My latest masterpiece.


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Last week, the state of Florida put a terrorist to death. This terrorist killed two people. This terrorist did it for religion. This terrorist expects to get his reward in Heaven. This terrorist is Christian. This terrorist was named Paul Hill. This terrorist murdered an abortion doctor and the doctor's aid.

This week the United States and the world will observe the day that nineteen terrorists sent by a fanatic destroyed the World Trade Center and scarred the Pentagon. These terrorists expected to get their rewards in Heaven. These terrorists did it for religion. These terrorists were Muslim. These terrorists murdered some 3,000 human beings.

All twenty are probably in Hell.

Do you see a trend? I do.

It is no secret that I have major problems with fundamentalist religion of any faith. I find that as a movement, it is reactionary, anti-modernist, anti-democratic and hateful. As I prepare to spend my life studying it, I've come to the belief that fundamentalist religion is the modern day fascism. Knowledge is the first tool in fighting ones enemies. As an American living in a democratic and secular country, fundamentalist religion is my enemy, and yours too.

Why am I writing about this? Two years later, I fear we still have not learned the implications of this particular reaction against modernity. My fear is that if unchecked, it could be too late.

For example: In Alabama, Judge Roy Moore set up a statue of the Ten Commandments. While it is true that the Constitution does not explicitly use the terms "Separation of Church and State," it does not allow the government to prefer one religion over another. The statue was declared unconstitutional (as I highly doubt Judge Roy Moore would put up a statue about the 5 Pillars of Islam), and the statue was removed, after a rather interesting stand-off. Fundamentalist Christians in the United States strongly believe that the US is a Christian nation and oh well for all the others.

More examples? A writer friend of mine who runs a site named The Agonist recently spent considerable time in Central Asia researching a book. He noted that Wahabbi Islam, the branch that fueled the 19 that attacked our country exactly two years ago, is strongly in force. Policy makers are still raising alarm bells over the Hindu fundamentalist party currently holding power in that nation, the BJP. Saudi Arabia remains fundamentalist. Turkey, Israel, and a host of nations have religious fundamentalist parties that have made significant inroads into their mainstream.

However, the most glaring example in the last two years seems to be in this country. Currently there's a movement among the Religious Right to "codify" marriage rights in a Constitutional Amendment. Marriage, in their view, is only between a man and a woman. Therefore, marriage rights, in their view, are only enjoyed by couples comprised of men and women. Nevermind the millions of people who do not fit into this simple definition. This movement is spearheaded by a Christian movement to "reconstruct" society, or Re-constructionism. It is a Calvinist-based movement that holds all nations should hold to the laws of the Old Testament. These are the people who feel they, and only they, get to decide your morals for you. Of course, they're intolerant extremists (they think you can own slaves, and all homosexuals should be killed).

And like the Muslim extremists in Muslim nations, these extremists have made significant inroads into the conservative mainstream. Turn on cable TV and you can see it quite well. The "religious" expert on any of the Sunday morning talk shows or Cable television is almost always Jerry Falwell or one of his clones. The 700 Club makes a ton of money off of their entire network. Commentators are always talking about their religious faith. Public figures cannot be publically agnostic. The Marriage Rights Amendment is just more proof of the matter, and probably the tip of the iceberg. It was the President himself who stated this summer that he had lawyers working on the question of homosexual marriage.

Two years later, we should have recognized the threat. Any religion is capable of the violence America suffered on September 11, 2001 and, incidentally, was blamed for by Christian commentators in the US. It makes me wonder when fundamentalist Christianity will rise to these levels, as the Marriage Rights amendment already suggests they have a target. Consider this: I'm going to make a comparison. You'll need to fill in the blanks.

"The ______'s are responsible for everything that's wrong with this country. They are against this great nation. Every evil, every wrong, every slight and every catastrophe that occurs to and in this country is all their fault. They ruin everything. We need to do something about the _______'s. No more rights for the ________'s."

Insert the word "Jew" in the blanks and you get Weimar Germany, circa 1933, just before Hitler plunged the Continent into 12 years of terror and death.

Insert the word "homosexual" in the blanks and you get the United States of America, circa 2003.