Posted for Brandon Benson
My first installment in my mid-term report will analyze a stance on, rather against, monotheism by the late Gore Vidal, a playwright, political commentator, and author, who viewed monotheism to be the worst thing to ever befall the Western civilized world. In an 1994 interview, Vidal discussed the rise of fundamentalism, and offered thoughts on the impact it would have on future generations.
The question posed to Vidal requested his thoughts on the rise of fundamentalism and how it may play out in the world in the future. Vidal believed that this rise stemmed from a proverbial breakdown in the economy of the state, and where there is great poverty people cannot look to their fellow human rulers for help or solace, but rather must look up to the sky and invoke God to relieve suffering. Vidal, a historian, references the successes in early civilizations, such as the ancient Greco-Romans, who thrived in an era absent of monotheism. Time is a flat circle, and history tends to repeat itself. Vidal goes on to foreshadow the impending rise of China, who very similarly to the Greco-Romans, operate without an omniscient God, but rather a Confucian system of education and thought. American diversity, he suggests, would be far better suited in a system that encouraged free-thinking, and critical thinking at that, rather than the unwitting acceptance of a single sky-God, instead of these “demented churches” that are exempt from taxation, Vidal says.
These churches have become such a powerful, unchallenged force, and as long as they are exempt from taxation, they will only grow and continue to monopolize those who are easily fooled for means of control. Vidal makes an excellent point later on, stating that he believes this rise of monotheistic fundamentalism derives from entropy, as in the next millennium the human race will face a tremendous struggle in the battle for resources. Religion has, and always will be, rooted in conquest and control of the masses, and monotheistic religions will only look to continue to recruit, grow, and spread in order to control our ever-diminishing resources. Vidal acknowledges the melting of our ice caps which relates to our inevitable war over water, as well as the unmentioned inevitable (continued) wars over oil, land, and of course, wars over religion and whose “God” is correct. Future generations beyond my own millennial one will endure the largest of blows, as our failure to tax churches and hold them accountable will only lead to greater worldwide problems that stem from religious fundamentalism, which Vidal eludes to not worthy of being taken seriously.
My own personal religious experience was dominated by a perpetual feeling of trying to be coerced into accepting God and religion without question, and that I was expected to take everything I had been told at face-value without a need for evidence. As I have grown, I have realized that it was all at dog-and-pony show, and I was just a number to a religious empire in their quest for global dominance. I agree with Vidal’s thoughts on monotheism and religious fundamentalism in that if we do not continuously and relentlessly challenge religious authority, the world may cease to exist as we know it, all in the name of God.
Link to Vidal video... Vidal interview
"Religion has, and always will be, rooted in conquest and control of the masses..." - possibly, but individuals who are religious don't experience it that way. I have to go with Wm James on this: religious experience as a personal matter is more important (though admittedly not more influential in socio-political terms) than all the institutions and creeds that speak in its name.
ReplyDeleteAnd so, religious people should have no problem with taxing churches. We as a society should not be giving tax exemption to any large and influential institutions, arguably, but particularly not to those who use tactics of coercion and groupthink to expand their numbers and power.
Brandon,
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing that Gore Vidal did that interview twenty-four years ago and it is so relevant to today. China is moving forward quietly without tooting their horn and positioning themselves so that they will have access to limited resources while we have access to a lot of hot air.
Your observations about taxing churches is interesting and points to challenge in achieving that because while you may have many different religious faiths they all believe in money and when anything threatens that, they will rally together to fight it. If I remember my French history, I believe that was part of the French revolution and had they stopped there instead of chopping off heads churches here might be taxed today. Patrick Henry gained notoriety in his famous summation at the Parson's Cause case where he attacked the greed of the parsons while the poor were suffering. We see some of the same greed with some of the megachurches today and the same indoctrination of children to prepare them for the next generation of opponents to taxing churches.