Following the Pied Piper
Guy T. Sturino
September 17, 2005
Like the Pied Piper’s flute, the siren’s song of a religious choir draws the faithful to prayer. With music so beautiful, and words so comforting, the songs of the choir tell of a wondrous and personal god who will reward the faithful with an eternity of bliss. There is, of course, a price to pay for the reward. But, the price, which is paid by following the dogma of the leader, varies from congregation to congregation depending on what each priest, minister, rabbi, monk, mullah or other reverend soul proclaims is his or her own personal revelation of “The word of God.”
Each congregation is infused with the idea of “us” and “them,” and the assurance that “we” know the truth, and “they” are heathens, pagans, infidels, etc., who are just too ignorant to understand the real nature of “our” true god. Because of the “us-them” reality, each congregation is separated from the family of mankind, perpetrating a kind of sibling rivalry which, by it’s very nature, forbids peace and prosperity for all. There is one thing that must be true. They cannot all be right. They could, however, all be wrong. Unfortunately, this possibility is never mentioned by the faithful. They go on trumpeting the version of truth which was taught to them before they could even define the nature of truth.
That these things are true cannot be denied in the face of insurmountable evidence being produced day after day across the face of the globe. Who, then, can be surprised that when a government takes on the nature of a religion, repression and war are unavoidable outcomes. It is not a question of is there or isn’t there a god, but it is a question of whether or not any particular religion should be followed without question, without being carefully scrutinized for the motives of its existence. Leadership is power, and power is corrupt. This is a lesson humanity has been taught time and time again, as otherwise good men and women have risen to high positions only to fall prey to greed and the simple euphoria of power. But, although having been taught many times, the lesson fails to take hold in the human psyche.
Power of leadership is the ability to enforce the will of the one over the will of the many. The leaders of the various churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples are not immune to the frailties of humanity, especially when it comes to the exercise of power.
Witness the Pope decrying the use of condoms in Africa, even though lives will be saved and the spread of AIDS diminished.
Witness Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson decrying gay rights, even though they are guaranteed by our constitution.
Witness FDA boss Lester Crawford, putting off the approval of a ‘morning after’ pill which science says is a safe means of dealing with up to half the three million unexpected pregnancies that occur in this country annually, just to appease anti abortion activists.
Witness Muqtada al-Sadr waging war on anyone who does not follow his idea of how to worship god.
Witness that all of these things are done on the basis of a religious dogma, Not one of which is accepted by a majority of the population of the world.
And, now witness the throngs of parishioners drawn to the siren song of their respective religious choirs. As they sing the praises of ‘their’ god, either unwittingly, or even knowingly, they continue the culture of sibling rivalry which is clawing at the very fabric of civilization. With their minds dulled by the opiate of a deep knowing belief that theirs is the only true religion, they are blissfully unconcerned about the sea of societal turmoil on which they are adrift. A raging tempest, of which they are the cause. Like the children of Hamelin, following the Piper in blissful ignorance of the danger, the religious zealots lead the entire world toward a whirlpool of disaster.
How did this happen here? Because, here, in the melting pot of the world, tolerance of the beliefs of others has been the cornerstone of our society. It is precisely because most of us try to be tolerant and understanding of others that those who are totally intolerant of any belief but their own have gained an upper hand. Religious zealots from every religion say, “I have the only truth, follow or perish.” We, on the other hand, listen politely, nod our heads and say, “If that’s what you believe, it’s OK with me.” And, the zealots proceed to work at taking away our freedoms and replace them with their dogma.
As a person who has always held the firm belief that the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights are the heart of the American dream, it has been difficult to come to the conclusion that tolerance is not always the best course to follow. However, in the past six years the intolerance of a minority has made a shambles of our society, and it is our tolerance that allowed it to happen. It is time for it to stop. It is past time. Those of us who want a free society, and I have to believe that’s a very large majority, must begin to press for the suppression of religion in government, and vote down any proposed law based on religious dogma whether we agree with it or not. It is the only way to send a clear message that we want everyone to have as much free will as possible, and be able to enjoy the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness as our founders decreed.
