Countering Religious Fascism

[ihcarij]

An underreported albeit widespread form of oppression in the United States is the indoctrination of youth by the evangelical right. Sheltered by early brain-washing and often made to attend private or home school, these young people are raised to close their minds and propagate intolerance. Those who see through the scare and shame tactics employed by the church are persecuted as ‘sinners’ and made to conform. This issue is rarely confronted because of the combination of sensitive issues involved: religion as a negative influence, role of parenting, etc.

If you live in the US, you most likely know someone who attends a church that supports this oppression. Many members of these congregations claim (when outside of the church environment) not to support the most extreme stances, but are silenced by the fear of being seen as evil by other church members—and therefore continue to support what they claim to disagree with. Even the most ‘liberal’ churches are guilty of this problem-- though avoiding scare tactics, a differing opinion is shunned and the individual made to feel ‘impure’.

This is an awkward institution to protest, because protestors could easily be misunderstood as ‘rabid atheists’ or as being against religious freedom. So, how might one go about resisting evangelical oppression and promoting free thought? Are there any organizations already dedicated to this task? (most of the ones I come across are politically-oriented, to stop evangelical influence in government)

[cappin]

I was a victim of both homeschooling and the religious dogma to go with it. Unfortunately you can't, in a technical sense, outlaw evangelical oppression without infringing on someone else's idea of "free thought". So unless stupidity ceases, we won't be seeing the last of the theist epidemic; that deadly disease that won't stop spreading.

The best I can hope is by speaking our minds of reason, maybe a few will join.

[The Advent of Anarchy]

Religion and free thought is usually contradictory, if not always. Religion is the opium of the masses, and we need to free ourselves from organized religion (I don't mind less organized religions as much, but it's still not very good). Here's my thought: God is a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Mmmm.. pasta. Well, I'm getting off track.
But in all seriousness, there needs to be a complete seperation of church and state, and the state will be eventually smashed, so I don't know what to seperate it from then. Seperation of church and areas inhabited by sane people.

[Pirate turtle the 11th]

Religion and free thought is usually contradictory, if not always. Religion is the opium of the masses, and we need to free ourselves from organized religion (I don't mind less organized religions as much, but it's still not very good). Here's my thought: God is a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Mmmm.. pasta. Well, I'm getting off track.
But in all seriousness, there needs to be a complete seperation of church and state, and the state will be eventually smashed, so I don't know what to seperate it from then. Seperation of church and areas inhabited by sane people.

Separating religion from decision making and anything that could infulance decsion making? will that do?

[The Advent of Anarchy]

That sounds good too, Comrade Joe.

[The Intransigent Faction]

Religion and free thought is usually contradictory, if not always. Religion is the opium of the masses, and we need to free ourselves from organized religion (I don't mind less organized religions as much, but it's still not very good). Here's my thought: God is a Flying Spaghetti Monster. Mmmm.. pasta. Well, I'm getting off track.

Finally someone gets it! :D
Heh, sorry about that. I've been getting into "debates" with theists in the religion sub-forum of Opposing Ideologies too much and have even frustratingly heard that quote repeatedly twisted to be in supposed SUPPORT of religion as "healing".


But in all seriousness, there needs to be a complete seperation of church and state, and the state will be eventually smashed, so I don't know what to seperate it from then. Seperation of church and areas inhabited by sane people.

I agree with Comrade Joe on this one. At the very least we could start with a ban of organized religion to prevent the church from coming together as a rallying point for counter-revolutionaries. As Comrade Joe said, religion must not have a place in or influence on decision making.

[The Advent of Anarchy]

A long time ago, I met a person whom said "When I pray and worship God, I feel as though a cloud has lifted from my heart and I'm finally at peace." I thought about that quote for a while. Eventually I chose a religion, and started worshipping God (I regret it to this day), and I continued to do so for a few months. I had a similar feeling to what the quote above said to me. Only after a while did I realize I had no positive reaction to it. I wasn't really happy. Rather, I was emotionally repressed, and at times I found myself censoring my own thoughts! It was like pure opium. I literally hit my head on the wall (not smart, for it was a brick wall), and I broke the chains that held me with that opium of the masses, and now I'm a free man, no longer a mind slave of organized religion and the fantasy called God. I at that moment came to the conclusion that we as human beings are sentient (or sapient, you know what I mean), and free from much of the instincts of our evolutionary predecessors. This evolutionary gift should be allowed to operate freely without anyone or anything trying to stop you. Many religions place restrictions on our thoughts, and ban "bad thoughts", and restrict your mind from contemplating on subjects it considers taboo. If anything or anyone tells you how to think and feel, it is automatically going against the millions of years of evolutionary processes and progress that made the human being what it is: an intelligent free-thinking organism. Religion, therefore, should not exist, for it tries to fight the free-thinking mind. So, of course, Karl Marx was absolutely correct when he said religion was the opium of the masses. Just wanted to share that story.

So yeah, religion's scary.

