WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA -- August 17, 2010. A heated debate is on regarding the building of the Park 51 Community Center a couple of blocks away from Ground Zero (GZ) in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It has been in the news for months, but has recently escalated to a hysterical level, with President Obama finally weighing in as of last weekend. While merely upholding his oath to defend the Constitution of The United States of America, the President is being condemned again for being anti-American by, of course, Rush Limbaugh as well as many other politicians.
I have sat and listened to the pros and cons of this argument and I am outraged and saddened by what I am witnessing. It reminds me of how I initially felt on September 11, 2001, when terrorists 'awakened' America to the fact that we are hated by extremists everywhere. I felt then -- as I do now -- that religion was the cause of those attacks and I see the same venom being spewed by media commentators, politicians left and right and others on this 'made-up' issue.
I say 'made-up' because that is exactly what it is. Those against the center being built are mistaken when they call it a "mosque" and they are also mistaken when they claim that Muslims are attempting to build this supposed "mosque" on the site revered as hallowed ground. Of course, those that bicker back and forth about this continue to use the term "mosque" as well as denying that the proposed project is a couple of blocks away from GZ. And just how many blocks away is far enough away from GZ anyway? But that is the kind of doublespeak and distraction that is preventing me from even getting to my point.
First let me state something that I am sure will create even more controversy than the "mosque" hysteria. I am a freethinker who believes that religion -- as Christopher Hitchens has said -- poisons everything. When the attack on the WTC and Pentagon occurred, I was pretty sure that America was going to snap at the 'bait' and do something in retaliation to those attacks. The problem with just who to retaliate against was evident in those fearful moments following 9/11 and later on it worked out just fine for Bush and his 'Axis of Evil' to promote their already planned attack on Iraq. Oh, it's true. A little digging is all it will take to find out that several months before we invaded Iraq, as well as several months before 9/11, the plans were on the table at the White House. They just needed a good enough reason which they began to fabricate in earnest after 9/11. But again, I digress.
In her book, The Age of American Unreason (2008), Susan Jacoby says:
For the most part, Americans throughout the nation's history have been content to view themselves as a predominantly Christian people with a secular government -- a civic paradox and a delicate balance that seemed entirely natural for most of the nation's history, . . . The reasons why that balance has been upset by the resurgence of an intolerant fundamentalism during the past three decades are not altogether clear. The explanation cannot be found in the original American separation of church and state and the existence of a "free market" of faiths, because the distant past offers few answers to the question of why so many Americans today are attracted to forms of religion that educated men and women were beginning to reject a century ago. --p. 204.
The question Jacoby refers to, of why so many Americans have embraced a dead religion, is a good one and one that I am not going to get into here, but it is part and parcel to my thinking. Between the lines of all the rhetoric regarding the "mosque" hysteria that I have been hearing is the subtle and unspoken ideology of America as a Christian nation. Like I said, it's subtle, but you can hear it. Although a Rev. Bennett did spew some very vitriolic venom regarding Islam coming from the pit of hell. This was done on some cable news show, I cannot remember which, and he even held up a Bible during the "discussion." It is the only way that I can reason why the debaters keep saying that it would be insensitive to build a "mosque" on GZ, implying that all of Islam is to blame for 9/11 when in fact we know that it was done by a small group of extremists of the Muslim faith. It is easy for me, as a freethinker, to see that Christian America has a deep-seeded hatred for Islam. Actually, Christian America is more divided among themselves about their own doctrines, but that is another tale for another time.
The other issue is that those who want to build their cultural center say they are trying to build a bridge of tolerance and understanding between the faiths, but those against it do not see it that way. To them and to those they are so often referring to -- the families of all the victims -- it would be wrong to let them build the center so close to GZ, and round and round they go.
After a few days of this, I started to realize that it is time for someone to present a whole different argument and here it is: Who needs these religions -- any of them, take your pick -- trying to light the fire of discord in our nation? Do they really think that the voters give a rat's ass about this issue? When are intelligent people going to speak out against these delusions?
I applaud writers like Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens, Stenger, and many others who declare that not only are the extremists dangerous, but the moderates that allow the extremists to exist in the first place and are indirectly aiding and abetting those very extremist causes are just as dangerous! Religion poisons everything indeed! When are the freethinkers going to have their say? Will we be listened to by fundamentalist Christians, Muslims, etc. when we say enough already with this argument? It is a civic issue and has already been decided upon by the people who make those decisions. What about passing the Bill in Congress that would demand health care not be denied to those 'first-responders' of 9/11 who are still being denied care? Who, besides Harry Reid and Michael Moore, speaks for them?
What really bothers me is that I see this issue not going away, as many commentators are hoping it will, but I see it becoming one of the sparks that begins the war on America that the Christian Right has been planning for the past three decades. The other spark was of course 9/11. Some, like Chris Hedges in his book, American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America, (2006) think that something like a terrible recession would also bring it on but that still remains to be seen, as unemployment continues to rise and manufacturing jobs continue to decline.
But if Christian America keeps pouring gasoline on this issue I see trouble ahead. Our founding fathers did not set up our government to be based on Christian principles as so many of the faithful want to believe, and they did purposely create the First Amendment to guarantee the separation of church and state. They knew what they were doing because they had history to teach them what becomes of nations that allow this kind of ill-fated pairing to happen. The argument around this "mosque" issue is all about fear which in turn breeds hatred. The irony is that I am fearful and full of hatred right now as I write this, but I am pushing through my fear and hate as I write, so please bear with me.
Also interesting about President Obama's talk regarding this issue was his mention of nonbelievers as being part of the framework in this issue, and I was proud to be an American that is included in that particular group. We freethinkers are tired of the politics of Washington, who seem to be a little too concerned about this issue. Let it go, people! We have more pressing concerns to be dealing with right now. Get your heads out of your. . . well, I mean, you know, get a grip on your, uh, . . . aw, just shut up already about your fear of Islam! You are trying to create unwanted controversy and we are all sick of it!
The venom of belief is thick in this argument and it threatens our very freedoms as Americans. Wake up, America. Our nation has been and continues to be poisoned by religion and we are about to go through some more growing pains. We will most assuredly come out of all this with our dignity and integrity intact, I hope. But not until we stop deluding ourselves into believing that we are the 'cat's meow' and that we are at war with someone else's ideology, whatever that ideology is.
Some would say that my "belief" is also venomous and they are probably right to think so. After all, it does take a little of the venom to create the anti-venom to counteract the poison so, yes, I am venomous with this issue! My anti-venom is this: Love and Tolerance. Love is the right thing to do; Tolerance is what Americans do. Get it right, people. Press on to the important issues and quit trying to throw snakes on everything!
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