Monday, February 13, 2012
Fundamentalism, religious and political
Excerpts clearly demonstrating fundamentalism:
Barack Obama is a Socialist who consorts with domestic terrorists. He is a Muslim who was born in Kenya and is therefore not constitutionally eligible to be president. He wants to import homosexuals, destroy the Second Amendment, and encourage abortions. According to Sean Hannity, he has thrown Israel under a “bus full of suicide bombers.” According to Glenn Beck, he has “a deep-seated hatred for white people.” According to Rush Limbaugh, he has “nothing but contempt for this country.”
And on and on and on.
The tenor and tone of the right-wing assault on the President of the United States should disturb all Americans. It is, to say the least, unseemly. Of course, we cherish the right to free speech. But having the right to do something does not mean one should actually do it. The Nazis had a First Amendment right to march in Skokie and the Klan has a First Amendment right to burn a cross, but that doesn’t mean we should join or applaud them. With rights come, or should come, maturity and personal responsibility.
Although the ugliness of our current political discourse is distressing, it is not unprecedented.
In this piece by Geoffrey R. Stone (whose articles often appear in The Huffington Post), he expertly points out some of the weirdness of what the Hard Right says they believe.
Before proceeding, please put on your “intellectual honesty” cap. No one-sided, partisan talking points are allowed to influence your answers! That goes for YOU…
Do you honestly think that Barack Obama has a deep-seated hatred for white people? Or perhaps we should be asking, do you really accept that Glenn Beck honestly believes that Barack Obama has a deep-seated hatred for white people?
Although this is a rhetorical question, some (sadly) will not see it this way; so we will answer it: Not a chance; Glenn Beck almost certainly does not truly believe that Barack Obama has a deep-seated hatred for white people; however, he wishes to appeal to others who say they believe such a silly thing.
The same questions could be asked regarding Obama as a socialist, Obama as anti-Israel, et al.
Lest you believe this post is coming from a partisan angle (in which case we would not be practicing what we preach; we’d be disingenuous and hypocritical), let’s level the political playing field. There were plenty of lies from the political Left regarding President Bush. The problem is, the sins of the modern Hard Right far exceed the sins of the Progressives when it comes to honesty, libel, slander, and so on. Leftist lies about conservative political beliefs are still around, but the majority of vitriol emanates from the Right — particularly, the Hard Right.
Root problem: Fundamentalist belief systems
Regular readers know that fundamentalist belief systems — whether they relate to religious fundamentalism or political fundamentalism (usually called partisanship) – are anathema within these pages, simply because we have finally recognized and understood that fundamentalism in all its forms is one of the top global scourges, being more harmful than restorative in virtually every case (of political or religious fundamentalism).
- Fundamentalist belief systems are divisive.
- Fundamentalist belief systems promote closed-mindedness.
- Fundamentalist belief systems discourage critical thought.
- Fundamentalist belief systems are self serving.
- Fundamentalist belief systems consider all outsiders to be wrong at best, or evil at worst.
Acid test: Are you a fundamentalist?
Here’s a quick and easy set of simple yes-or-no questions to help determine whether some might consider your beliefs as religious fundamentalism.
1. There is only one true religion; followers of all other religious and spiritual paths are doomed.
2. Those who do not accept our specific beliefs are not true believers.
3. Our religious text is the only valid scripture. The scriptures of all other so-called “revealed religions” are untrue and cannot be used to interpret our religious text.
4. Our Word from God requires no interpretation; it means exactly what it says. It is not open to varied interpretations. It contains truth, and only truth.
5. If evidence of any kind contradicts our scriptures, then that evidence is wrong or is being misread in some way.
6. Our religious beliefs apply directly to ALL people — in ALL times, cultures, and places.
7. There is always a clear and simple choice between Good and Evil; anyone who thinks otherwise is on the side of Evil.
8. I try not to read, listen to, or watch anything that might challenge my beliefs.
9. Questioning these truths is wrong; they must be accepted on faith.
10. The only morally correct political parties are on the right (or the far right); true believers cannot be liberals.
Resources: Fundamentalism
- Top 10 Thing You’ll Hear Fundamentalist Pastors Say On Superbowl Sunday – Stuff Fundies Like
- Should you be a Fundamentalist? Global Web Post (Investor fundamentalism – not religious)
- Top 20 Bible Passages to Use Against Fundamentalists – Ranker
- Are You a Fundamentalist? A quick quiz to save you from needless outrage – Virtual Church of the Blind Chihuahua
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Excuses Begone! Notes from Wayne Dyer’s book
An excuse is worse than a lie, for an excuse is a lie, guarded.
