Why It's Time to Protect Public from Forced Delusions

Why It's Time to Protect Public from Forced Delusions

On this lazy summer afternoon I am sitting on my newly renovated deck, which is still emanating the terrific scent of fresh cedar from the recently laid planks. The deafening and, at the same time, relaxing, sound of cicadas feels the air. The article I am reading right now, while enjoying the fabulous combination of the warm, yet, gentle sun and cool, but not chilly, breeze, is written by Jay Haug and curiously titled “Why It's Time to Speak about God Again” (in case you are interested in reviewing the original text, please follow this link: http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/07/why_its_time_to_speak_about_god_again.html). After going through the 11 paragraphs of discontinuous quotes, rhetorical questions and desultory conclusions I couldn’t help but feel obliged to put aside a pint of marvellous light pilsner made by none other than my mere mortals and comment on the notions put forth by Jay.

The first thing, of course, is the catchy intro paragraph, which, supposedly, sets the tone for the rest of the article. And it sets it well. “America is living under an illusion: the idea that we can expunge God (broadly understood) from our national and public belief system and still operate a moral and accountable government.”

We can ignore the clause of “accountable government” – I suppose, the author meant accountable before God himself or otherwise what is the purpose of placing it in such context – although it is hard to refrain from entertaining a question of how this accountability is to be enforced. Perhaps, by recruiting God as a permanent Chief of Staff and making God’s attendance of every government meeting as his compulsory divine duty? We can also ignore the hasty generalization of “America is living under an illusion”.

What we cannot ignore is the three pillars of obstinately unshakable faith that underpin the wide spectrum of America’s social-conservative views. I want to center your attention on these three essential assumptions due the much too frequent role they play in arguments provided by those striving to impose their religious views on others:

1.       Our belief in God is the only true belief;

2.       God is the sole and superior source of moral values;

3.       God is on “our” side.

Our beliefs are the only true beliefs

I don’t have an ounce of doubt that Jay refers to Christianity and Jesus when calling to “speak about God”, although, either preaching from the platform of political correctness or pseudo-all-inclusion he never mentions it directly. However, as unlikely as it seems, there is a possibility that Jay considers all religions to worship the some sort of respectable God and he is open to all of them playing a Godly role in politics. In such case, I’d like to understand how Jay would go about reconciling rather nonconforming views and morals of Zeus, Ra, Huitzilopochtli, Jesus and Allah.

But of course, who is talking about such nonsense? Undeniably, it is Jesus that we shall bring everyone to. In such case, it will be helpful to understand how it was determined with such certainty that the Bible has superiority over other religious teachings? If we are to conform to God’s law, why not opt for Sharia as a governing framework for government’s morals? I suspect, Jay would not enjoy handing over the power of final say over all President’s decisions to priests bowing before Dumbo-like Ganesha?

Surely enough, at times like this, we begin to receive specious arguments about America’s religious legacy and its Founding Fathers. I always strongly suggest to check what the first major God of this land was and for how long. There were gods before Jesus and after Jesus, and yet, some of us strive to tenaciously yank out one of many deities from the chain of idols to place him at the helm.

The Founding Fathers made a conscious decision to separate Church from the state and there were reasons for that. America’s constitution is written to expunge God from the public live. The fact that non-Christian beliefs, let alone professing atheism, make any person unelectable, is a sad aberration that the Founding Fathers would cringe at.

God is the sole and superior source of moral values

Unfortunately, I have to say “no”. First, Gods are invented by people and the moral values they transmit merely reflect views of those who invented Gods. The moral values of men will always be ahead of those of Gods, which are modelled after our own understanding of the world.

People always have been and will be governed only by their personal morals and collective norms of the society. People killed and raped and plunder before Jesus and they committed just as much of the same sins after the messiah’s departure. It was only after secular laws advanced to the next level that the morals changed. Such event transpired in most countries with or without religious influence. Religion plays no role in establishing it, the society does. To Jay’s “A morality unhinged from God is not only inadequate for the times, but it will also doom us to a permanent slide into oblivion.” I’d have to say that the history showed one thing and one thing only: when humans blindly followed God they committed things typical to any other dogmatic thinking – burning at the stake, discriminating, retarding and destroying lives of others. It is only when people rise against the morality of Gods we enter a world of superior life expectancy, fewer deaths and greater harmony.

It is rather sad to hear people stating that their morals and behavioural norms are dictated by the scriptures and the fear of eternal punishment. The question I’d always ask them is “What if there were no Bible, will YOU rape and kill?” It is always very unfortunate when they thoughtlessly answer “yes”.

If were guided by Gods, what kind of morals would we have? Stone your children to death for misbehaving, as Judaism and Christianity call? Enslave? Rape captive women, as Islam permits? God’s laws are inexcusable abomination that always brings much misery, if implemented.

God is on our side

As Jay says, “Unfortunately, since the 1960s, we have expunged the one Presence from our public life who can truly help us as He has in the past.” I hope Jay could provide an example of God’s intervention in American history and evidence of God’s involvement?

This enormous fallacy of “God’s on our side” is as incredibly widespread as it is utterly stupid. Was God on German Catholic side when Nazi tanks rolled over Poland? German Christians most certainly thought so. Was God on German side when Nazis swiped through the Soviet Union? Perhaps yes, German prayers made Blitzkrieg work. Did God switch sides to help Orthodox Russian and Western Anglicans to win over Catholic Germany? Perhaps, yes. Was it because Germans stopped praying as passionately, while Russians put some fire under their prayers? Was God helping “our side” Christians to conquer Jerusalem, exterminating Jews and Muslims (and local Christians too)? Did God then change sides to help “our victorious Muslim forces” to retake Jerusalem?

This fallacy is not unique to Jay. Go back to the times of self-appointed prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, and we find peculiar similarities in stating the obvious: according to Muhammad “Every victory is from God, and every defeat is from your own sins.” Convenient explanation, isn’t it?

Parting words

Quite often, those professing the understanding of God and his will that attempt to impose their will on unsuspected others using misinterpretation of the American constitution and history. Perhaps, Jay’s right, and many believe that America will turn publicly to God. For humanity sake I hope this day will never come.