Buddhists can be terrorists, priests can abuse: Why religion doesn’t preclude inhumanity

“A Buddhist monk can’t be a terrorist because of Buddha’s teachings.”

Logical fallacy at it’s finest. Or rather at it’s worst.

The head monk at a monastery on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar/Burma delivered this line to a roomful of journalists in March when questioned about the TIME magazine cover featuring firebrand monk U Wirathu and the headline “The Face of Buddhist Terror.”

The Oxford English Dictionary defines terrorism as “the use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.”

Wirathu, leader of Burma’s 969 Movement, is infamous for intimidating and inciting violence against Muslims, especially Rohingya Muslims in Burma’s western Rakhine State, as part of a political attempt to promote Buddhist nationalism.

Can we please just call a spade a spade.

Buddhist monks are terrorists if they engage in acts of terrorism. The same can be said for any person of any faith, belief or ideology who uses unauthorized violence to achieve political aims.

The Facebook page “Muslims Are Not Terrorists” has racked up nearly 700,000 likes on the premise that “We are Muslims and our religion is all about Peace/Charity/Brotherhood.”

Yes, the vast majority of Muslims are not terrorists. But some people who identify as Muslim, Christian, Jewish, XYZ engage in acts of terrorism, making them terrorists.

“But violence goes against my religion,” you say. Too bad.

If your religion lacks formal membership structures, hierarchies and the means to excommunicate individuals, you can’t really pick and choose who gets to represent it. Even with such mechanisms in place, if a member of the community commits a crime and you claim said crime negates that person’s stated beliefs, be prepared for some skeptical eye rolls.

Case in point? An American priest who headed his diocese’s youth group in the 1980s and allegedly abused a child for years.

A lawyer for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trenton N.J., told a court earlier this year:

“you can determine a priest is not on duty when he is molesting a child, for example. … A priest abusing a child is absolutely contrary to the pursuit of his master’s business, to the work of a diocese.”
Cue outraged, disgusted, disbelieving eye rolls.

Buddhists and Muslims can be terrorists despite Buddha and Islam. Priests can be child molester despite Jesus and the Bible. Anyone can do terrible things despite religion.

When a popular Christian metal singer admits to being an atheist after plotting to have his wife killed, Christians shouldn’t be relieved. They should be outraged that anyone, regardless of faith, would stoop so low.

Some religious people are good. Some are not. Some nonreligious people are good. Some are not. Religion does not preclude, negate, justify or explain inhumanity. Let’s all try to remember that and help each other be better people, regardless of faith.

- See more at: http://brianpellot.religionnews.com/2014/07/16/buddhism-terrorism-religion-christianity-islam-burma-myanmar-violence-hate-speech-child-abuse/#sthash.xfYIA1FP.dpuf

This is Eric Rudolph's Homepage. All articles are written by Eric Rudolph and authorized by him to be posted on this site.


"I'm here today to be sentenced for my actions on January 29, 1998. On that date I detonated a bomb at an abortion mill here in Birmingham, killing the abortion mill's security guard and injuring one of the abortion mill's employees. I had nothing personal against either of these individuals, Sanderson and Lyons. I did not target them for who they were - but for what they did. What they did was participate in the murder and dismemberment of upwards of 50 children a week."

"My actions that day were motivated by my recognition that abortion is murder. Because it is murder, I believe that deadly force is indeed justified in an attempt to stop it. I do not claim this as a right but rather consider it the moral duty to come to the defense of my fellow man when he is under attack. This is an essential concept embedded in Western Civilization - that we are our brother's keeper."
Eric Rudolph

I am not an anarchist. I have nothing against government or law enforcement in general. It is solely for the reason that this government has legalized the murder of children that I have no allegiance to it nor do I recognize the legitimacy of this particular government in Washington.

Eric Rudolph, Anti-Abortion Prisoner

Psalm 144:1 Blessed be the LORD my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.

http://www.armyofgod.com/EricRudolphHomepage.html

Ben_Reilly wrote:

This is Eric Rudolph's Homepage. All articles are written by Eric Rudolph and authorized by him to be posted on this site.


"I'm here today to be sentenced for my actions on January 29, 1998. On that date I detonated a bomb at an abortion mill here in Birmingham, killing the abortion mill's security guard and injuring one of the abortion mill's employees. I had nothing personal against either of these individuals, Sanderson and Lyons. I did not target them for who they were - but for what they did. What they did was participate in the murder and dismemberment of upwards of 50 children a week."

