Loss of Belief The Root of Society's Problems?

Levy

Thank God.  Finally, ESPN newsman Steve Levy has figured out the source of all our problems and in a CBS commentary explained the answers to everything.  Our problem he said is that this country has lost its belief in God.

What a letdown. That’s such a comical explanation that it’s appropriate to respond by quoting Bugs Bunny: “What a maroon.”

Amazingly, Levy is serious.

"Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with ‘We reap what we sow.'  Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell."

Suffering Sweden?

Not really.  There’s no connection.  Residents of many countries, including the U.S.A., have decided to ignore the discredited claims of their elders and latch onto their own beliefs.   Have you forgotten that Sweden has forsworn religion and seems to be doing just fine?  The same is true for South Korea and a host of other countries where today’s organized religions are dying.

By the way, concern about the new generation is hardly new. Every generation feels the one that follows may be too dissolute. Society changes.  That’s just the way it is.  It has nothing to do with believing in God or atheism.  It has to do with rejecting the outmoded standards of predecessors.

Besides, you are wrong. This country is actually safer than ever.  According to the most recent report on crime, the rate for serious crimes, like murder rape and assault, have dropped dramatically in the last 20 years and are continuing to fall. Do you really think people who lived through the Depression and then World War II would actually think our era is worse?

Bathed in technology and rekindled hopes for the future, we are enjoying the high point of human existence.

Not to Levy, of course.  All he can think about are those damned atheists ruining everything.

He wrote: I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat...

He added that:

O'Hare

I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

He is, of course, completely absurd.

Potter

In the first place, more than 90 percent of Americans still believe in God.  Nobody is pushing atheism.  Instead, people are deserting organized religion.  If that frosts Levy, just wait until the Tea Party kamikaze elected in the last election move into office.  They are on record firmly rejecting any idea of religious equality.

Consider this typical comment issued by Gary Potter, president of Catholics for Christian Political Action as one example:

"When the Christian majority takes over this country, there will be no satanic churches, no more free distribution of pornography, no more talk of rights for homosexuals. After the Christian majority takes control, pluralism will be seen as immoral and evil and the state will not permit anybody the right to practice evil."

That sure sounds tolerant, doesn’t it? After all, who will define "evil?"  Why open-minded Gary Potter, of course.  Levy, who is Jewish, has to know from history what that kind of attitude that leads to.

As for O’Hare, she’s been dead for almost 20 years.  Can’t you find someone more plausible to blame?  After all, she was simply trying to stop believers from cramming religion down her throat.  She courageously stood up and protested at a time when no one would.  Today, she has a lot of company, including Federal courts.

For example, in one case involving prayers at a public meeting, Federal Judge David Hamilton wrote that visiting clergy:

...do not have a First Amendment right....to use an official platform like the Speaker's podium....to express their own religious faiths....If the Speaker chooses to continue to permit nonsectarian prayers as part of the official proceedings, he shall advise all persons offering such prayers...that the prayers must be non-sectarian and must not be used to proselytize or advance any one faith or belief or to disparage any other faith or belief....The prayers should not use Christ's name or title or any other denominational appeal.

That’s that darn Freedom of Religion idea poking its clauses into the public business.

As for O’Hare, in her day she was called the “most hated woman in America,” vilified and abused for her atheistic beliefs – no hint of religious freedom for her – and murdered in 1995 for money.  Her efforts, however, encouraged others.  For example, Catholic and Mormon families successfully sued in Texas to end compulsory prayers at football games. Atheists all, no doubt.

Sorry, Steve.  Despite your focus on atheists, the issue affects people of all beliefs. In fact, freedom of religion became an integral part of the rights of American citizens because legislators saw how a dominant religion could abuse other faiths. In fact, O’Hare had a lot of company in her day and throughout American history, too.

ISIS murderers

Your ignorance on this is appalling.

Our big problems have nothing to do with expressing belief in outmoded and nonsensical religious precepts, but on the very real dangers from Global Warming, religious wars like those in the Middle East and the failure to address these encroaching storms realistically.

Go ahead and blame atheists, even though there’s been no decline in the belief in God.  Maybe that will make you happy.  However, it won’t solve anything. Believers and nonbelievers alike will be caught up in the coming maelstrom.

Long-time religious historian Bill Lazarus regularly writes about religion and religious history.  He also speaks at various religious organizations throughout Florida.  You can reach him at www.williamplazarus.net.  He is the author of the famed Unauthorized Biography of Nostradamus; The Last Testament of Simon Peter; The Gospel Truth: Where Did the Gospel Writers Get Their Information; Noel: The Lore and Tradition of Christmas Carols; and Dummies Guide to Comparative Religion.  His books are available on Amazon.com, Kindle, bookstores and via various publishers.  He can also be followed on Twitter.

