So many self-appointed Facebook philosophers posting so many updates calling for so many prayers. But... aren't people like you the source of the problem? Isn't 9-11, Charlie Hebdo, yesterday's attacks, etc., etc., the precise outcome to expect when people encourage worldwide prayer?
You know where murderous extremists come from? In the unconscious majesty of the forests of mainstream religion, it is the mightiest redwoods that grow into the deadliest terrorists.
And today, a cursory glance at your Facebook feed trumpets myriad posts and pictures from friends desperately making their appeal to empathy and moral superiority. Unwittingly or not, this fantastic stroke of irony disregards the greatest truth: every tragedy born of religious extremism that you respond to with calls to pray for the good guys, is because of you. These are deaths sown from the spiritually innocent, compost-enriched soil you maintain.
A final metaphor: this is what happens when you teach people how to shoot guns loaded with “harmless” blanks. Once in awhile somebody stumbles onto real ammunition. Because paying lip service to the bits of divinely inspired and sacred importance cherry-picked from any given holy text can be very inspirational to some. And no matter how righteous you believe you are, things get lost in translation.
All this is just to say: nobody thinks you are legally responsible for 150 dead Parisians. But still, shouldn't you stop providing such an effective ground game for ISIS?
Poll80 votes Show ResultsIs *mainstream* religion the indirect source of terrorism like the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris?
80 votes Vote Now!Is *mainstream* religion the indirect source of terrorism like the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris?
Yes, like the author implies, when we encourage the happy, "harmless" religious message, that is what gives rise to the "crazies."36 votesNo, mainstream religion only makes the world a better place and does not inadvertently support the ISIS-types.44 votes
