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    Ellison Controversy & Religion in General

    Filed Under politics, religion 

    Smijer at Tete-a-Tete and Tariq Nelson - two bloggers I read - have recently written about the controversy over Congressman-elect Keith Ellison’s request to take his oath on the Qur’an instead of the Bible.

    Columnist Dennis Prager wrote a controversial and inaccurate commentary, stating that Ellison was practicing a dangerous “multicultural activism” that will inspire Muslim extremists everywhere to cheer on America’s demise.

    What’s most disappointing about Prager’s article is the comments in response to it. People are so ignorant that it is mind-boggling. One person theorizes that Ellison’s campaign was funded by Islamic terrorist organizations; another said he hangs out with gangs; another states that if his wife is Christian, she is clearly not a real Christian as no real Christian woman would marry a Muslim man - the same person says that the Qur’an says you can kill infidels so Ellison is going to kill his wife. And these were only in the first 50 of the 1100+ comments.

    I shouldn’t read things like that, I know. It only succeeds in raising my blood pressure, and increasing my disappointment in people. I want to have faith in others, I really do. I want to believe that we, as human beings, are capable of living in some modicum of peace and justice, but people seem to cherish their hatred as if it were a comfort.

    The DH says that you can always tell what the extreme religious right is up to because they will accuse their “enemies” of it first. So when they accuse Muslims of wanting to turn the United States into a theocracy, they are really speaking of their own intentions. H

    I’ve engaged in enough religious debate to know that some people truly do believe they are part of a religious movement that is going to change the world. That eventually everyone in the world will be subject to their religion’s will.

    I’ve talked to people who, if not members of AlQaeda, wanted to be, and I’ve talked to people who think the Bible is God’s affirmation of the white man’s superiority over all others (and after the race war, we will all know it!). I’ve talked to Jews who really do believe they are the chosen people and therefore don’t have time to meddle with the rest of us, and atheists who say the only way we’ll have peace on earth is to kill all the religious people!

    Over and over, I’ve tried to tell myself that these people were just a minority. I don’t know, though. Right now I’m thinking the human capacity to despise and abuse is about equal to our ability to love and respect.

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    5 Responses to “Ellison Controversy & Religion in General”

    1. Joel Monka on December 4th, 2006 3:04 am

      Don’t let them get you down. 99.99% of all people are perfectly decent and get along just fine- society couldn’t work otherwise. 99% of those who are not decent down deep are imcompetent to do anything about their hatred. It’s not newsworthy or the sort of thing to attract our attention on a daily basis, so it’s easy to forget- but the ordinary people who go to work and raise their kids really do control the world; evil is an anomaly.

    2. smijer on December 4th, 2006 8:04 am

      joel, what a wise comment. I wouldn’t guess that the 99.99% who are perfectly decent really do get along fine… but they do a heck of a lot better than they get credit for. Nice way to look at things.

    3. LaReinaCobre on December 4th, 2006 11:23 am

      Joel, I doubt that 99.9% of all people are perfectly decent. Most do, however, behave decently.

      I’m of the opinion that the overwhelming majority of people do what they think is in their best interests. This is why society works (the way that it does).

    4. Ellis on December 7th, 2006 9:14 am

      I agree that we do what we think works in our best interest. But I also think that people can see the long run, can believe that their best interest lies in mercy, and justice, and responsibility, and love.

      I think that people can be taught that unhealthy lifestyles don’t make them truly happy. Whether it’s money, power, addictions or just partying they focus on, I think they can grow out of it and seek solid, stable joy.

      I think irresponsibilty is a failure of love, and leads ultimately to unhappiness, and that people do want to be happy.

      Of course, we can take a heck of a long time getting there. I know i constantly make bad decisions, going after the next hour of fun instead of the next year of joy. But this is why I have religion: to remind me to make good decisions, and help me to make them better.

    5. Paul on December 16th, 2006 7:51 pm

      I try to love and respect all people,but it is not an easy thing to do. The struggle is to make the effort ! :)

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