Scapegoating Faith

Interesting barrier for entry.   Religion does incite violence, as well as peace.  This cartoon recently appeared in the Cape Cod Times and promotes the mistaken belief that religion prevents peace and tranquility.

Consider the 2014 book "Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence" by Karen Armstrong, author of numerous books on religion.  She believes that modern society has made a scapegoat of faith.    She said, "Until the modern period, religion permeated all aspects of life, including politics and warfare, not because ambitious churchmen had 'mixed up' two essentially distinct activities but because people wanted to endow everything they did with significance.  

Every state ideology was religious...And because these states and empires were all created and maintained by force, religion has been implicated in their violence."

She continued, "When we fight, we need to distance ourselves from the adversary, and because religion was so central to the state, its rites and myths depicted its enemies as monsters that threatened cosmic and political order..."

She speaks the truth.  The faiths of our various religions have been made scapegoats by the "monsters" within us all placing blame on that which does indeed promote peace and tranquility.  The cartoon perpetuates a misconception taught to our children and embraced by many adults.

Deacon David Pierce