Unholy Trinity, Bush, Blair and Bin Laden.

A new meme to spread, why not connect the well known dislike and apathy for Bush, Blair and Bin Laden to Religion. Rubbishing the idea that religion makes people good or behave exemplary.

How many times do atheists and secularists hear arguments from the religious, that religion is a force for good? Too many you could say or maybe not. The argument crops up in many variations and adapts and grows more subtle with time. Here is a few examples of it descending from the barnstormingly assertive to the meek and mawkish

Anyone who is not (insert personal superstition) is immoral and going to hell.

Atheists are immoral, just look at Stalin.

Without God people do evil things just look at Stalin (Yawn)

You need to believe something (superstitious) to be good.

Many Religious people have accomplished great moral feats over the centuries.

A good deal of Religious people do a good deal of good. (and Sir your implication is?)

Religion is no longer intellectually respectable, people, even some non-believers have admiration and respect for the idea that it can be a force for good. Perhaps we should put this proposition to the test?

Consider the three most influential men of this decade who also happen to be the most hated. Bush, Blair and Bin Laden. In the West and in the Middle East they (the Westerners) are despised to an almost universal degree. Now I am not necessarily equating the three like a monster with three heads though that would make a good anti religious poster come to think. We should reflect on the similarities between them.

Take Bush and Bin Laden for starters. Both sons of wealthy fathers who made their fortune via oil. Little by way of success was expected from both of them. They grew up in sun drenched desert lands both geographically and spiritually. Both adhere along with Blair to a set of mutually competing magic books which have propelled hundreds of thousands of men and women to their deaths.

Let me quantify this. According to the Lancet 655,000 Iraqi deaths were attributed to the war and that was in July 2006. 4,587 total American deaths have been reported in Iraq as of this minute. And lest we forget the 2,974 in the terror attack of 9/11. Now ask ourselves how many more people will die as this war on “terror” continues?

Did ideas of loving ones neighbour and turning the other cheek stop Bush a member of the United Methodist Church from charging in to Iraq like a character in the Wild Bunch yelling “we’re gonna smoke em out”. I guess “charging” in is not a fair description of his actions, a ex drunk, draft dodger, no he got gullible men and women to fight his war for him. He may be from West Texas but he most certainly is not in a Western.

Is Blair any better? Do Catholics beam with pride now Blair is counted among them? I guess adding a war criminal to the already shoddy and sordid history of Roman Catholicism does not make too many eyelids bat. This is the man who’s mental suffering over going to war in Iraq apparently kept him up at night, I wonder does the threat of hell and celestial retribution keep him up at night as well? Can Blair’s Faith Foundation be described as anything more charitable than a wank?

Bin Laden is obviously the man we should despise the most. Recently I considered having his face on a poster in my workspace to remind me daily of everything I hate, Religious dogmatism, fanaticism, medieval intolerance, an anti freedom, AK47 toting polygamist and paedophile who self consciously mirrors himself on the Prophet Muhammad with the AK replacing the sword in one hand and the Koran in the other.

So next time someone throws down some tripe about Religion doing good as if it’s a QED that God exists tell them that the three most influential men this century believe in things like Virgin births, resurrections and winged horses who have propelled us into a near global conflagration of which seems likely to be carried on for decades to come. To which many more deaths will accrue.

GOD IS GREAT

Michael Faulkner.