Chariots of Iron

Tragic news in Nigeria, Africa today. Apparently Christian and Muslim gangs are involved in a bit of a conflict, with fighting now claiming 400. Unlike the claims of most religious folks according to the story this is religious violence being disguised as political violence (most of the buildings being destroyed are churches and mosques).

Allow me to reflect on this after just having read Hector Avalos’ great bok Fighting Words. Religion workes my breaking tribal and familial bonds in favor of a bigger “tribe” that of those sharing your faith. It creates and in-group and an out-group and often emphasises the differences between “believers” and “non-believers”, especially in the desert dogmas we find that non-believers are dehumanized and in some cases the mere presence of non-believers and/or thier alternate beliefs are a risk to ones personal salvation (and eternal afterlife bliss, puppies and rainbows, etc.).   Religion is also used as an effective tool to ge people to circumvent thier own personal morality and commit atrocity they would otherwise oppose. While the motives of those making the religious appeal may be political it is the appeal to that highest of authorities that can get the faithful masses to buy in and participate. Once again, when reality becomes truped by ideology, problems are sure to follow.

A very depressing story form South Africa came to my attention this morning. Apprently former South African president Thabo Mbeki and his administration had adopted a fringe belief that AIDS is not caused by a virus. South Africa’s AIDs epidemic is one of the largest in the globe, but to deny that this disease not caused by an infection of some sort (and thus denying it’s communicability) is literally a death sentence for those under his administration.

The stance by Mbeki’s administration caused them to turn down free drugs and grants to help deal with the problem. Ignorance of science is by no means isolated to those with strong religious convictions, but such beliefs as held by the Mbeki administration do require similar leaps of logic.

You will hear me say this a lot in the blog, but religious belief is just another species of a much bigger problem and that is one of ideology over reality.