Why Pots and Kettles?
So the pot is calling the kettle black! What else in the sordid history of man’s (read that male) implementation of revealed religion is new?
One fundamentalist implementation of a religion wants to execute a member who has become idolatrous and “converted” to another fundamentalist implementation of a religion.
Mercifully, most people in whatever religious persuasion they identify with are not unreasonable fanatics. But there are the elements within each that are.
For within these United States, there is a movement within evangelical Christianity to usurp, to replace the Constitution of the United States with laws of the Old Testament (The “Hebrew Bible”). The political wags call them the “Theocons” and recognize their goal of establishing a theocracy within the United States. The United States, from a Theocon point of view, as the “God-initiated” nation based on “Christian principles,” that had the purpose of rescuing mankind from the debauchery of sin and religion in the “Old World.” And from this kind of mindset, so much of the subordination of women, white supremacy, and demonization of the homosexual orientation comes.
And as emphatically as the religious zealots and fanatics of Afghanistan seek to execute a converted Christian, the law in Deuteronomy, (Deut 17:2-7) just as surely demands the stoning to death of someone who “converts to idolatry.” And what is idolatry if it is not simply worshiping something other than what you think aught to be worshiped?
It was ten years ago now, that plaintive plea from Rodney King, “Why can’t we just all get along together?”
And so I wonder, why do we even have “pots” and “kettles?”
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, just accept the inherent worth and dignity of every person? Why do the reds, or the blacks, or the yellows, or the fags, or the queers, or the whomever it is that might be of a group that we don’t know, don’t understand, and therefore fear -- why must we/they always have to be demonized?
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, seek and promote justice, equity and compassion in human relations? Why is it that we must always “impose” our paradigm on others?
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, simply accept one another and encourage each other in each person’s spiritual growth and spiritual journey. Every religion that I am aware of recognizes some concept of the “Golden Rule.” Why can’t every religion accept that rule as being an “inter-religion” rule rather than a “intra-religion” rule?
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, relish in the free and responsible search for truth and meaning based on enlightened reason? Why must codifications of barbaric, ancient laws, from mythical world views, hold people of the 21st century hostage?
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process to establish our inter-relations with each other, but with the inherent notion that the rule of the “majority” cannot deprive any member of their basic human rights? And yes, for women, for non-white, for homosexuals, our very existence IS a “human right.”
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, seek peace, liberty, and justice for all? Or is it because of some religious paradigm to which we have attached ourselves that tells us to do otherwise, in the interest of “salvation.”
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, recognize and give our respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part? Or is it just fine to rape the planet Earth because the “Lord” is coming soon and “He’s” going to burn the wretched place anyway?
And so the Refectory Manager asks: Why must the pot always be calling the kettle black?
One fundamentalist implementation of a religion wants to execute a member who has become idolatrous and “converted” to another fundamentalist implementation of a religion.
Mercifully, most people in whatever religious persuasion they identify with are not unreasonable fanatics. But there are the elements within each that are.
For within these United States, there is a movement within evangelical Christianity to usurp, to replace the Constitution of the United States with laws of the Old Testament (The “Hebrew Bible”). The political wags call them the “Theocons” and recognize their goal of establishing a theocracy within the United States. The United States, from a Theocon point of view, as the “God-initiated” nation based on “Christian principles,” that had the purpose of rescuing mankind from the debauchery of sin and religion in the “Old World.” And from this kind of mindset, so much of the subordination of women, white supremacy, and demonization of the homosexual orientation comes.
And as emphatically as the religious zealots and fanatics of Afghanistan seek to execute a converted Christian, the law in Deuteronomy, (Deut 17:2-7) just as surely demands the stoning to death of someone who “converts to idolatry.” And what is idolatry if it is not simply worshiping something other than what you think aught to be worshiped?
It was ten years ago now, that plaintive plea from Rodney King, “Why can’t we just all get along together?”
And so I wonder, why do we even have “pots” and “kettles?”
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, just accept the inherent worth and dignity of every person? Why do the reds, or the blacks, or the yellows, or the fags, or the queers, or the whomever it is that might be of a group that we don’t know, don’t understand, and therefore fear -- why must we/they always have to be demonized?
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, seek and promote justice, equity and compassion in human relations? Why is it that we must always “impose” our paradigm on others?
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, simply accept one another and encourage each other in each person’s spiritual growth and spiritual journey. Every religion that I am aware of recognizes some concept of the “Golden Rule.” Why can’t every religion accept that rule as being an “inter-religion” rule rather than a “intra-religion” rule?
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, relish in the free and responsible search for truth and meaning based on enlightened reason? Why must codifications of barbaric, ancient laws, from mythical world views, hold people of the 21st century hostage?
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, affirm and promote the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process to establish our inter-relations with each other, but with the inherent notion that the rule of the “majority” cannot deprive any member of their basic human rights? And yes, for women, for non-white, for homosexuals, our very existence IS a “human right.”
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, seek peace, liberty, and justice for all? Or is it because of some religious paradigm to which we have attached ourselves that tells us to do otherwise, in the interest of “salvation.”
Why can’t we as individuals, as members of a religion, as citizens of a country, recognize and give our respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part? Or is it just fine to rape the planet Earth because the “Lord” is coming soon and “He’s” going to burn the wretched place anyway?
And so the Refectory Manager asks: Why must the pot always be calling the kettle black?
posted by The Refectory Manager | 7:12 AM
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