Terrorism---HOLY SIN

“Holy sin” is a term used to simply say that the end justifies the means in regard to the battle for God. It gives the religious fundamentalist the green light to violate the most decent forms of the life, to violate their religious teachings, whether that is the Law of Moses, the teaching of Christ, or the prophets of the Middle East. It allows them to believe that evil in the name of God is justified. Again, this is prevalent in all religions.
 
Make no mistake about it, extremes in religious beliefs can’t be ignored, whether it be the Moral Majority or ISIS. When you have no regard for the decency of life because your God has given you a mandate, bad things always happen. When you order your followers to ignore the teachings of science, to follow the Bible literally, to believe that those who disagree with you are evil---this can only lead to trouble. And this includes all faiths, not just those in the news. When free thought is suppressed, good is buried.
 
I find it interesting that the Jewish struggles with the Muslims has taken a back seat to ISIS. Why is this? Have we been looking at this in the wrong light, that more than a battle for territory it’s a battle for God? Is it possible that these same suicide bombers who have plagued Israel for decades have seen a better use of their extremism in ISIS?
 
Most in the west find it difficult to understand those who kill in the name of God, but there is a large group in the west that understands it perfectly. After 911 many in the west said it was God’s revenge on a sinful America. These same people may accept the killing of doctors, the relegation of gays to second class, the belief that everyone of a different faith should be kept out of the country, and on and on. Which is to say that terrorism comes in many forms, so it’s wrong to type it as just a Middle East issue. Until we fully understand this, not much can be done.

Fundamentalists to the extreme not only believe that they have an obligation to break the laws of God in their battle against evil, but in doing so they will receive God's blessing. This has been taught for centuries. It's just not going to be with a thousand virgins in heaven if you kill in the name of your God---what do you think goes through the mind of the seemingly normal American who kills an abortion doctor? Do you think he doesn't believe God is going to reward him? What about those who punished the blacks in the 60s? Or those who march against anything that doesn't fit into their mind? Fundamentalism in its extreme justifies anything! The end justifies the means! So, when we hear about the next bombing or shooting, let us look at our own lives, how we are treating people.
 
My next post will deal with ISIS