(Alexander Pope, one of the greatest English poets of the eighteenth century)
http://quotationsbook.com/quote/13164/
Cardinal virtues (A list on disc 6/6)
Natural sincerity
Sadhana – The Realization of Life
Sadhana: The Realization of Life, by Nobel Prize Laureate Rabindranath Tagore: One of the most important figures in history to bring Indian philosophy and spiritual teachings to the West. Thank you, Sadhana!! Sadhana (spiritual practice, when translated from Sanskrit) was written to teach increasing numbers of Westerners interested in Indian philosophical and spiritual teachings. Anyone curious about Eastern spiritual thought should check out this important, unmatched work.
Here’s something to chew on for a minute.
Evidence that would be tossed out (or even ridiculed) in a junior debate class somehow becomes acceptable. I hesitate to ask, but isn’t that the opposite of progress? Doesn’t that represent some kind of dumbing-down — a throwback to pre-Enlightenment times? How can this rejection of secular life possibly benefit the world, or help to make it a better place, considering that 
So they want to transform the U.S. from a pluralistic republic to a fideistic theocracy. Why don’t they understand or care that not all of us want American society to be based on their literal interpretation(s) of the Bible? If they believe it would be acceptable to thrust a strictly Bible-based society upon Americans that don’t share their religious views, yet would be unwilling to live in a society based on a religion other than theirs (a fundamentalist treatment of Christianity based on their Biblical literalism), then their desires and wishes for the United States as a whole totally reek of ego and self-interest. 
Then again, the superiority complex and negative attitude toward all other spiritual practices and religious traditions are the very hallmarks of religious fundamentalism; their actions should not surprise those familiar with religious fundamentalism and the endless problems that are perpetuated by fundamentalist worldviews of all stripes and flavors.
Well, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve stumbled and erred in some of these blog posts and other, related writings dealing with religion and spirituality, and especially spiritual seeking. Not only have I gone astray on occasion; I continue to screw up every now and then, and perhaps even offend some readers and visitors from time to time.
Oops – I went off on quite a tangent there — and I didn’t even answer the main question. Talk about getting sidetracked…
In the heated race for the Republican nomination, Rick Santorum — who believes 
The issue at hand is not Rick Santorum’s attention-getting statements; the area of serious and legitimate concern is whether the United States would benefit from the leadership of a such an extreme religious fundamentalist — one who honestly believes that American colleges and universities are "controlled by Satan." Do we really want a President who would place more weight on supernatural stories than upon scientific fact? Ancient books over reason, intuition, and logic? Do we want a world leader who might actually believe that he’s being hand-picked by God to speed up the arrival of Judgment Day? 
The only Americans who would openly push for a Bible-based national agenda are the fundamentalist Christians and other highly conservative folks, such as the Evangelicals and Charismatics. So, what Rick Santorum is obviously doing here is making a blatant appeal to the Hard Right… the nest of Western zealotry.
) 
Interpretation: Satan has already successfully influenced the intelligent folks comprising the teaching centers of the United States, who are now Satanic worshippers! And now, all Christian denominations and sects — other than my own comrades, the Catholics, of course — have fallen into Satanic influence! This necessarily means that the United States must align itself with my ultra-conservative, fideistic brand of Catholic faith in all of its laws, rulings, dealings, etc. if the U.S. is to survive!! The U.S. government must take the lead in convincing Americans that the only correct way to interpret the Bible is literally, just like we do.
George 
NOTE: This is an unfinished post. IMHO, conservative attitudes toward modern spiritual teachings is a subject that deserves serious attention. Believing so, I will address it in more detail soon. Thanks for reading.
and 
as well as other spiritual
When we read that over 70% of Americans are unhappy with the direction their country is going, we may think that this unhappiness arises from the pain body. Much of it does, but not all unhappiness comes from the pain body. A substantial amount of your unhappiness comes from the lack of Presence — living outside of the Present Moment, when you are not in alignment with the Now.