It appears Muslim fundamentalists just assassinated Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan. It is not entirely clear they were responsible however. Not only was there a bombing (usual trademark of fundamentalist attacks), but Bhutto was also shot. So, it could be some other forces in Pakistan who were opposed to the former Prime Minister, including the government of Pervez Musharraf (after the assassination, Bhutto supporters were chanting, "Dog, Musharraf, Dog.").
If it was religious fundamentalists, it wouldn't be the first time. It would be about the one billionth time religious folks have resorted to violence to settle disputes. And they usually kill people trying to bring peace or empower others. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was killed by a Muslim fundamentalist for making peace with Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed by a Jewish fundamentalist for trying to make peace with the Palestinians. While Christian fundamentalists are busy trying to create the next Armageddon so we can all die. What a pleasant lot.
Why do they do this? Because they're supposed to. Read the Bible, the Torah and the Koran. They are all full of violent, bloody fantasies that teach you over and over to kill your enemies. Christians love to think they are the exception to this rule. They'll say the Old Testament doesn't really apply anymore because the New Testament overruled all the gory, masochists violence of the earlier book. So, then I guess Genesis isn't true either since that's in the Old Testament? Oops.
Then, you'll get the excuse that Jesus was the Prince of Peace. Yeah, I know, that's why in Matthew 10:34 he says, "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." Sounds down right Christian of him.
But even if you can make up pathetic excuses for this obvious blood-lust and call to violence, it doesn't matter. Because in the end Jesus murders almost all of us anyway. Jesus doesn't just kill the "liars" and the "sexually immoral" and the eight other categories of people who get thrown in "fiery lake of burning sulfur." He kills all of the "unbelieving" folks as well. If you don't believe in Jesus, you get the lake of fire! What a swell guy.
In most interpretations of Islam, Jesus is the prophet that returns at the end of time to kill everyone, too. The fundamentalist Jews also believe in a Messiah that comes to kill everyone and start the world over again. So, pretty much every major religion agrees -- God is a murdering tyrant.
If you don't kiss God's ass enough, he will kill you. And then for good measure, he will roast you over an open fire for the rest of time. You know who does torture? God does. If you don't believe in him and grovel at his feet for eternity he will torture you forever. That's what your religion teaches you and you want me to respect that?
You know what I say to that -- Hell no!
If Jesus really comes back to kill everyone (except his sycophants who sucked up to him enough to earn his pitiful mercy), then I'll fight him. He is a ruthless, bloody, senseless killer. The worst tyrant the world has ever seen. All of the religions believe in this absurd, sick fantasy. Then they wonder why their followers wind up starting wars and killing people who disagree with them.
Plenty has been written about how Christianity was made up in the Council of Nicaea by a bunch of bishops who cherry-picked inconsistent accounts to serve their political purposes (that is a slightly over-simplistic account, but everyone acknowledges that the Bible was written decades after Jesus died and was assembled by others who never knew Jesus or heard what he actually said).
How can anyone know this, and still believe in this nonsense? For the sake of sanity, I will assume that people who still believe in organized religion are ignorant of its history (and believe me, Judaism, Islam and Hinduism have equally ridiculous histories -- to people who aren't brainwashed by these cults, the most amusing thing is to watch one cultist claim that all the other religions are wrong but his is right).
But you can't claim you don't know the ending. Everyone knows what happens at Armageddon. Almost all of us get killed by God. Knowing this, you expect us to respect that guy? Why should I? He plans to murder me.
This is the point when believers will tell you that you have a choice and you can avoid Jesus killing you if you just promise your unending loyalty to him (and presumably watch him kill the rest of humanity in front of your eyes). I think Saddam Hussein used to say something similar. So did Stalin and Mao and every other dictator in the world. If you promise me your loyalty, then I won't murder you.
No thanks. I don't have to respect that. In fact, we are doing the world a great injustice by still respecting this lunacy.
