Will Christian nitwits come to rule the US?

I used to think the wingnuts who crawled out of the woodwork during the Bush years would disappear at some point. I figured the old white Christian nitwits who led them would die off and the movement would die with them. I no longer believe this.

In the mid-East, they have a system of madrassas, little "schools" within which knowledge can find no purchase. The children merely memorize idiotic Muslim texts, and regurgitate the words. It is their only form of "knowledge". In such a society, there can be no progress.

Here in the United States we have a Christian Taliban version of these madrassas. Here, it is called "home schooling". Like the madrassas on which they are modeled, this is an environment that is completely knowledge-free. The world, science, history, real people -- none of this can make its way into the minds of home-schooled children who are supervised by Christian Taliban parents. Read the bible, regurgitate. Listen to the preacher, regurgitate. Visit Ken Ham's museum, oh squee! And so it goes.

From this sewage pit, a new generation of Christian leaders will emerge. And they will be at least as ignorant as their forebears. In this way, the Christian Taliban reaches into our future, and snatches it away. Fairness and equality will be annihilated in the society that they create: one that merges government and fundamental Christianity.

And jeebus will rule the dungheap for all eternity. Hallelujah!

I found the above image on Rich Gibson's blog. Interesting site.

Pity the Russian people

Ed's got it covered.

The Russian church-state nightmare

Chills went up my spine as I read this NYT article about the collapsing line between church and state in Russia. That something like this can happen in the year 2012 is shocking. But humanity's nonsensical craving for an authoritarian god will always come to this -- unless rational people guard against it (ahem) religiously.

Alas, in Russia it seems two megalomaniacs have come together in a most unholy way: Putin and his "spiritual father". Seriously, read this and worry. It can happen anywhere, even here in the U.S. In fact, we have GOP loons aiming for this very thing: a communion between government and religion. Shudder.

Bad juju in Russia

No civilized society can have anti-blasphemy laws. The two cannot coexist. It's literally impossible. Russia doesn't seem to know this, or rather, is hell-bent on establishing a theocratic government to stifle all dissent. (Hat tip to Ed Brayton.)

Nilov said a proposed amendment would introduce criminal responsibility for offences against religious beliefs and feelings and impose a jail term of up to three years.

Putin, in recent comments on Pussy Riot, the global protests over the video “The Innocence of Muslims” and the killings of Islamic leaders in Russia, has said that extremists were trying to tear Russia apart and that the feelings of the faithful must be protected by the state.

Putin has always seen himself as a dictator. Now he's bringing this fantasy to life. I pity the Russians if this comes to pass.

The insanity of blasphemy laws

So, Pakistan, how's that blasphemy law working out for you?

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A Muslim cleric is accused of stashing pages of a Quran in a Christian girl's bag to make it seem like she burned the Islamic holy book, a surprising twist in a case that caused an international outcry over the country's strict blasphemy laws. 

This is what happens when you pass a law that glorifies nonsense. Your society falls down the rabbit hole.

The coming Russian theocracy

In America, there are powerful political forces hoping that a Christian theocracy will replace our democracy. If you don't follow these devious folks on a regular basis, you may think this sounds crazy -- but I assure you, it's not. All you need is an incurious, ignorant, religious population and a set of manipulative, soulless, authoritarian leaders who use Jesus as a banner to pull in the gullible (and empty their pockets). Unfortunately, that's a pretty accurate description of the United States at this very moment. And that means the theocrats could take over.

Apparently, this is what's happening in Putin's Russia. Punk Band Feels Wrath of a Sterner Kremlin is the headline of a NY Times story about a female punk-rock band in Russia. Group members have been jailed for over six months -- for a damn performance. They're being prosecuted for what could be described as in-your-face political protest. But this isn't just about politics; it's about religion. These young women made fun of all sorts of things and now they're facing an absurdly hard-line reaction from the government. You really must read the article to hear the frightening voices of the Russian Orthodox Taliban. They want to take over and they will -- unless the Russian people rebel.

Here's an excerpt:

“Most of the population now are not so much talking about what Pussy Riot did as much as their fear that these people who want to introduce some kind of Orthodox Taliban to Russia, that they will take power,” Mr. Guelman said. “So now I think the authorities are making a big mistake, taking revenge in this way. Society will not support this."

I hope Mr. Guelman is right. These people always want to take over and they must be fought at every turn. If they win, science and truth will be snuffed out and replaced by harsh religious laws. I send my best wishes to the Russian people. We are fighting our own, ignorant religious hordes here in the United States. Fight well, my friends. If you give religious authoritarians an inch, they will take a mile.

Image from the Pussy Riot web site. (It's in Russian. Translation doesn't seem to be available on-site.)

GOP plans to establish theocracy in US

Taliban & GOP: no difference.

They really, really want a theocracy. It's shocking, it's stupid and it's so un-American that you can't believe it, but the 2012 Texas Republican Party platform literally states:

We pledge our influence toward a return to the original intent of the First Amendment and toward dispelling the myth of separation of church and state.

They want a king to run our country, and not just any king, but a prince of the church. In other words, they want a mullah to run the country. Sure, it'll be a Christian Taliban version of a mullah, but it's still the same. They want the iron hand of Jesus Christ to run our country. No more sluts, no more fags, no more brown people. It's really that bad, folks.

And while I'm at it, what's all this about Egypt having an "Islamic democracy"? This term is an oxymoron. Religion is authoritarian; democracy is the opposite. This concept implodes on inspection.

But that's just what the Texas GOP wants. Funny, eh? And you know how you're always reading about the Taliban poisoning school children? There won't be none of that learnin' stuff over there in Afghanistan. No, uh-uh. All they're allowed to read is the Bible Koran. Well, check out another part of the 2012 Texas Republican Party platform:

(W)e support reducing taxpayer funding to all levels of education institutions.

They are the Taliban in every way but one: X-out Allah; insert Jeebus. Done. Welcome to the new US of A.