You can enroll in his on-line class, Comparative Religion for Dummies, at http://www.udemy.com/comparative-religion-for-dummies/?promote=1

Steve Levy’s Comments:

The following was written by Steven Levy and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat...

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school... The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Steven Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with We reap what we sow.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Pass it on if you think it has merit. 

If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

Twisted Ideas Litter the Religious Front

What in God’s name is going on?

Some atheists and agnostics believe in God.  Many so-called religious people do not.  Those are the surprising results of the September 2014 Pew’s Religious Landscape survey. 

According to published results, six percent of atheists said they were “absolutely certain” that God exists.  Almost 18 percent of agnostics agreed with them.  Meanwhile, on the other side, most Reform Jews (the most liberal of the Jewish sects) and Unitarian Universalists don’t know if there’s a God or don’t believe in the existence of a deity.

God?

At the same time, despite exhortations by religious leaders, only about half of Catholics believe that God cares about them on a personal level. They were joined by members of such prominent Protestant sects as Presbyterian USA, American Baptist, and Anglican.  More than half of Orthodox Jews don’t believe in a personal God either.  Neither do Muslims.

Naturally, there are self-identifying agnostics and atheists who do.

Of course, the vast bulk of Americans believes there is a God, but the numbers are dwindling.  Overall, only 71 percent of those surveyed absolutely believe there is a God.  That has declined by 20 percentage points in a matter of a few decades.

The numbers correspond to the findings in the same survey about the Bible being the exact word of God.  Only 33 percent of Americans agree with the statement.  In contrast, 28 percent believe the Bible was written by humans.

Heaven sent?

In some conservative sects, like Jehovah Witnesses, almost as many (45 percent) believe the Bible is a human book as believe it is divine (48 percent).  Some 27 percent of Catholics reject the idea that the book came from God.  Overall, 44 percent of all Christians answered yes to the statement that the Bible was written by men and is not the word of God.

The Pew study also reflects what’s happening in the elections where people who think religion should have a bigger role to play in American life are pitted against those who disagree.  The Pew Study found that the less-religious are winning.

The Democratic Party, which is seen as the political group less bound to religion, got 47 percent of the vote – either people saw themselves as Democratic or leaned that way.  Republicans garnered 36 percent.

Whether or not the survey reflects what will happen after the upcoming election remains to be seen.

One thing is certain: Religion is losing its grip on Americans.  More than 72 percent of Americans

now think religion is drifting away from daily life.  That’s up 5 percent and represents the highest percentage ever recorded in the annual survey.

As a result, Americans are torn between wanting the morals and ethics touted by religion and the freedom of self-expression.  They can’t decide if they want their elected officials to be religious or not religious, whether or not churches should endorse candidates and a raft of related issues.

These kinds of differences reflect the slow fracturing of what had been a solid religious front, the groundswell that Republican leaders have largely kowtowed to.  The Moral Majority is fraying at the edges under the constant friction of increased knowledge about the universe, shared ideas across the religious spectrum and international communication.

Children who grew up believing in the absolute truth of their inherited religious beliefs are being confronted of the reality of biblical research, the multiplicity of religious beliefs and shifting societal attitudes.  Throw in the uncontrolled epidemic like Ebola, and even confident religious folks begin to doubt their beliefs.

In turn, the stranglehold religion has had on American life is slowly easing.  In time, it may completely disappear.  That has happened before elsewhere.

Judaism has been on the verge of disappearing several times in its history and was only saved because some ruler decided to attack the faith.  Then, Jews rallied to defend it.  Left alone, Jews – like all people – assimilate into the general population. 

Zoroastrian image from ancient Persia

At the same time, religions have an expiration date.  Prominent faiths only last so long before something else comes along to replace them.  The pagan faiths of the Romans and Greeks, for example, were dying about 2,000 years ago when Christian was founded.  Zoroastrian was once the principle faith of the Persian Empire.  Seen any Zoroastrians lately?

Today’s religions seem to be following the same path.

If self-proclaimed atheists can believe in God, then anything is possible.

Long-time religious historian Bill Lazarus regularly writes about religion and religious history.  He also speaks at various religious organizations throughout Florida.  You can reach him at www.williamplazarus.net.  He is the author of the famed Unauthorized Biography of Nostradamus; The Last Testament of Simon Peter; The Gospel Truth: Where Did the Gospel Writers Get Their Information; Noel: The Lore and Tradition of Christmas Carols; and Dummies Guide to Comparative Religion.  His books are available on Amazon.com, Kindle, bookstores and via various publishers.  He can also be followed on Twitter.