The funny thing is how touchy religious people are. They will get offended at the drop of a hat. Christians reading this now are so mad they can hardly contain themselves. Just calm down, your God promises to torture me forever anyway. What can you do to me that he can't?
Meanwhile, Muslims are sharpening their swords as we speak. They get to shoot people in the neck and watch them bleed to death, as they likely did to Bhutto today, but we can't publish a frikin' cartoon of their prophet? Muslims who don't understand the irony of saying, "I will kill you if you say my religion is violent" are the dumbest people on earth.
So, we have to live with these barbarians. But I don't have to respect them. They can say anything they like about us and even look forward to the day where we all die a fiery death at the hands of their Leader. But we can't offend them? Please.
If you are offended by the fact that your religion is made up, cruel, violent, barbaric and ridiculous, that's your problem, not mine. If I'm right, you're living your life based on a silly lie. If you're right, I'll be murdered by your prophet and then roasted in hell for eternity. I think it's fair to say I should be the one offended.
For the record, I'm not. Harry Potter is just as likely to come to life and kill me for not believing in him as Jesus Christ is. I'm not offended by your sad, little fantasies. But please spare me your righteous indignation about how I hurt your feelings.
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Reader Comments ( Page 7 of 49)
91. So, in other words, dieth, you're pretty much just sticking out your tongue and going "neener neener."
Stunning... I'm certain everyone is utterly crushed by your logical prowess which you keep hidden beneath that heavy shroud of your own illiteracy.
Dan at 8:52PM on Dec 27th 2007
92. Oh look! lizard jumped on the antisemite bandwagon. What a massive surprise!
Maybe you can move to germany with the rhodalee bitch and plan for the next reich!
Linda at 9:21PM on Dec 27th 2007
93. Just out of curiousity, if it's believed by Christians that you must accept Jesus as your personal savior or you'll end up going to hell, what happened to the people that were around long before the days when Jesus walked the Earth? I would just like to have someone that is a devout Christian explain that to me because I don't know how that worked out for the people that lived in the time B.C.
Rusty at 9:28PM on Dec 27th 2007
94. I liked it better when a senseless killing of the politician calling for sanity was enough to bring everyone together for one moment and go, "Yeah, we're all just humans and we all need to just calm down and realize that the person next to me just wants to live and be happy and 9 times out of 10 will let me do the same if I give him the curtesy." I know the above sounds naive but it's true. Hating on people (ANYONE) at this time, when we've now lost the only person who wasn't running on angry in Pakistan (A country that ACTUALLY MIGHT BECOME A TERRORIST STATE WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS), is the very definition of missing the forest for the trees.
mbriancohen at 9:29PM on Dec 27th 2007
95. Cenk,
I don't respect atheists and agnositics. Anyone who can't or won't acknowledge the existance of a supreme being is either an idiot or just plain bull-headed.
Besides, what is wrong with a vengeful god that kills people? My grandfather used to pray that God would strike down FDR. You could pray that God and/or Jesus would give George Bush liver disease and Dick Cheney the mother-of-all-heart attacks, thereby making Nancy Pelosi President and Commander-in-Chief.
Besides, wouldn't it be cool to see Jesus shoot laser beams from his eyes and kill peopele? I have my list of people that Jesus needs to take out.
But seriously Cenk, one of the good things about being a United Methodist is that you can pick and choose what you want to believe. For instance, Rush Limbaugh's father, Rush Jr., also a Methodist, didn't believe in the devil or hell. He simply couldn't fathom how a supreme being could allow Satan to roam the earth looking to make deals, or that non-believers would suffer all eternity in a BBQ pit.
Personally, I'm not all that certain that there will be a second coming. And if there is a second coming, I want to be dead and gone before it happens.
Kent at 9:31PM on Dec 27th 2007
96. Today this blog should be called:
"The Young Turkey's Report"
You've attacked the worlds major religions and you feel good about it. You seem to always look at the lunatic fringe and you dismiss the good. Sounds like CNN reporting the Iraq war, show all the dead and none of the good.
