Atheists scare the hell out of me.
[a possibly short lived post. Who knows how I will feel tomorrow after the roast. That is, I’m afraid mocking athiests,even if its just this one, will call down fire from heaven]
Just read another knowing, deep, review of John Krakhauers book titled something or other I forget just what and don’t feel like looking it up..
The poor fellow, the reviewer, had to agree with Krakhauer that religious people , especially Mormons with their dark and dangerous past are especially frightening. Though he does say that:
“Admittedly, Mormonism has toned down since these early days. But it is precisely the fact that it has been toned down that …”
Well, the implication is that the very Fact that Mormonism has gotten better, has toned down, is just why it is spawning dangerous fundamentalist groups today. This reminds me of John Waynes’ contention that when you can’t see Indians out there that’s just when you know they are there. Or better yet, its like training a puppy till it doesn’t commit offenses any more and then just whacking it on the nose in remembrance of past offenses.
Our reviewer seems to feel a kinship with Mr K. I wonder if both of them are atheists? Oh! Well he is at least an “unbeliever”(Is that how you spell Krakhauer? Well, close enough is good enough for me on both the unbeliever/atheist thing and the name.)
I feel a kinship with both of our authors. I was an atheist for a long time so I have a deep and profound knowledge about that particular brand of religion. And Mr X admits that he doesn’t know much about Mormons so this book was a real eye opener to him.(I myself never really talked to or inquired into the beliefs of another atheist. I didn’t dare. I knew what I felt and it scared the hell out of me) When I think now of what atheists thought then, of the dark violent thoughts, the moody insensitivity, the just downright ignorant dangerous currents of the atheistic mind, it scares me still, though I have toned down.
Well, anyway, Mr X was best friends with a Mormon when he was growing up,
“One of my best friends growing up was a Mormon, and I found their habits a little peculiar (and I always wondered why I was never invited for dinner).”
So tho he is too modest to say so he really has a greater than average insight, if not knowledge of this particular brand of terrorism. Though he does now wonder why, really wonder, why he was never invited to dinner, what with being best friends and all. I wonder too. The issue seems to mean something to him. I can’t think what. Why was he never invited to dinner? The question goes round and round in my mind like a rat in a maze. How peculiar! One ponders on all those missed dinners. There has to be some significance to this. Well, after reading his review some possible reasons come to mind but why be unpleasant. (My wife just read this and said something like the same thing to me)
X does go on to say in his modest, fairminded way:
“Of course passing opinions on a religion practiced by millions of Americans by simply reading one book would be myopic, so I encourage you, if you read the book, to read the rebuttal.”
Well, if that isn’t the decent American way I don’t know what is. Read one book and the rebuttal which rebuttal is not really another book but happens to be in the same book. I know exactly what he means. Anyone who reads one book is an expert. Reading two or three books is where the problems arise. You don’t want to do that. You start to see different possibilities and that ruins the clear picture you had when you had only read just one (and the rebuttal which in this case is included right in the same book. Right in the book! )And, and its making me chuckle right now, Mr X says it would be myopic to judge a religion based on just one book (but he is going to do it anyway) so if you are to take that extra step of reading just read one book read the rebuttal. I bet the rebuttal, included in the book is devastating. Its apparently given him the valuable insights he needed to judge fairly after reading just that one book.
X goes on to say:
“But there is no avoiding the fact the Mormons truly believe that they are the chosen ones, and that they believe that the end of the world as we know it is nigh. And when that day comes, only the believers will be lifted up, and the rest of us sinners are history. That probably leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouths of a few nonbelievers.”
Nonbelievers with sour tastes. Yes that calls forth all the empathy I have.
I think of the Chinese unbelievers of today, of a whole state of a billion of them. China has really presented us with the opposite side of the coin. What a beautiful model of the secular state, unencumbered with the violence that religious folk are prone to. Maybe if we asked nicely they would share the secrets of their success. Or maybe tell us where the mass graves and forced labor camps are. Then all the other of the worlds unbelievers could donate money to send care packages. I suggest sending the packages to the members of the Chinese government who have the distasteful task of jailing and beating those believers, those worshipers in the home churches who are probably about to do violent things. The Chinese know how to handle in China what X seems to think may be too much religious freedom in the U.S..
And of course when I read the stories of atheists like Stalin and his resolutely atheistic state I immediately think of all those dump trucks, laden with the bodies of believers, dripping their blood onto the dirt roads, on their way to bulldozed graves in the forests. I invite you to read those stories too. I can’t think of a good rebuttal tho. (If I could I would inclose it right here. Right here! We need to try to understand on another and including a rebuttal with the attack is the only way, as long as it doesn’t hurt the argument of the book itself)
Sometimes I wonder if its really a question of atheist or religionist and not just possibly humanity which is endlessly, potentially either violent or kind. But what fun is it to wonder that. That kind of thinking would take all the joy out of blaming those annoying people we don’t like. In fact it would expose us to thinking about ourselves and our possibly dangerous side.
Ok, something is dangerous cause a lot of bad things happen and we need an explanation. It doesn’t have to be the correct one as long as its well and tightly written.
Well, back to paragraph two. There is little I can think of to avoid the fact that Mr X , our fairminded reviewer, who can’t avoid facts, (he is being too hard on himself. I think he’s doing a great job of that) seems to have gotten his Mormons confused with his Evangelicals and the Evangelical not the Mormon concept of the Rapture. So when the end of the world comes don’t forget to wear clean underwear because X and I may both be wrong about who is chosen and who if anyone is going to be caught up and how high and why. The Mormons actually, factually, believe that after the rapture the world is going to be composed of both believer and unbeliever. I think X has unbeliever conflated with sinner and sinner confused with evil. That’s not the Mormon way. You could look it up.
I understand why there is this confusion about which religion believes what. For instance, I can’t remember Mr X’s, our reviewers name, and I actually know I could look it up in a quick mouse move. I remember the name is right there in the beginning of the article but, firstly, I don’t care and secondly its too much trouble. I think I will just admit I am ignorant and go on writing exposition as if I were wise. Once you humbly admit you are ignorant you are absolved from any need to become knowledgeable. Humility trumps humanity.
I will leave you with X’s closing statement. It made me think.
“I think Krakauer did a great job of offering up some fundamental questions, such as when does freedom of religion go too far? Sure there is some stretching of facts to achieve sensationalism, but for the most part it is a tightly written book that makes you sit up and think.”
The good part is apparantly that it, the book, makes you sit up and think… what you already thought. That’s always pleasant. Like, ” I was right! They are peculiar!” Further, I guess religious freedom goes too far when you let groups like the Mormons exist and spawn groups that are violent.
Yep, the review, which our author assures us is not a review because there are too many of them already, sure is making me think.
So what can we do better than, in closing, remember the words of that great social critic Terri Clark
Don’t think you’re the only ones
Who bend it, break it, stretch it some
We learn from you