You can enroll in his on-line class, Comparative Religion for Dummies, at http://www.udemy.com/comparative-religion-for-dummies/?promote=1

Killing for God

In a recent letter to the editor to the editor in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, a writer said that atheists are responsible for killing millions of people.  He cited China and Russia as examples.

Of course, being religious, he’s completely wrong.  That’s the guaranteed B-side of true faith.

He is right in one thing: Russia officially espoused atheism.  China still does, along with other countries that were not included in the letter.  However, the writer was wrong about that being the cause of deaths in their countries.  They were simply rejecting the Western religions.  They had their own gods. 

Maoist propaganda

In China, that deity was Mao Zedong, the long-time chairman of the Communist Party there.  He didn’t hand out little red books to promote literacy.  He didn’t post huge images of himself on walls to enhance the vista.  He was trying and succeeding in creating a cult with himself as the central focus of devotion.

His Great Leap Forward and other dismal efforts to boost the country led to the deaths of millions, but not a single convert to atheism.  The Chinese were forced to bow to Mao instead.

In Communist Russia, they had three gods: Karl Marx, the father; Vladimir Lenin, the son; and Stalin, the holy ghoul.  All three were properly worshiped.  Lenin was even embalmed and placed on display so the pious could reverently file by regularly.  The Five-Year-Plan that led to the starvation of millions there did not contain a single word about religion or the need not to believe in a god.

Both countries definitely punished those who maintained the old faiths.  They just wanted their new human gods substituted for Buddha and Jesus. 

Coins honoring the Divine Julius

They are not the only humans elevated to the heavens.  Alexander the Great tried that trick.  So did Julius Caesar, who was turned into a god by vote of the Roman Senate.  Ramses the Great of Egypt didn't build all those statues of himself to give artisans something to do when the Nile was flooding the landscape.   

More recently, Adolf Hitler got a memorable nickname, the Fuhrer, and set out on a murderous run.  He didn’t kill anyone to make them atheist.  He killed them because they weren’t Aryan.

Mussolini as a deity

Benita Mussolini in Italy became “El Duce.”  He, too, pretended to be a god, and thousands died while he maintained that false front.

Both Hitler and Mussolini were raised Catholic and reached accords with the Roman Catholic Church.  They didn't espouse atheism either.  Both evoked God regularly and insisted they were doing His work.  They just wanted the devotion of millions instead of it being given to the Vatican.

There's no requirement a megalomaniac trying to join the divine pantheon has to be Christian.  Saddam Hussein of Iraq and Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, both Muslim, did not hesitate to create cults around themselves, elevating their status far beyond those of mortal men.  Bashar al-Assad of Syria is doing that right now.

These men didn’t plaster their cities with their images as a way to improve the eyesight of their residents. 

The list could go on:  Just pick a dictator from any country yesterday or day.  None of them cared a whit about religion, regardless of the beliefs they learned as a child.  They wanted (and still do) power and money, the two top ego-driven aspects of any religion.

Taliban children

None of them launched a war to promote atheism.  Religion did: the 30 Years War killed until hundreds of thousands solely because of religious differences.  Then there were the Crusades, which are continuing with ISIS these days in northern Iraq. There is virtually no end to the number of religion-fuel murderous binges.

Muslim fighters

Those folks, like the Taliban in Afghanistan, want to force their faith on others.  No atheist ever tried that, but then, modern Muslims have plenty of history to draw on: the Muslim forces that swept across the Mediterranean world in the 7^th century after the death of the Prophet Muhammad were trying to impose their religious beliefs.

No atheist army has ever existed or ever imitated that blood-thirsty approach to faith.

 

In fact, no atheist ever has killed anyone in the name of no god.  On the other hand, virtually every major religion has killed on behalf of its deity.

Instead, atheists have been killed, harassed, prevented from holding office and, obviously maligned in print for simply refusing to accept the stories of an invisible deity who may or may not have a son, may or may not have sent prophetic messengers and may or may not have anything to do with humans.

The author of the letter preferred to perpetuate a fairy tale about atheists, an approach which, considering the stories told about his invisible deity, fits perfectly into his wheelhouse.

Long-time religious historian Bill Lazarus regularly writes about religion and religious history.  He also speaks at various religious organizations throughout Florida.  You can reach him at www.williamplazarus.net.  He is the author of the famed Unauthorized Biography of Nostradamus; The Last Testament of Simon Peter; The Gospel Truth: Where Did the Gospel Writers Get Their Information; Noel: The Lore and Tradition of Christmas Carols; and Dummies Guide to Comparative Religion.  His books are available on Amazon.com, Kindle, bookstores and via various publishers.  He can also be followed on Twitter.

You can enroll in his on-line class, Comparative Religion for Dummies, at http://www.udemy.com/comparative-religion-for-dummies/?promote=1