Sunday, September 16, 2012

Here is the Problem I have with this Past Week

I have waited a few days to write about my reaction to the events of the past week.  I did so for a reason.  I was scared because I have a family member serving in the military and I wondered if our reaction to the psychosis that is Muslim Fanaticism would be to send him and others into harms way. I was angry because I am so tired of our leaders trying to placate and calm down people with whom one cannot reason.  Finally, I did not want to be one of those people who shoot from the hip, fueled only by her emotions.  I wanted to think, I wanted to pray and I wanted to watch.

After a week, I find myself truly puzzled by the reactions of the experts.

No one is asking anyone hard questions about the philosophy that drives a religion that claims to be a religion of peace.

Instead, people are angry at the filmmakers (have you SEEN this film? COME ON, PEOPLE) and angry at the candidates that talk about our need to stop apologizing for the film and angry at late ambassador because he was a gay man in the middle east.

No one, including people in my own sphere, seem to be angry at the people RIOTING.  No one seems to be angry at the people who are destroying our property, killing our service men and women, trying to kill our embassy personnel and chanting our president's name while they are doing it.

We are a classic battered spouse.

Here we are, proclaiming to the world the wonders of living in an advanced society and extolling the virtues of freedom and then scrambling to say we are sorry when someone takes advantage of the very philosophy we are trying to make attractive to the rest of the world.

When that abomination of a film, The DaVinci Code, was released and we (Catholics) spoke out about how it made us feel we were laughed at and told to get over it because it was just a film.

Now there is a reason, a real fundamental reason we were laughed at and told to get over it.

People know they can do that to us and we won't try and slit their throats.

When I bring that up, people will talk about the Westboro Baptists, the Mormons and their use of Blood Atonement, the WASP-based Terror Groups of Timothy McVeigh or that Rudolph guy who set off a bomb at the Atlanta Olympics.   Better yet, they will bring up the horrible behavior of The Crusaders of the 1200's and the sack of Constantinople.

"See?", they will say.  "You Christians are just as bad".

Here is my response:

The Westboro Baptists are a break away sect of Christianity that are heretical in nature.  At their WORST, they stand outside of funerals and hold horrible signs and shout horrible slogans at grieving families.  While I do not agree with them,  never have they physically attacked anyone.  They are exercising their rights as Americans to behave like a fool without physically hurting anyone.

Mormons that practice Blood Atonement, when they are caught, are put into prison.  They are few and far between and usually (again) break away fundamentalist groups outright condemned by the mainstream LDS leadership  Mormons are not, of course, Christians.  In fact they are as Christian and Scientologists and actually share some similar theology - but that is for another time and place to discuss.

True Christianity - that theology and economy as taught by The Catholic Church - is not a secret.  It is on the Internet, for heaven's sake, and anyone can read it.  No where in that theology does The Church teach that it is OK to murder, rape, torture or otherwise physically attack anyone who disagrees or even attacks US.  In fact, there are pretty strict guidelines for defending ourselves and for going to war.

These teachings have not changed for 2000 years.  The APPLICATION of these teachings HAVE changed and what was once considered a reasonable application of the Just War Doctrine, for instance, would not hold water today.  Therefore, in my opinion, to use the actions of Crusaders in the 13th century as justification for the behavior of Muslims in the 21st century is downright ridiculous.  In fact, it proves to me that those who adhere to that religion are solidly stuck in their societal evolution and are incapable of functioning in a society that recognizes certain unalienable rights granted to us BY GOD.

The film that was made was horrible and spurious and should not be watched or taken seriously by anyone with a brain.  To think that it is OK to murder the people who made it is outright ridiculous.  To belong to a religion that says it is OK to rape prisoners as long as you do not take sexual pleasure from the action and are doing it for the glory of Allah is ridiculous.  To belong to a religion that urges men to murder their female relatives because of a perceived slight to their honor is horrible.  To belong to a religion that states it is OK to use little boys for sex until you are married is stomach churning.

To belong to any religion that does not require the person to deny themselves and walk towards heaven with grace, dignity and their heads held high, looking for ways to help others along the way with love and peace is to belong to a false religion.

There may be many paths up the mountain, but the path that is covered in the blood of your enemies is a path used by evil.  I am tired of being held hostage by evil.  I am tired of dealing with evil.  I am tired of my government dealing with evil.  I want us to drill for our own oil, make our own goods and let these people kill themselves in the name of their disgusting 'spiritual' practices.

That being said, I absolutely understand we cannot withdraw from the Global Economy and that there will be a country that will act as the World's Policeman.  Quite frankly, I would rather it be the United States and Great Britain than China or Russia.  I also understand there are Christians in these countries that need our help and our protection.  I think of the Martyrs of Nigeria, murdered because they wanted to go to Mass.

Here, then, is the crux of my problem with the past week - we cannot withdraw, we cannot apologize for our values and we HAVE to protect ourselves and our allies.

And so I do not see peace coming anytime soon - and I have another nephew joining the military and another two cousins being deployed.....

Our Lady of Sorrows,  pray for us.


4 comments:

Unknown said...

Excellent post, Leslie, thank you.

and we;ll be praying for your loved ones in harms way!! (ours will be heading over sometime this year,too)

Robert said...

Leslie,

My anger, outrage, whatever you want to call it is not directed at the filmmakers. What passes for “art” or “commentary” is a different subject IMHO. My angst is reserved for the “Main Stream Media,” our elected officials, and the general population of our fair country who can’t be bothered to dig into the guts of what is going on. In a sense, most people do not have a starting point for figuring this stuff out. If they watch MSNBC, some will see the Palestinian sympathizers in Berkeley, and look no further.


Of course the “film” is not the root cause. The root cause is an un-ceasing hatred for us that transcends our “lifestyle”, evil culture, whatever. The mere fact that we exist in this moment in time and are breathing their air is enough. I think that that the description I have heard, “religion of peace” says it all. But the peace they are striving for is the same peace the old Soviet Union was looking for; we will be at peace when most of you are dead and the rest are subdued, subjugated, dispersed and rendered ineffective. Dialog that includes appeasement, retreat, and surrender will not mollify them, it will encourage them further. Ah, but this is only my experience, which means it is only an opinion. I am sure a PhD in Analytic Philosophy or Political Science could deconstruct my belief system in moments and expose my middle age, middle class, caucasian misogynist Catholic bias for all to see in a clever PowerPoint presentation. I guess we will all just have to wait and see what happens when everyone finally takes off their party masks and we can see who’s who.

Robert

Leslie K. said...

Thank you, Kathi, for the prayers. You are a Military Mom and I know you keep our Troops elevated before God, in prayer, all the time.

Robert, I could not agree with you more. I received an email from a very liberal friend who told me he was deleting me from his life because I am an obvious racist. I received, the same day, an email from a very conservative friend who told me I was on the road to perdition and straying from my Catholic roots because I did not call for some sort of crusade in retaliation for the violence currently being perpetrated upon Christians world wide by Muslims. That convinced me I am living the Catholic Faith to the best of my ability - I pissed off both sides of the aisle!

Robert said...

Leslie,

Congratulations! I have been similarly "deleted." You are in good company, judging by your beliefs and actions. While I still have some "John Wayne" left inside me, I would not say you are on the road to perdition; you have the moral strength to stand by your convictions, and who would want mare than that from a friend?

Robert