February 14, 2006
Church of Reality Speaks Out against Muslim Violence
Unlike some religions the Church of Reality isn't afraid of a little humor. We aren't afraid of someone being critical of what we believe in. We don't turn violent over mere words or symbols. This cartoon was chosen because it is offensive. I didn't pick this one because I liked it but because I didn't like it. It represent how many religions really view Realists and what they think is going to happen to us in the after life.
Muslim violence is fundamentally wrong. I say to Muslims, what is your religion about? Realists believe that you are what you do. What you do reflects what you really believe in. We do not care what you say you are about or what your holy books say. We do not care about the history of your religion. What matters to us is what you do in this life in the here and now. I see violence, burning, anger, murder. That is what you are doing and it's all over some stupid cartoons. It is what you do who defines what you are and after seeing the cartoons I have to say that the behavior of the Muslim world shows the cartoonist had a point. Islam's public face is violent. Your faith is weaker than your anger.
Those of you who claim that Islam is about love and peace I say, show it to me. I say take control of Islam or split off and form your own religion. Show us by your behavior who you are.
The Church of Reality expects no loyalty from it's members that would override good judgement. If we do not do what the name of our religion symbolizes then members are to leave this religion and form a new church that really is dedicated to the pursuit of reality the way it really is. We are a religion that is based on the {ln:Principle of Wisdom} which does not allow us to let anger rule what we do. We do not let ourselves be controlled by the words of others. We contain our emotions and think things through. If someone draws a cartoon about us then we look at that to see if there is something to be learned that we are overlooking. Maybe the Muslim world should look at the cartoons and try to understand why Mohammed is depicted with a bomb on his head. From what I see from the way Muslims are behaving the cartoon makes sense to me.
What you do reflects what you believe in. If you are violent then what you believe in is violence.
The Church of Reality challenges Islam to show wisdom. We challenge you to show the world who you are and what you stand for. We challenge you to show us that you can stop the violence and live in a world as productive members of society. We want to know that you aren't going to go out and start killing people every time someone pisses you off. From what I can tell your behavior is an insult to your God. You look at the news and you tell me, is this what God wants you to do? Is this an example of the way people of God behave? Do you want to stand before God and explain that you represented God in this manner and face his judgement? I would think not.
The civilized world is watching Islam. We are asking ourselves if we want to share community with you. We are asking ourselves if you are safe to be around or are you going to slit our throats while we sleep. We Realist believe in freedom of religion. But that freedom stops when we feel that a group threatens civilization. What we see in the news is worrisome.
There are some fundamental things you must understand.
Islam, for hundreds of years, was at the forefront of human civilization. Arabic was the language of economy and commerce in Europe. Muslims actually acted out their religion, as peaceful, clean, and pure people, and the result of this was that in every field and in every way, shape or form, Islam dominated. Muslims have always been passionate about their faith, but back then, they didn't always have to be on the defensive. They were free to practice their faith.
Islam as we know it is a result of internal corruption of leaders and foreign interference over the past few centuries. Muslim leaders have become increasingly materialistic, and lost the spirit of their faith. The first leaders of the Muslim people rejected luxury, and lived on barley and water, knowing that the less they took from their people in this life the more they would be rewarded by their God in the next. Today, you only have the corrupt, like King Fahd of Saudi Arabia who built himself a palace underneath the Red Sea, while many of his people hardly live.
The Muslim people have been without a leader for the past hundred years. Ever since the Khilifah was destroyed, there has been nobody who could effectively string up the entire Muslim people back to their faith. The people who try are shot down by their own governments, labeled as terrorists, or jailed indefinitely. Corruption is way too profitable, so when people like Hassan al Bannah, and Sheikh Kishk from Egypt and scores of others attempt to start bringing their people back to their faith nobody, not the U.S. government, or any European or any corrupt Arab governments, wants them to succeed.
The problem is not the Islamic faith. It is the absence of a Muslim leader. Of course the Arabs are angry at having their lands occupied, their people killed, and their faith ridiculed. But what can they do without a leader?
Christ dude, you make way too much sense. That rant should be required reading for all who consider themselves "religious".
Posted by: ben at February 14, 2006 07:37 PMBe ready to be called a genocidal Islamophobe -- just consider the source. An awful lot of people are squandering an awful lot of their own credibility as they argue for giving Islam a free pass – if not for what it was intended to be, which I might be able to accept was not THIS, then for what it has become for some reason (inadequate leadership? -- okay fine, I'm in).
There is some misguided sense that speaking out about excesses that run rampant in Islamic societies is tantamount to telling Bush he should nuke ‘em all. We’re supposed to pretend that honor killings, mutilating young girls, preaching hate, violence, and the goal of world domination in the madrasahs, assassinating authors, and on and on and on are all somehow okay, and no one should “call a spade a spade” (relax, it’s from ancient Greek).
Well, I’m happy to acknowledge that our own Xtian fundies would love nothing more than to make our schools into their own madrasahs (http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-na-creation11feb11,0,1110748.story?coll=la-home-headlines) and enslave women (try Jon Krakauer’s “Under The Banner of Heaven” to see what this might look like right here at home). It’s our job to find a way to slap ‘em down. That doesn’t include biting our tongues.
These people seem to do some sort of twisted “some of my best friends are Muslim” and turn that into “if my Muslim friend is nice it’s all fine.” Well I know a lot of real nice fundamentalist Xtians, but I wouldn’t want my daughter to marry one and I’d point out every one of the reasons why, loud and clear if she wanted to.
Maybe when Sandi Dubowski’s new film “In the Name of Allah” about how much fun it is to be gay in an Islamic society opens it will play side-by-side with Brokeback Mountain and we’ll get to see fundamentalist Muslims and Xtians protesting side-by-side. (Maybe there’ll be a fatwa issued against Dubowski.) Then everyone can see just how close they are. Now tell me: At that point do we only get to blast the Xtians?