"Three anti-human religions have evolved -- Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These are sky-god religions. They are, literally, patriarchal -- God is the omnipotent father -- hence the loathing of women for 2,000 years in those countries afflicted by the skygod and his earthly male delegates. The sky-god is a jealous god, of course. He requires total obedience from everyone on earth, as he is in place not just for one tribe but for all creation. Those who would reject him must be converted or killed for their own good. Ultimately, totalitarianism is the only sort of politics that can truly serve the sky-god's purpose. Any movement of a liberal nature endangers his authority and that of his delegates on earth. One God, one King, one Pope, one master in the factory, one father-leader in the family at home."
-- Gore Vidal, "Monotheism and its Discontents," from The Nation Magazine
5 comments:
Vidal has a lot of personal religious bigotry, I see.
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Man, that's awfly negative, and painting with a broad brush, too.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Dmarks, unfortunately, Vidal is only too right in the light of religious bigotry and murders. The blight that religion is has to be highlighted and brought up.
Tim, I agree with Vidal. Broad but true.
Tim, I don't see it as negative at all, on the other hand, I applaud his courage to come out and speak the truth about the true nature of religions, especially the Judeo-Christian-Islamic relgions when the USA has been overrun by bible-thumpers. I can see the negative effects of American evangelism on my shores. It has resulted in unthinking people of faith who are intolerant of others.
Vidal shows a lot of religious bigotry, is what I meant.
It is easy to pick apart what he said, also. For example, "Ultimately, totalitarianism is the only sort of politics that can truly serve the sky-god's purpose"
Yet, he lives and writes in a place where there is one of the least totalitarian systems around, with at least some of the founding morality coming from one of those "sky gods".
And elsewhere, you can find most of the worst totalitarianism in the world coming from those who adhere to atheism (probably his preferred faith), in places like North Korea.
I've seen bigoted writing like what he says coming before from some wiccan/pagan types. It is of the "my religion good, your religion bad" and is so "broad" that it generalizes to the point of not being very true.
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