Religion *is* a Problem

“Does believing that “God is on our side” make it easier for us to inflict pain and suffering on those perceived to be our enemies? If we think God sanctions violence, are we more likely to engage in violent acts?

The answer to both those questions, according to new research, is a resounding “yes,” even among those who do not consider themselves believers.”

“”I think many people use God as their justification for violent and aggressive actions,” Bushman said. “Take the current conflict in Iraq as an example. Bush claims that God is on his side. Osama bin Laden claims that God, or Allah, is on his side.”

History is replete with other examples of wars fought in the name of God, involving nearly every religion on the planet.”

From ABC News >

Absolutely fascinating, *scientific* research supporting what, by now, should be obvious to any person with even the most basic, elementary knowledge of history.

“Pattani, Thailand - Suspected separatist insurgents on Monday killed a father and son, beheading the father, in revenge for the weekend bombing of a mosque in Thailand’s deep South, where more than 2,100 have fallen victim to violence over the past three years.

The decapitated body of Preecha Nuanthong, 30, and the bullet-riddled corpse of his son Dusit, 16, were found on a roadside in Nongchik village, 730 kilometres south of Bangkok, said Pattani Police Sub-Lieutenant Nanthachai Janpoh.”

Via http://eye-on-the-world.blogspot.com/2007/05/thailand-suspected-muslim-separatists.html >

An eye for an eye and another two tragic deaths due to religious delusion.

“TEHRAN, April 18 — The Iranian Supreme Court has overturned the murder convictions of six members of a prestigious state militia who killed five people they considered “morally corrupt.”

The reversal, in an infamous five-year-old case from Kerman, in central Iran, has produced anger and controversy, with lawyers calling it corrupt and newspapers giving it prominence.”

Reposted from the NYTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/19/world/middleeast/19iran.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

When a government is intertwined with religion - officially or unofficially - this type of injustice is likely, nay, bound to happen.

In North Korea alone, 300 people are killed each year for their faith. Here are some examples of the religious persecution that takes place:

* In one prison, a warden hung a Christian man upside down and ordered him to deny his beliefs. Eventually the warden stabbed at him and pushed him to the ground, ordering 6,000 prisoners to trample him to death.
* Eight prisoners stayed silent when told to deny the existence of heaven, so an infuriated prison official ordered other inmates to pour molten iron over them.
* Some reports say Christian prisoners are deliberately crippled so they cannot walk; others are left naked and so starved they eat the rats scampering in their prison cells raw.

More on this can be found here.

This is an example of a government trying to force its religious beliefs onto it’s people. Oddly, the major religions in North Korea are Buddhism and Confucianism - two typically nonviolent faiths. This is also an example of how religious faith can be used to justify/cause/allow suffering.

From Reuters.com: “More than 70 percent of Egyptians, Pakistanis, Indonesians and Moroccans believe the United States is trying to weaken and divide the Islamic world, a poll released on Tuesday showed.

The survey by WorldPublicOpinion.org also showed more than 40 percent thought that was the primary goal of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, while only 12 percent believed Washington’s aim was to protect the United States from attack.”

Full article here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSN2332112320070424?feedType=RSS