Sunday, July 12, 2009

Keep Your Religious Insanity to Your Own Damn Self

As much as it seems here in the U.S. that we are surrounded by the Xian freakazoids' demands that everyone follow their silly, illogical rules, at least they're not assaulting people who don't observe blue laws.

No, they're just murdering doctors.

Orthodox Jews are rioting in Jerusalem. The reason: because the city allows a parking lot to remain open on Saturday, which means people are able to drive on their holy day, which they consider sacred. Anne Barker was there to record the event as a journalist, and she switched on her recorder to document it all — when the protesters turned on her.

I found myself herded against a brick wall as they kept on spitting - on my face, my hair, my clothes, my arms.

It was like rain, coming at me from all directions - hitting my recorder, my bag, my shoes, even my glasses.

Big gobs of spit landed on me like heavy raindrops. I could even smell it as it fell on my face.

Somewhere behind me - I didn't see him - a man on a stairway either kicked me in the head or knocked something heavy against me.

I wasn't even sure why the mob was angry with me. Was it because I was a journalist? Or a woman? Because I wasn't Jewish in an Orthodox area? Was I not dressed conservatively enough?

In fact, I was later told, it was because using a tape-recorder is itself a desecration of the Shabbat even though I'm not Jewish and don't observe the Sabbath.

This is something too many religious people fail to understand — you can practice your religion, other people can practice their religion, but you don't get to tell other people that they must practice your religion. If your crazy superstition says you aren't allowed to push a button on a certain day of the week, then don't. If your old myths claim that your god turns into a cracker when the right ritual is carried out, go ahead and believe that. If your dogma dictates that you should visit a certain magic rock before you die, then go ahead, make your pilgrimage.

But excuse us, everyone who doesn't have these wacky ideas has a perfect right to push the button, disrespect your cracker, or stay home and skip the crowds…and we also have the right to point and laugh at you. And if you are so intolerant, so irrational, and so vicious as to try and impose your foolishness on others, especially in such disgusting ways, then we have an obligation to use civic law and the power of the state to protect those others' liberties.

4 comments:

RichMiles said...

In Jerusalem, it IS the law. In fact, there are certain provisions of Jewish law that even allow people to spit on violators.

Yes, it's illegal here, and disgusting there, but it's not illegal there. How could any moron go to a country founded by and for Jews, and do things that upset said Jews, and then complain about it?

I don't agree with them, but I also wouldn't walk down a street in Jerusalem with a ham sandwich in my hand either.

Keep you religious insanity to yourself? OK. But keep your blasphemy to YOUR own damn self. It's their country, so expect to live by their laws.

Rich Miles said...

Meant to say this in the last post:

Don't be an ugly American, and try to impose our ways of doing things on other people in other countries. If they come here and do such things, they must be punished by the law. But in their own country, they set the rules. And we have to live with them if we choose to go to their country.

Old Scout said...

Thank you Rich.

Each religious community is REQUIRED by its leadership to eliminate the competition. Their religious hegemony is superlative (in their eyes) to all other belief systems and especially non-belief systems.

The competitive nature of religious systems is evident in athletic contests. Weekly I walk on the football field and experience the enmity projected by squads from religious schools. Our apostacy is under attack. Coahes one the sideline constantly challenging our judgement, using race & gender baiting --- anything to secure a competitive advantage. There is no moral outrage among them for this attack because our difference is apostacy.

Worst part of all this is that there is no avenue of appeal or review to identify and correct these behaviors. Our 'christian society' accepts these attacks on apostacy as appropriate, because x-ians are in charge.

All religions must share this stain. Well ... maybe not Reform Jews, Unitarians and of course dear reader your church.

Anonymous said...

i agree visitors should be wary of local law and custom, but that doesn't make bad law right.
a parallel: there are crazy laws in parts of the usa, and one should be wary of those, while also disagreeing.