29) with a brief history of corruption in religion and it's ramifications re: current conflicts
[http://www.salon.com/...]
The argument against religion as an institution seems to be gaining traction, as information becomes increasingly accessible, but what the future holds also seems to be accelerating beyond our imagination. Who will be the persecuted? What ideology would replace that of religions?
My intention here is not to generate contentious dialogue, but to draw attention to a well written article by Ms. Chayes