Radical Religion – Common Threads of the Lunatic Fringe

“But it is dominion we are after, not just a voice. It is dominion we are after, not just influence. It is dominion we are after, not just equal time. It is dominion we are after. World conquest.” – Thomas Ice

I get a lot of email from fundamentalist Christians who chide me for having “the audacity” to compare their brand of Christianity with radical Islam. I have visions of pots and kettles, as these particular Christians, like their radical Muslim counterparts, also believe that everyone who does not hold to their brand of the faith are as equally doomed to hell along with everyone else. This is a belief that most mainstream Christians and many Muslims do not adhere to. Trust me, I’ve been to plenty of interdenominational events in my past, and Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, etc. all pretty much play well together. I’ve been to Islamic community centers and have seen all sorts of people hanging out, not killing each other, as well.

However, when you compare radical Islam and Christian extremist doctrine, the commonalities between the two faiths are very apparent. The problem starts with their use of the Bible and the Koran as venues for the expression of their hate, bigotry and intolerance. Particularly the factions who cherry-pick the parts of their holy books that promote the murder of homosexuals, unbelievers, adulterers, fornicators, disobedient children and members of other religions – and perceive those words to be very literal and entirely relevant to contemporary society. There is no getting around the fact that the Bible and Koran have much in common when it comes to “death” commandments.

Infidels, Injustice and Ignorance…

Radical Islam and Fundamental Christianity are responsible for unspeakably horrific acts toward infidels, as well as their own members, past and present. One simply cannot look past all the evil that these two religions have perpetrated on humankind. Sure, there are good deeds being done in the name of these religions, but the ends do not justify the means, especially when you consider the proven ability of unbelievers to be altruistic and charitable. When you take away the comparatively little good from all the horrible things that have been done by the extremists in the name of the Christian and Islamic gods, it becomes quite apparent that there is little use in the world for either of these forms of the religions.

Members of the lunatic fringe of these two faiths are narcissistic, psychotic sociopaths. That’s a dangerous combination and the threat of both the physical and intellectual destruction of our species remains imminent. Where radical Islam is concerned, the threat to our species is physical. The access to weapons of mass destruction, including those of the biological and chemical variety, is relatively easy. The willingness of these radicals to use them has already been demonstrated. Where fundamental Christianity is concerned, the threat to our society is mainly on the intellectual level.

If you think intellectual terrorism is a joke, consider the continuing efforts of the Christian fundamentalists in the United States to rewrite history, to replace real science with creationism in the classroom, and to transform the entire nation into a Christian Theocracy. Secular civil rights organizations are fighting a seemingly never-ending battle to defend the First Amendment from its abrogation by literally thousands of politicians and educators in all levels of government and academia who insist on injecting their religion into their respective venues.

To Rule The World…

Radical Islam and fundamental Christianity have one goal, and that goal is total world domination. Radical Islam would accomplish this by killing all the infidels and apostates. Fundamental Christianity would accomplish this by dumbing down the entire human race via inaccurate understandings of history and science. One would argue that both of these religions are making headway. Tracking radical Islamic terrorism is easy. Just count the bodies. Tracking the efforts of fundamental Christianity is a little more complex, as their efforts are a little more sublime.

Slowly, more and more people are allowing reason to give way to fairy tales, impossibilities and outright untruths. But it is trackable, as reliable polls show that there exists a rise in the number of American Christians who believe that the United States is a Christian nation founded on biblical principles, in spite of the historical documentation that proves otherwise.

The theology of world dominion of fundamental Christianity and radical Islam are a particularly deadly poison on our society. They are responsible for more damage to the human race than any plague ever has. Fundamental Christianity, in terms of violence due to evangelical fervor, still has a commanding lead over radical Islam when it comes to atrocities against the human race.

I’ve Said It Before…

The doctrines and dogma of the extremists within Christianity and Islam retard new discovery, insight and enlightenment and promote ancient superstitions brought on by ignorant men of an ancient age who lacked understanding in even the most basic of the sciences. The punishments for perceived transgressions against their gods involve gross violations of even the most basic human rights. The comforts that these doctrines offer are a dangerous psychological ruse. The charity they proffer comes at an unacceptable price and can be accomplished just as effectively without the inclusion of extremist dogma, doctrines and the missionary destruction of indigenous cultures.

Religious hope is false and irresponsible when it relies on methods that are ineffective and come at a steep cost to the human species. There has to be a line drawn in the sand regarding the fundamentalist and radical versions of both Christianity and Islam. This also includes poor stewardship of our environment. As a species, we are responsible for our continued existence, and while there can be events out of our control that can cause our extinction, for us to stand by and allow a gaggle of irrational, unreasonable, mentally ill, intellectually retarded religious zealots to exterminate us in their fight over which fairy tale is true, whose mythical deity should rule the world and the fact that most of them are more than willing to die in the process, is a travesty.

If you think this position is alarmist, just turn on the news…

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Excerpted from my "Free Thoughts – A Collection Of Essays By An American Atheist" | Also featured on the blog  "A Voice Of Reason."

Al Stefanelli

Al serves on the Board of Directors for The Clergy Project, and is the former Georgia State Director for American Atheists, Inc. He is a retired journalist and the author of "Free Thoughts - A Collection Of Essays By An American Atheist" and "A Voice Of Reason In An Unreasonable World - The Rise Of Atheism On Planet Earth." Al began writing in 1985, starting with the New York Times. In 1993 he joined a McClatchy newspaper, writing a weekly column for ten years. His writing continues to be widely distributed on the Internet and in print. He also produced and hosted a weekly syndicated radio broadcast for three years and was the founder and President of the former United Atheist Front, Inc., which functioned as a civil rights organization. Al is a former Southern Baptist Pastor, having served two churches and as pulpit supply for three counties. Currently, he writes for The God Discussion, hosts his own blog on WordPress, submits content to a variety of publications, and co-hosts "American Heathen Radio" and "Reap Sow Radio." Al lives in Peachtree City, GA., a suburb of Atlanta.

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