"My actions that day were motivated by my recognition that abortion is murder. Because it is murder, I believe that deadly force is indeed justified in an attempt to stop it. I do not claim this as a right but rather consider it the moral duty to come to the defense of my fellow man when he is under attack. This is an essential concept embedded in Western Civilization - that we are our brother's keeper."
Eric Rudolph

I am not an anarchist.  I have nothing against government or law enforcement in general.  It is solely for the reason that this government has legalized the murder of children that I have no allegiance to it nor do I recognize the legitimacy of this particular government in Washington.

Eric Rudolph,  Anti-Abortion Prisoner

Psalm 144:1 Blessed be the LORD my strength which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight.

http://www.armyofgod.com/EricRudolphHomepage.html

That is one fucked up wackadoodle.

Indeed, but the media hardly ever talks about him or the "Army of God," a U.S. Christian terrorist group that has many allied groups and have planned and in some cases carried out terrorist attacks within the U.S. All we hear about are ISIS or Al Qaeda, when in the U.S., you're far more likely to die because of some anti-abortion or anti-tax Christian group's jihad.

We have these nutjobs openly toting assault rifles in the city I live in:



So who's more likely to kill me, these people or my Muslim neighbor?

Even the CNN articles on Eric Rudolph don't mention that he killed his victims in the name of Jesus, and Christianity, that so-called "religion of peace."

Hardly any media outlets picked up on this:

Austin Ruse, president of the nonprofit research group Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute, said on American Family Radio Wednesday that liberal leaders of “modern universities” should “all be taken out and shot.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/13/austin-ruse-shoot-liberals-_n_4959747.html

That wasn't ancient history, it was four months ago.

Somehow, we make excuses for these people but not for Islamic militant firebrands. Somehow we don't take it as seriously when people like smelly_bandit say things like "The more dead Muslims the merrier."

I'm just calling for fairness. If we're going to brand Muslims as hateful because of their words and deeds, let's do the same with all people who follow Christ -- because under that logic, all Christians must be the same as Eric Rudolph, Austin Ruse and a whole slew of other Christianist militant terrorists.

Sadly this is how the media in many countries manipulates any problems and stories around the world, as sadly fear sells more when you base this onto groups of people who are a minority to cast blame onto many issues

Didge wrote:Sadly this is how the media in many countries manipulates any problems and stories around the world, as sadly fear sells more when you base this onto groups of people who are a minority to cast blame onto many issues

Don't know if you're into the Harry Potter books, but Rowling made a great point about how the media acts with her character Rita Skeeter, who was always complaining that the true story wasn't what her audience wanted to read, etc. It's become too much of a business, not so much about stating the truth even when that might mean your audience doesn't want to hear it ...

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Didge wrote:Sadly this is how the media in many countries manipulates any problems and stories around the world, as sadly fear sells more when you base this onto groups of people who are a minority to cast blame onto many issues

Don't know if you're into the Harry Potter books, but Rowling made a great point about how the media acts with her character Rita Skeeter, who was always complaining that the true story wasn't what her audience wanted to read, etc. It's become too much of a business, not so much about stating the truth even when that might mean your audience doesn't want to hear it ...

Sadly have never read the books and yet seen all the films, I do like fiction but more non-fiction, but a very interesting point indeed.

Didge wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Didge wrote:Sadly this is how the media in many countries manipulates any problems and stories around the world, as sadly fear sells more when you base this onto groups of people who are a minority to cast blame onto many issues

Don't know if you're into the Harry Potter books, but Rowling made a great point about how the media acts with her character Rita Skeeter, who was always complaining that the true story wasn't what her audience wanted to read, etc. It's become too much of a business, not so much about stating the truth even when that might mean your audience doesn't want to hear it ...

Sadly have never read the books and yet seen all the films, I do like fiction but more non-fiction, but a very interesting point indeed.

Yeah, the main gist -- and I've been seeing this more and more from my industry -- is that reporters are supposed to take a more active role in the business side of the journalism equation.

When I first started in journalism, I knew people who would stand up on a table and scream against this, even if it cost them their jobs.

Now, we throw around phrases like "speaking truth to power," but whenever they call us all together (and I'm not exaggerating) they just tell us we need to be using Facebook more.

I'm disgusted with the whole thing.

Ben_Reilly wrote:

Didge wrote:


Sadly have never read the books and yet seen all the films, I do like fiction but more non-fiction, but a very interesting point indeed.

Yeah, the main gist -- and I've been seeing this more and more from my industry -- is that reporters are supposed to take a more active role in the business side of the journalism equation.

When I first started in journalism, I knew people who would stand up on a table and scream against this, even if it cost them their jobs.

Now, we throw around phrases like "speaking truth to power," but whenever they call us all together (and I'm not exaggerating) they just tell us we need to be using Facebook more.

I'm disgusted with the whole thing.

That really is fucked up mate and sympathize with you.