How secularism puts the brakes on religion's
escalation to violence
Religion needs an opponent to be strong. It demands an opponent to be a
religion.
Religion is strongest when the members are united against an enemy - perhaps
another religion or evil spirits. Religion is more itself then.
It takes two religions to hate each other before one of them can turn
persecutor.
People in a religion are generally more malleable, united, compliant and devoted
when they fear an enemy. Religion is more itself then. This enemy will have to
be another religion or secularism or atheism. People are more religious and
religion is more powerful when the religion is besieged. The hatred of the enemy
becomes the glue that holds them together. Religion fuels this hatred by
imagining that the denizens of Hell are using the enemy and empowering it. Now
you understand how easily all that can lead to religion wreaking and enabling
and even blessing extreme violence.
Religion says it loves sinners. What it means is that it puts a loving attitude
towards sinners before the consequences it lets befall sinners. I mean the love
is not going to protect the sinner from suffering for his sin. Nor is it
intended to. The love for sinners does not stop Christians having you jailed
even if you live in a country that punishes crime excessively. The Christian
wants to feel smug and superior. It is like saying to a starving child, "I hope
you are not hungry" and doing nothing about it. Religion is intrinsically
hypocritical about its love for sinners so if trouble does not break out then it
is a miracle.
Protestants and Catholics both have indulged in great violence over religion.
One blames the other. But it takes two religions to have a religious war. The
Protestant’s mess is still the Catholic’s mess for in essentials they have the
same faith. And vice versa. The blaming is an ingredient for further outbreaks
of violence.
Secularism helps keep religious extremism from getting worse
If religion gets too much power it will become dangerous.
Secularism helps keep it under control.
Secular influence has helped religion become less extremist and mad.
Secularism influences and sometimes forces many people who would become
religious extremist terrorists to become civil people.
Secularism's attitude to religious faith as not something to be taken too
seriously rubs off on society.
Religion is not intrinsically good when it needs secularism to manage it. Not
all secularism is necessarily good but we seem to be getting modern secularism
reasonably right.
Ken Gibson said, "Extremism is religion’s enemy. Secularism is its ally." This
denies that many peaceful religions are extremist! But they are. Extremism is
not just about actions but attitudes. Religious terrorism is just another form
of religious extremism. Extremism will never be satisfied. Each Islamic
terrorist started off with putting God and the Koran before all things and soon
he ended up wanting to kill infidels. Muhammad put the violence into Islam that
he learned from the God of the Bible.
Some religions teach that prayer is a treatment for mental illness and ill
health on its own. Others say you need the doctor as well. But those who say
that if you pray and God creates doctors then in reality it is still prayer
alone that is treating you. If God wishes to treat you, he is still doing it
through prayer alone. That is extremism.
At least Gibson admitted the problems caused by religious madness are "resolved
with greater separation between church and state: between politics and
religion." Modern secularism is seen to have a positive effect on religion which
means that religion is regarded as needing to be put in its place and kept
there. The positive effect is powerful but not completely so. It deals with
religion sufficiently but sometimes religion resists the effect.