I will be in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, September 24, to show my intolerance of an administration which draws much of its power from the bigotry of its base supporters. I will be there to show my intolerance of a war of aggression. I will be there to show my intolerance of capitalism gone berserk. I will be there to show my intolerance of an administration which has trampled on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, demeaning all that our founders fought and died for. It’s not the Pied Piper’s music this time. What I hear is discord. So, I will be there. Will you?
Each congregation is infused with the idea of “us” and “them,” and the assurance that “we” know the truth, and “they” are heathens, pagans, infidels, etc., who are just too ignorant to understand the real nature of “our” true god. Because of the “us-them” reality, each congregation is separated from the family of mankind, perpetrating a kind of sibling rivalry which, by it’s very nature, forbids peace and prosperity for all. There is one thing that must be true. They cannot all be right. They could, however, all be wrong. Unfortunately, this possibility is never mentioned by the faithful. They go on trumpeting the version of truth which was taught to them before they could even define the nature of truth.
That these things are true cannot be denied in the face of insurmountable evidence being produced day after day across the face of the globe. Who, then, can be surprised that when a government takes on the nature of a religion, repression and war are unavoidable outcomes. It is not a question of is there or isn’t there a god, but it is a question of whether or not any particular religion should be followed without question, without being carefully scrutinized for the motives of its existence. Leadership is power, and power is corrupt. This is a lesson humanity has been taught time and time again, as otherwise good men and women have risen to high positions only to fall prey to greed and the simple euphoria of power. But, although having been taught many times, the lesson fails to take hold in the human psyche.
Power of leadership is the ability to enforce the will of the one over the will of the many. The leaders of the various churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples are not immune to the frailties of humanity, especially when it comes to the exercise of power.
Witness the Pope decrying the use of condoms in Africa, even though lives will be saved and the spread of AIDS diminished.
Witness Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson decrying gay rights, even though they are guaranteed by our constitution.
Witness FDA boss Lester Crawford, putting off the approval of a ‘morning after’ pill which science says is a safe means of dealing with up to half the three million unexpected pregnancies that occur in this country annually, just to appease anti abortion activists.
Witness Muqtada al-Sadr waging war on anyone who does not follow his idea of how to worship god.
Witness that all of these things are done on the basis of a religious dogma, Not one of which is accepted by a majority of the population of the world.
And, now witness the throngs of parishioners drawn to the siren song of their respective religious choirs. As they sing the praises of ‘their’ god, either unwittingly, or even knowingly, they continue the culture of sibling rivalry which is clawing at the very fabric of civilization. With their minds dulled by the opiate of a deep knowing belief that theirs is the only true religion, they are blissfully unconcerned about the sea of societal turmoil on which they are adrift. A raging tempest, of which they are the cause. Like the children of Hamelin, following the Piper in blissful ignorance of the danger, the religious zealots lead the entire world toward a whirlpool of disaster.
How did this happen here? Because, here, in the melting pot of the world, tolerance of the beliefs of others has been the cornerstone of our society. It is precisely because most of us try to be tolerant and understanding of others that those who are totally intolerant of any belief but their own have gained an upper hand. Religious zealots from every religion say, “I have the only truth, follow or perish.” We, on the other hand, listen politely, nod our heads and say, “If that’s what you believe, it’s OK with me.” And, the zealots proceed to work at taking away our freedoms and replace them with their dogma.
As a person who has always held the firm belief that the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights are the heart of the American dream, it has been difficult to come to the conclusion that tolerance is not always the best course to follow. However, in the past six years the intolerance of a minority has made a shambles of our society, and it is our tolerance that allowed it to happen. It is time for it to stop. It is past time. Those of us who want a free society, and I have to believe that’s a very large majority, must begin to press for the suppression of religion in government, and vote down any proposed law based on religious dogma whether we agree with it or not. It is the only way to send a clear message that we want everyone to have as much free will as possible, and be able to enjoy the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness as our founders decreed.
I will be in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, September 24, to show my intolerance of an administration which draws much of its power from the bigotry of its base supporters. I will be there to show my intolerance of a war of aggression. I will be there to show my intolerance of capitalism gone berserk. I will be there to show my intolerance of an administration which has trampled on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, demeaning all that our founders fought and died for. It’s not the Pied Piper’s music this time. What I hear is discord. So, I will be there. Will you?
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