And now, one for the books: idiocy so potent it nearly rendered me speechless. Yes, kids, that's right. Uncle Jeremy nearly lost the ability to talk due to a group of idiots. Oi.
I'd like to take a moment to first off say that I am horrified by the recent events in Connecticut. To call the shooting of innocent children a tragedy is an understatement of vast and grievous proportion. My heart goes out to the families and friends of the victims, and I will keep them in my prayers.
Now, this isn't a post on the various social issues and flaws, and theories surrounding events. Frankly, I think senseless death is a horrific news hook for sociopolitical armchair meanderings. I may write such a post later this week, but if such a post materializes, it will most likely be a bit subdued. More likely, it will not appear at all. Deal.
So what's the point of this post? Same as always, Brain. I'm here to yell about idiots.
Specifically, I'd like to raise my voice and tip my keyboard to a special brand of vicious psycho, those beings of resolve ever firm and mind ever closed, the extended family that makes up the Westboro Baptist Church. Apologies for that link, but it needs to be seen to be believed.
These individuals have utterly skipped the classic revivalist view of a God of the Old Testament school of fire and brimstone and gone straight to preaching that God hates both: a) just about everyone that isn't related to Fred Phelps, the WBC's founder and pastor; and b) plans to wipe out said everyone else (with a few exceptions) in a blaze of misery and tribulation.
Proof positive? According to Margie Phelps, Fred Phelps daughter, the shooting was God's response to Carrie Underwood's pro-gay marriage stance.
No, seriously. For those that don't want to click that link, here:
Holy
Freaking Crap. Now, I've talked about my religious ideologies here
before, but let's take a second to all stare in shock at this master of
hate. Not only does Margie Phelps appear to be claiming that the deaths
of innocents are the will of God and His good work and warning to those
who would "oppose" him, but she is directly blaming a single
individual.
For
those that have had all modern media removed from their lives by aliens
or something, Carrie Underwood is a country singer. This is typical of
her work:
This woman is one of the most Christian (in the honest to gods, "oh that's what it's supposed to look like" sense) currently anywhere near the lime light today. She writes songs about Jesus and loving people, and giving yourself over to God, and all the warm fuzzy and gritty-but-real stuff the Christian faith is supposed to be about.
And, according to Margie Phelps, for saying that it's her personal opinion that homosexuals should legally have the right to marry, God decreed that 26 people, the majority of them children, needed to die to prove a point.
Hold the freaking phone. Now, I've drawn a comparison between Cthulhu and the God depicted by Christian Fundamentalists. But seriously?
Admittedly, these people are nuts without compare. They've declared dead soldiers and hate crimes to be the Good Lord's warning shots, and believe in Elect Jews. (It's a long story. Read this if you really want to know.) They have a mad-on for pretty much every form of faith that isn't theirs, they inflict misery on thousands of people, etc., etc.
Also admittedly, I'm loath to try and base any argument on Christianity itself. We're talking about a religious system with somewhere int the neighborhood of 41,000 flavors, many of which rest on a text that has been translated and interpreted hundreds of times. I've had discussions with the same individuals and heard the exact same lines interpreted differently, sometimes in the same conversation, in support of a point. And that's leaving out the various dogmas, theologies, and articles of faith.
But I'm pretty sure any god that comes down personally, declares he's editing the agreement between man and god, and that the primary rule of the new contract is "love people?" That's a god who isn't going to resort to mass murder as his primary form of communication.
A point at the end of all this? But of course.
I've said a lot about what I believe religion and faith and spirituality should look like. So I thought I'd take a moment to show you all the natural endpoint of fanaticism, and remind you:
This is what it shouldn't look like.
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Again, my heartfelt sympathies to the families and friends of the victims. May the gods grant you strength and give you whatever aid you need.
I don't normally do this, cause I know most of you and y'all broke, but if you can give anything to help these families in their time of need, go here:
Sandy Hook School Support Fund
Or find a reputable organization.