You scrap books of some morality to what?
Mein Kamph, Quotations of Chairman Mao, The Communist Manifesto? These are great substitutes to teach morality and human kindness.
Yep... atheist regimes who have killed more people in the past hundred years then all of history's butchers put together, yep.. you guy's have the answer ...yep.
You get the big "WTF" today.... hopefully you will regain your senses by tomorrow.
Stop slamming, and analyze with some intellectual
dignity.
zoology101 at 9:40PM on Dec 27th 2007
97. There is something called moderate religion, or reformed religion. Across many religious faiths, especially Judaism and Islam, there have been significant changes to how the religion is observed and how its holy texts are analyzed.
Brian at 9:43PM on Dec 27th 2007
98. Fanatical Muslims assassinate a woman fighting for democracy, and you use this opportunity to bash Jesus and Christians?
While your column did made me angry at first, in the end, I guess what I feel is the end is pity for you. It's ironic how radical leftists like yourself preach tolerance but usually end up some of the most intolerant people around. Your column clearly shows that. You can take quotes from the Bible out of context and say that Christians were responsible for certain acts of violence throughout history, but you should know by now that a vast majority of Christians today do not use the Bible to justify acts of violence like the one perpetrated against Ms. Bhutto today.
Her death is a tragedy for all of us who love democracy and freedom - it's too bad you used it as an opportunity to spew hatred against people who don't share your godless belief system.
Amanda at 10:00PM on Dec 27th 2007
99. "Anyone who can't or won't deny the existance of a supreme being is either an idiot or just plain bull-headed"
Hitler >>>>>>>>> Christian
Mussolini >>>>>> Christian
Franco >>>>>>>>> Christian
Bush >>>>>>>>>>> Christian
See?? Lots of despots are christians.
Linda at 10:09PM on Dec 27th 2007
100. Spew, spew, spew. There's that word again.
The point of the blog is religious extremism and fundamentalism and the horror it causes.
Bhutto represented modernity and liberalism, and it got her killed.
She was far from perfect, and had many critics.
She did not deserve death.
Linda at 10:15PM on Dec 27th 2007
101. "This is a sick old world..." says the lady, then she starts babbling in 'tongues'...LOL..
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8bB2rt3IKJc
I especially liked the part where they take out a life sized cut-out of GWBush to pray on ...
... then later deny that they have any political agenda...
... honesty, it's a Christian 'value'.
pboyfloyd at 10:35PM on Dec 27th 2007
102. What do you respect? What do you believe?
You can deny the validity of every religion on earth, but life itself proves there is more.
If you have ever seen a persons first breath or their last, you have just witnessed something so much more than a human mind and thus textbook or theory can encompass. Curse God and damn the heavens as any thinking, functioning person with a complete thought process will do. But know this, your opinion of me does not dictate if I exist or not. You can say, I don't believe in her because I don't like and I don't understand how she does things, but here I am. If we could understand God, we would try to manipulate, possess, change or destroy God. We already do so in books, movies, and in our thoughts.
LPena at 10:54PM on Dec 27th 2007
103. @ LPena...
... but you are mixing things up here... I'm quite sure that you are real... and I'm quite sure that God is NOT real.
Curse God??? ... I might as well curse the Flying Spaghetti Monster!!
Please watch that video of Jesus Camp... and understand that these people are indoctrinating those children as sure as Muslims are indoctrinating their children...
... just watch it... and tell me if you think that those people are NOT encouraging those children to speak in 'tongues'... that they are not encouraging those children to have a political agenda...
... and yet they can look into people's eyes and say, "No, there's no political agenda at all."
pboyfloyd at 11:17PM on Dec 27th 2007
104. Like all fools you use a little truth mixed with a lot of horse dung to make a useless point.
Katherine at 11:24PM on Dec 27th 2007
105. Geeze, Louise, young turks. Who put lemon juice in your cornflakes this morning.
Methinks you protest too much.
Laughing in my Tea at 11:57PM on Dec 27th 2007