US and Muslim world on a collision course
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- Published on Friday, 16 September 2011 07:21
- Written by John Draper
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The extreme right Republican candidates for U.S. president - Rick Perry, Michele Bachman and Ron Paul - are headed for a collision with Muslim countries. Both sides believe in taking over the rest of the world - at least as far as their religions are concerned. Muslims believe that the world should be Muslim - their religion says that they should kill everyone who refuses to convert. Rick Perry, Michelle Bachman and Ron Paul believe in Christian Dominionism - that is, that Christians should rule the world. For details on this movement, see articles in the Texas Observer, The New Yorker and the Daily Beast. Also see Cobourg Atheist Article - "Is the U.S. becoming a theocracy" ). In a 1984 speech in Dallas, Pat Robertson defined dominionism when he said; "What do all of us do? We get ready to take dominion! We get ready to take dominion! It is all going to be ours - I'm talking about all of it. Everything that you would say is a good part of the secular world. Every means of communication, the news, the television, the radio, the cinema, the arts, the government, the finance - it's going to be ours! God's going to give it to His people. We should prepare to reign and rule with Jesus Christ."
Worse, this movement has been noticed in the Arab world (Al Jazeera) but mostly ignored by Americans. Many Americans think that their country is Christian, was founded on Christian principles and that everyone should do things their way. The biggest reason that Americans are disliked in the Middle East and even in other parts of the world is because of this perceived arrogance. They need to learn to respect that other value sets are acceptable - especially those that are religion based. This is because religion in fact does not affect ethics or morality or peacefulness or tolerance. These things are common human values independent of religion. The U.S. founding fathers knew that and tried to make sure that the Church was kept separate from the State. They founded a secular nation. That's one reason the U.S. has prospered up until now but I'm afraid that they are heading down a path of intolerance and hate and several Republican Candidates are too stupid to understand that they are setting up for a collision course with Muslim countries - particularly those in the Middle East who have a resource they want - oil. This obsession with religion and confrontation with the non-Christian world will destroy the U.S. unless it is stopped - just like Islam has destroyed the once prosperous Middle East. The answer is not to increase Christian fervour - but instead the reverse. Make sure all religion stays out of politics.
Mitt Romney does not seem to subscribe to dominionism but instead believes in the total nonsense of Mormonism. If he believes that claptrap, it does not say much for his intelligence. Who knows what other nonsense he believes?
Meanwhile, the hope that Obama will save the U.S. from itself seems to be dying. He has failed to stop the economic stupidity of the Tea Partiers, failed to rally Americans to fix the economy and failed to stop the creeping dominance of the Christian religion in politics.
I am of the opinion that the U.S. is also very resilient and quick to change when needed - let's hope that they can get through this nonsense and find better candidates for a President to lead them into the future.