Religion: The opiate of getting things accomplished in the free world

I read this editorial one morning on CNN.com.  And I liked it.

Then, a girl whom I went to high school with, Britni Tozzi, posted the link to the article on her Facebook news feed with this message accompanying it:

 "As a person of deep faith and spirituality, I am truly appalled by the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington's announcement / threat toward passing the same-sex marriage bill in D.C. Faith and the acceptance of others go HAND in HAND."

 After reading how it affected her, I was inspired to act, vent, rant, share some opinions, briefly, about the overarching topic of the role  religion plays in the democratic process.

I've wasted much breath and even more brain power on this issue.  Frankly, it makes me sick.

The intrusion of religion in the collective political consciousness and unconsciousness of many Americans is a defamation of the democratic system and an inhibiting, limiting factor to The Constitution.  Especially when the close-minded bigotry of bible-thumping ass holes, who just so happened to do well in law school or know somebody in some high place who controls some aspect of the political system,  makes its way into the law-making process.

When this happens, the metaphorical soap-box transforms from a pearly-white object to intelligently voice one's opinions to a fiery pulpit, a pulpit which basks in the sweat and bile of Satan.  From this hellish lectern,  The Devil, stroking with his scratchy tongue the thoughts and egos of the people speaking hateful rhetoric, empowers these callous opinion leaders.

The funny thing is, these politicians/lobbyists/activists who are against same-sex marriage and equal partner benefits use religious rhetoric to defend their position.  They call on God and Jesus to set straight, literally, the sinful ways of homosexuals.  Then they use their vehicle of politics to oppress accordingly.

In my opinion, like I said, they are speaking with the devil in their hearts and their words.  I'm not even religious, I claim no faith and worship no holy book.  But if there is an evil under lord who tempts us earth dwellers daily, he surely has infiltrated the religious-based politics many Americans subscribe to.

Irony, enter the picture, please, share your humorous ways, soon.

I'm reminded of Nietzsche's work "The Anti-Christ" when I think about this issue.  Since Nietzshe penned the ideas brought forth in the book, they have been misunderstood and used as a catalyst for evil.  Hitler used the text to defend his attempted genocide.  Hate groups latch onto the ideas of self-determination and the uberman Nietzsche presents.  But Nietzsche was not writing a text to glamorize or empower evil.  In fact, he was doing the complete opposite.  Sure, he denounces the existence of God, which is the reason for the title.  Then, he paints a picture of humanity without religious forces, rules, dogma and doctrine crippling the minds and hearts of Earthlings.

One conclusion of the book, among others, is that Jesus was a man of  flesh and blood, simply and entirely.  And he was a perfect man, a superman, a man by which to mold your life after.  But he was no God, and no son of one either.  Jesus was simply a man who had charisma and passion to help others in need.  He was a teacher.  He was a friend.  He was not afraid to tell you when you did something wrong that it would be accounted for and there would be consequences.  "The Anti-Christ" really is an inspiring tale of what mankind could be, given we all follow the  laws of humanity, in the example of Jesus or Buddha or Muhammad or Krishna, knowing there is no heaven after we die, no repentance, no final chance to say sorry for the bad shit we did/do.  You must make the best of this life now, without moral superiority or dominance over friend or foe.

Then there is the Bible, testaments new and old.  The oh-so holy word of God,mostly narrated by Jesus' followers, his disciples, to educate all Christians on how to live their lives properly, as to attain access to heaven, the Kingdom of God, upon death.  Since it's been written and translated and implemented or forced onto various people of various cultures, it too has been used to justify and defend evil.  Surely, that was not the point of the text, a text that blatantly states the Ten Commandments as a basis for all of God's teachings--Love thy neighbor as thyself, don't steal, kill, fuck your friend's wife, etc.  Good rules.  Great principles to ensure one leads a good life.  Yet, in the name of this holy book, war has been waged, blood spilled, territories conquered, populations and cultures decimated.  There was the religious extremism in Colonial America, witch hunts, casting out evil spirits from Puritan society.  There were the missions to Latin and South America, the Caribbean islands, Hawaii.  There were the Crusades and the Conquistadors.  Roe v. Wade.  George W. Bush and his God-inspired politics.

Now, there is a war being fought in the polling centers across America.  A new era of civil rights is among us, an era that began when, perhaps, Harvey Milk fought against bigotry in California for many, many years, and finally won.  Or it could have began when Oscar Wilde was ostracized from English society because he acted just a little too fruity and had some queer thoughts he decided to write about.  Either way, the movement is on for the LGBT community...but it looks like one step forward and two steps back.

Step: Coming out of the closet is OK, a era of acceptance is here.
Back: Matthew Sheppard.
Step: Gay couples openly wed in some states.
Back: State university employees in same-sex relationships are denied benefits.
Step: Barack Obama is elected president, victory for civil rights, promises for gay rights.
Back: Proposition 8, Maine, Washington D.C., Ohio....

I'm feeling nausea.  I'm feeling tears.  I'm feeling anger.  I'm reading the column that inspired this rant one more time.  I'm breathing easier now.  I'm laughing at what I'm about to write...

"The Anti-Christ" could be the best political doctrine for America, a book that denounces God's existence, yet gives a blueprint for living a positive life, a motivated life, a life absent of judgement and prejudice, a life of acceptance of one's neighbor, a life to be proud of.  And its teachings can be adopted to politics.  Hitler did it,   albeit for pure evil and torture, but he did it. Surely the brightest political minds in America could find it in themselves to find the positive teachings in the book and implement those into the political rhetoric, quoting passages, rallying the voters behind its message.

But the title, Good God the title...I can feel the shivers running down the spines of most of population of the Midwestern states, the states where the Bible rests on everyones' nightstands, and where the Lord's Prayer hangs triumphantly in the bathroom, just above the shitter.  The Bible, a hand rested upon it when the president is sworn in to office.  The Bible, a hand rested upon it when O.J. Simpson swore he didn't murder that white woman.  The Bible, a book filled with lessons of life, which oozes fear and superiority, speaks in symbolism and imagery; for the weak, the flock,; the strong, the shepherds,; the evil, snakes and wolves.  It's the book which has been at the heart of law-making in America since America was born, hypocrisy and all.

So the constitution preaches life, liberty, happiness.  All Americans entitled to those inalienable rights as Americans because they are Americans.  Yet, those rights are threatened every time a religious-minded activist/lobbyist/law-maker gets atop his evil soap box and rallies his flock to go vote against the constitution, voting against equal rights for all citizens in a country supposedly founded on those principles.

The propaganda machine churns hard, preying on emotion, evoking morality, pitting good v. evil.  What these warped-minded politicians want is action from the flock. They demand its votes.  Votes to limit, bar or strip the liberties of other American citizens.

All this in a country where the problems could be solved if people would stop judging books by the covers.