Aslan seems to think beliefs have no consequences. I disagree with Harriss quote that we should target people and kill them only on the basis of belief. Thats crazy, and quite frankly seems uncharacteristic of Harris. But I think Aslan doesnt give enough credit for beliefs. If youre a believer in a religion you generally are a believer because of the kind of person you are when practicing the religion. You think it makes you a better person. Youd be hard-pressed to find a devout person of any religion who says, Im exactly the same person in this religion that I would be if I were an atheist. People are religious BECAUSE religious belief and practices have effects on their behavior. So when a person does something terrible in the name of their religion, its stupid to say their religion was a non-effect in that persons life. Theres a section of the Koran in which Allah tells the believers to slaughter a caravan of otherwise peaceful merchants and to steal their stuff. There are similar things in the Old Testament. For the most part, Christian religion these days has found ways to eliminate the genocidal Jehovah from their paradigm (although that genocidal god seems to be rearing his ugly head again these days--at least in rhetoric, which is historically followed by action). It seems to me Muslims need to stop defending their religion so much and look inward, and find a way to eliminate the genocidal Allah from their paradigm. And Christians need to remember history, and dispense with the bronze age God of War for good.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 04:51:37 +0000
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