[The Intransigent Faction]

A long time ago, I met a person whom said "When I pray and worship God, I feel as though a cloud has lifted from my heart and I'm finally at peace." I thought about that quote for a while. Eventually I chose a religion, and started worshipping God (I regret it to this day), and I continued to do so for a few months. I had a similar feeling to what the quote above said to me. Only after a while did I realize I had no positive reaction to it. I wasn't really happy. Rather, I was emotionally repressed, and at times I found myself censoring my own thoughts! It was like pure opium. I literally hit my head on the wall (not smart, for it was a brick wall), and I broke the chains that held me with that opium of the masses, and now I'm a free man, no longer a mind slave of organized religion and the fantasy called God. I at that moment came to the conclusion that we as human beings are sentient (or sapient, you know what I mean), and free from much of the instincts of our evolutionary predecessors. This evolutionary gift should be allowed to operate freely without anyone or anything trying to stop you. Many religions place restrictions on our thoughts, and ban "bad thoughts", and restrict your mind from contemplating on subjects it considers taboo. If anything or anyone tells you how to think and feel, it is automatically going against the millions of years of evolutionary processes and progress that made the human being what it is: an intelligent free-thinking organism. Religion, therefore, should not exist, for it tries to fight the free-thinking mind. So, of course, Karl Marx was absolutely correct when he said religion was the opium of the masses. Just wanted to share that story.

So yeah, religion's scary.

Thanks for sharing. Personally I haven't had horribly negative experiences with religion but I've heard enough of them and know enough to be concerned. Thanks for your help in the Religion sub-forum. i was about ready to hit my own head on a wall.
Check out this perversion of Marx's words:

As for Opium, it is irrelevant that it was facing restriction. The fact is that Marx was referring to religion as a painkiller. Try reading the passage.

Oh how I've been itching to ask why Religion is then addressed as a topic in a SUB-FORUM of "Opposing Ideologies."
:tongue_smilie:

[The Advent of Anarchy]

Obviously he has no idea what a metaphor is.

[The Intransigent Faction]

Obviously he has no idea what a metaphor is.

I concur.

[joe_the_red]

Religion is the fascism in which "God" is the "Führer". How do we crush the fascists? We show the people that they are all important individuals, needing to serve no entity, that they are equally important and have just as much a right as any other man or woman to be happy and enjoy success. The fat aristocratic elite would say that the people are "serving the greater good" by sacrificing themselves for their profit. We need to show people this. It's the same in religion, religion calls for everyone to sacrifice themselves to spread the word of sacrificing themselves. It's nothing but a neverending parasite circle, it lives to feed itself. What else does religion teach other than to spread its dogma and coerce the rest of the world to serve it? Ultimately all it tries to do is enslave the rest of the world, and allow anyone who does not conform to it to die, leaving only the fascist slaves. Eventually it will need to be met with armed resistance, just as the capitalist empires. -Joe

[redSHARP]

do what the capis did to us...containment. if evolution is threatened at your school, get people active. the chatholic church is dying in america, the evengelicals have alienated themselves out of the west coast and north eastern areas, and islam wont get anywhere in america. and once people realize that god wont put food on the plate, the moderate religous people will vote liberal (its a start but only a half measure). so...if religous groups are infringing on state issues such as gay rights, then show them they will have to fight to stomp on our rights. and gather people with the same opinions around you; strenght in numbers (even if the liberals join us, we can crush/convert them later).

[Anashtih]

I agree with Comrade Joe on this one. At the very least we could start with a ban of organized religion to prevent the church from coming together as a rallying point for counter-revolutionaries. As Comrade Joe said, religion must not have a place in or influence on decision making.
But if at the given time, people like us are in the majority, and things work in the manner in which we so desperately hope, wouldn't that make the counter-revolutionaries the ACTUAL revolutionaries? ;)
But on a more serious note, if any of you are interested in any aspect of Christianity, look into the Quaker school of thought. NOT Puritans, not at all the same thing. Instead of going to church and having a pastor tell them what to think, people go and just sit there and think, and if someone feels like talking about God, they get up in front of everybody and say what they think. I think it's quite intriguing.

[Raúl Duke]

Not really. Most people here assume that before the actual revolution actually begins there will be large numbers of non-practicing religious people and apostates (thus the need to counter christian fundamentalism right now). At least I assume so.

This would assure us the majority in that case; and from there we drive that though old thing called religion into the trash bin of history.

Although having a majority does not assure one that they are revolutionary...In the case that the non-religious are not a majority, religion will still be counter-revolutionary as in the last case because they are, because of their track-record, mostly reactionary and it's just plain implausible.

I hate quoting but I couldn't help myself in this case:

"As long as we have a master in heaven, we will be slaves on earth.”-BakuninAlso this:


But on a more serious note, if any of you are interested in any aspect of Christianity...might be considered borderline preaching which is usually not allowed on the main forum.

Although it is pretty intriguing.

[Anashtih]

How would that be preaching? You wouldn't say anything if I had said "if you're interested in any aspect of the culinary arts". In fact, I doubt it would even occur to you that I might be trying to pressure anyone into anything.

[joe_the_red]

Bottom line is: we need no gods. We need no masters to tell us how to live our lives, we need nobody to "save" us. We are all individuals with potential, we can all take care of ourselves, as long as there are no capitalist-fascist-imperialist pigs working to hold us all down. And so, after the pig slaughter, we will all be independent, have everything we need, and be able to pursue our interests, work together, and finally have a decent world. -Joe