Satan's Crutch

Santorum recently claimed that Satan was hard at work destroying our country.  "Yeah", I thought, "Rick, you have been a very busy boy of late."

The Dark Ages, or in polite historical circles,  Medieval times or maybe even less controversial, the Middle Ages came to mind.  Being a history buff, but hardly disciplined or myopic enough to be considered a historian, I have always considered the study of history to be opinion supported by facts.  There is nothing objective about History.  There are events no one can argue over.  But try to find reasons for those events and what their repercussions were, well, it's like listening to Fox News or reading the Huffintgon Post.  Everyone puts their own spin on it.



No better example exists than the hysterical historical renderings of the Dark Ages.  Christianity blames Islam.  Islam blames Christianity.  The heathen many blame Christianity, Islam, or both in an all encompassing condemnation of religion as a whole.  And one person I know blames the Visigoths.  No one denies Humanity was suffering some seriously self inflicted bad times.  But no one wants to admit their particular favorite cause had anything to do with it.  It seems the blame game has been around as long as we have.

Which brings me back to Rick and his claim that Satan is destroying this country.  What a fucking cop out.  Maybe that is why I dislike organized religion so much.  Instead of owning up to the fact that humans are responsible for tending their own nest, religion, specifically Christianity, tends to blame some unseen evil being for the nasty things humans do to each other.  Organized religion also tends to view the evil done in their name as good while the evil done in the name of the other guy is well, the real evil.  Meanwhile, both are practicing evil and feeling good and righteous about it like they have had some sort of internal memo from the CEO in heaven to carry on.

So I sit here in the peanut gallery where most of us heathens sit and watch the tragic comedy unfold.  Who am I to believe?  Neither one will own up to their contribution to the over all evil because they have convinced themselves they can do no evil.  Back and forth, forth and back they go at each other.  When they tire of that they go after me and the millions like me who refuse to be sucked into their delusions of grandeur.

I see no good coming from domination of any religion over the masses.  Historically, only a select few at the top of the heap live the good life when theocracies rule.   And yes, this seems to be the case when more secular governance is in play also.  The difference is when secularism has ruled, generally there are more avenues open for upward mobility.

Religion is a soporific, a crutch, an excuse, a way to justify action without guilt.  As long as it continues to carry itself as it has for 2000 years, I will continue to criticize it.  The good that has unfolded in its name is way over shadowed by the evil carried out with its blessing.

Later..................