It Worries Me
I was contemplating with my mother about how muslim extremists in Iraq can distort things, after she showed me a news article about how women were not allowed to buy cucumbers. I told her that the United States was no different. There are millions in the Bible Belt who hold a rather extreme view about their faith.
I finally watched Jesus Camp this morning, and it confirmed my thoughts. Here for all to see, were some frightening thoughts, aired by a Pentecostal Children's Pastor amongst others. What worried me about the pastor, Becker Fischer, are her thoughts about indoctrination. She has absolutely no qualms about indoctrinating (yes, she used those words) the children, since she knew that the muslims in the Middle East were doing the same. I wonder where she gets the an eye for an eye attitude from? Certainly not the bible! I wonder if she will send children off to be suicide bombers, since they are also doing that in Iraq!?!
Then, there was a mother home-schooling her son to believe that there is no such thing as global warming, and he even memorizes that global temperatures have only risen 0.6 degrees. Perhaps they have been trapped in their tiny neighbourhood too long, and that they should see the retreating glaciers and flooding islands.
Well, Islam has no monopoly on indoctrination, or blocking out rational thought. The Christians do it too. Just like how many Christian churches in Africa refuse to talk about condom use to control the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As John Acton once said, Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Yet, not all religious leaders are bad. The Archbishop Desmond Tutu was awarded a Nobel Prize for his work in resolving the problem of apartheid in South Africa. My worry is that there seems to be fewer who preach moderation, peace and love, rather than the words that spawn strife and hatred.
I finally watched Jesus Camp this morning, and it confirmed my thoughts. Here for all to see, were some frightening thoughts, aired by a Pentecostal Children's Pastor amongst others. What worried me about the pastor, Becker Fischer, are her thoughts about indoctrination. She has absolutely no qualms about indoctrinating (yes, she used those words) the children, since she knew that the muslims in the Middle East were doing the same. I wonder where she gets the an eye for an eye attitude from? Certainly not the bible! I wonder if she will send children off to be suicide bombers, since they are also doing that in Iraq!?!
Then, there was a mother home-schooling her son to believe that there is no such thing as global warming, and he even memorizes that global temperatures have only risen 0.6 degrees. Perhaps they have been trapped in their tiny neighbourhood too long, and that they should see the retreating glaciers and flooding islands.
Well, Islam has no monopoly on indoctrination, or blocking out rational thought. The Christians do it too. Just like how many Christian churches in Africa refuse to talk about condom use to control the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As John Acton once said, Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Yet, not all religious leaders are bad. The Archbishop Desmond Tutu was awarded a Nobel Prize for his work in resolving the problem of apartheid in South Africa. My worry is that there seems to be fewer who preach moderation, peace and love, rather than the words that spawn strife and hatred.