April 20, 2006
The US: the bad news
Conservative American columnist Daniel Pipes concludes a recent article for the New York Sun on Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with the following words: “The most dangerous leaders in modern history are those… equipped with… a mystical belief in their own mission. That, combined with his expected nuclear arsenal, makes him an adversary who must be stopped, and urgently.” As evidence of Ahmadinejad’s mysticism Pipes cites the fact that he believes in Mahdaviat, the ‘second coming’ of the ‘Mahdi’, an Islamic version of the Messiah. Such radical religious beliefs, held by the leader of a powerful nuclear state, Pipes argues, will have ominous consequences. No doubt he is right. But if Pipes is concerned about the rise of powerful nuclear-armed men who believe in the second coming, he might have looked a little closer to home. Forget Iran. The mainstay of religious radicalism and mainstream occultism, is the United States, and America already has the bomb. More than one.Consider these statistics: 95 per cent of Americans believe in God; 86 per cent believe in Heaven; 78 per cent believe in life after death; 72 per cent believe in angels; 71 per cent believe in Hell; 65 per cent believe in the Devil; 34 per cent believe that the Bible is inerrant. But then again only 40 per cent believe they have actually had contact with the dead (source Kosmin and Lachman and The Economist).
more from The New Humanist here.
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Comments
probably not a coincidence that I posted a related thought about the on-going whitehouse housecleaning: get god off the list of close advisors.
Posted by: greensmile | Apr 20, 2006 11:37:16 AM
that would certainly be a nice step towards progress. but first, there has to be a robust humanist, or at least secular drive in the left. though most liberals recognize that god must get out of government, they are too timid to organize a solidly secular movement to counter the growing christian right.
that photo is seriously very creepy.
Posted by: neal | Apr 20, 2006 11:53:53 AM
I don't think there is a lack of non-timid secular Americans -- at least on the Internet, I see plenty of them. I think the reason no one has succeeded in organizing a strong, unified secular movement is that organizing a bunch as independent-minded as secularists are is like herding cats.
Also, it's not just secularists who are alarmed at the religious right -- plenty of moderate religious people are, also. I don't think the religious nutters have as much influence on the general population as is often feared. Although they do have strong connections with the present administration, of course. So the best way of combatting the political power of the religious right is by combatting the administration, and with Bush's ratings on the stairway to the basement, if not in the basement, it looks as though we're not in a terribly bad position.
Posted by: JonJ | Apr 20, 2006 12:33:44 PM
So you think simply believing in God is the same as thinking you are the Messiah?
Since it is man turning his back on God that brings the end, you guys are really eating your own tail for this cause.
Posted by: James Burton | Apr 20, 2006 5:03:58 PM
I'm guessing the figures were based on separate polls, but I find it amusing that 86% believe in Heaven while only 78% believe in life after death.
Posted by: Jesse M. | Apr 20, 2006 5:42:08 PM
James Burton wrote:
So you think simply believing in God is the same as thinking you are the Messiah?
Who believes they are the Messiah? Not the Iranian President, the article only said he believes in Mahdaviat. And of course, there's a big difference between "believing in God" and "fundamentalist" beliefs like the idea Religious Text X is the literal word of God, that the apocalypse is imminent, and so forth.
Posted by: Jesse M. | Apr 20, 2006 5:51:51 PM
Conservative Americans are guilty of a lot - rape of the land, non-compassionate conservatism, and the list goes on. But of terrorism backed by Bush? Silly. Bush and his people believe they have a mission. Charitably, a mission of peace, or uncharitably a mission to Christianize. But no mission to kill the infidel to hasten the End.
The parallel is weak and misleading.
Posted by: Jr | Apr 21, 2006 8:58:17 AM
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