The Tie That Binds

“Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge” (Horace Mann)

Before I go into this article, I would like to define “verities”.  It is defined as (1) the state or quality of being true; accordance with fact or reality and (2) something that is true, as a principle, belief, idea, or statement[1].  I am currently watching “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)[2]” and although I recognized the binding ties of hate, it never became more explicit than today. Why today? Because of the hate mongers who gathered outside a Muslim mosque [with guns] under the guise of “Free Speech” to spew their hatred of fellow Americans who are Muslims[3]. I mulled over our fellow citizens who hold to this delusion that their way is the only way and realized just how much they are like those who have perverted the religion of Islam – the Muslim-jackers [albeit I already knew].

(Muslim-jackers are those who have hijacked the Muslim religion).

The antagonists in this movie are Koba (Ape) and Carver (Human) who hate the other’s species due to incorrect and/or ignorant ideas and beliefs. See Carver’s hatred is because he blames the Apes for a virus that man created that ultimately destroyed the Human race and gave greater intelligence to the Apes. Koba hates Humans because he was once in a lab and we all know what that entails but it causes him to believe that all Humans are to be hated.  They both refused to take the time to actually see the truth that there is good and bad in both species and thus their beliefs are based in ignorance. The only “truth” for them is through the lens of hate that their respective species is better than the other.  This is how I see the Muslim-jackers and the Muslim-haters; each in their corners, like boxers, under the false assumption that the other does not have the right to be in existence.  

The protagonists are Caesar (Ape) and Malcolm (Human) who both realized that they had to give the other a chance to prove their mettle.  They saw each other as equals in intelligence and the need for their species to survive despite the differences.  Some could say that Caesar had an advantage as he experienced both sides of the Human coin while Malcolm was uncertain. Their bond was cemented more in what they had in common than the differences; their bond was cemented in recognizing the good they saw in each other and holding to that despite obstacles. They made a choice to get past the stereotypes and fears; they made a choice not to give in to hate.

There is a point in the film where Caesar tells his oldest son, Blue Eyes, that he realized just how much Apes where like Humans.  Humans are at the top of the food chain and like our fellow mammals we connect via clans, families, etc. Unlike our fellow mammals though, we teach hate, we purposely choose to hate and we allow that hate to be the fuel in the way we discriminate against, demonize and kill each other.  Isn’t it interesting just how much Muslim-jackers and Muslim-haters are alike in their hatred?  It is in the differences that cause some to hate the American existence; it is the differences in religious beliefs that cause many to hate each other; it is the hatred of another’s skin color that fuels faux justifications in killing another Human being; and it is hatred of whom one loves that justifies pompous blowhards denial(s) of their sentient right to live in peace.  The [willful] choice to hate binds all those who lack the intelligence to find the truth; the [willful] choice to hate binds those who are actually weak.  Anyone who practices hate of another Human being is weak because it is easy to do bad/evil in thought(s) and deeds.  It takes real strength to do what is right; it takes real strength to choose not to hate especially if one is part of a group that assumes they have that right.  Yes, Muslim-haters and Muslim-jackers are tied by that bondage of hate.  The hatred that stews inside both groups goes beyond an immense dislike of another; it is a darkness that surpasses what makes us Humans; they are the monsters among us.  American society-at-large should be very afraid of the evil of hate that disguises it as a “right” and society acquiesces.  The monsters are among us nationally and at our door globally.

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[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/verities

[2] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2103281/

[3]http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/crowds-gather-for-anti-islam-demonstration-outside-phoenix-mosque/ar-BBkopVy?ocid=msnhomepage#image=1  

My Perspective on Muslims & Christians

“Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before GOD” (Romans 14:22)

“Faith in GOD’s revelation has nothing to do with an ideology which glorifies the status quo” (Karl Barth)

“No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them” (Elie Wiesel)

As a very flawed Born-Again Christian, I find the hate from both sides of the religious issue of Muslims vs. Christians to be abhorrent.  The arrogance of non-Muslims to disrespect a revered figure of Islam is not only immature; it is a violation of rights accorded to all sentient beings.  The Muslims who resort to violence are weak pathetic beings who do not have the intelligence to prove or disprove the stereotypes heaped against them.  The non-Muslims who demean the Muslim faith are no better, especially those who have the audacity to call themselves “Christians”.   The word Christian means followers of Christ and there were many other religions when Jesus Christ walked this Earth yet there is no mention of Him demeaning any of those other religions in the four Gospels of the New Testament. Indeed, He oftentimes repudiated the conservative religious and political leaders of Israel regarding their hypocrisies.  Apologies, I digress.  We as Christians are taught to be peaceful, to live in peace and to treat all peoples the same because “in truth, I perceive that GOD shows no partiality” or more plainly, GOD is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34 & Romans 2:11). Specifically, we are told to “love your (our) enemies” (Matthew 5:44 & Luke 6:27-36).

I found this article[1] extremely interesting. The perspective that caught my eye was the author's statement that "People in the Muslim world place a higher value on their cultural identity, which is often defined by their religion."  I find the statement to be less than objective because if one examines the conservative Christian movement in the U.S.; one will find the very same. We hear at least once a week some Christian conservative bemoaning the faux attack on their religious and political ideologies while violating some of the legal aspects of the Constitution against certain groups of the citizenry. Conservative Christians place a very high value on their cultural identity and it is highlighted by the current slew of presidential hopefuls within the Republican Party.  Their hateful rhetoric defiles the Christian religion and are not representative of the religion just as violent Muslims are not representative of the religion of Islam.

Having said all of that, the words "respect" and “honor” are missing from the allowance of Free Speech. Be it in France or in the U.S., the perpetrators of disrespecting the holy man of the Islamic faith are predominately Caucasians. I don't know what “certain” White French citizens hold dear but in the U.S., if someone desecrates the American flag, those conservative Christians who choose to demean the Prophet Mohammad get violently upset. They also become violently upset to things that violate their religious beliefs [same sex marriage]. What gives them the right to be outraged at these things yet Muslims cannot become outraged at the defilement of their religion’s holy man? Free speech, as in everything else, [should] have boundaries and only the ignorant and hatemongers disregard the respect in the freedom allotted to many. Violence is never the answer or response to anything that inflames our sensitivity. Violence is the response of the weak, those who feel they have no control and like naughty little children, they do evil to be noticed. Religion has always been at the base of the most infamous wars of mankind; whether or not the religion was/is valid. The Crusades, Spanish Inquisition, the Catholic/Protestant issue of Ireland and even WWII are just some of the examples. Those who decry the fact that nonviolent Muslims say nothing forget that non-conservative Christians say nothing. Here in the U.S. those who say something against and/or about conservative Christians are demeaned and ridiculed. So even if nonviolent Muslims come out against the violence committed by those who have hijacked their religion, the conservative Christians would denounce such statements and that is what network news report on which gives conservative Christians a broader platform. Bottom line, conservative Christians are no different from extremist Muslims except for their religion and the language they speak. They are both cut from the same cloth of hubris and hate; their religion is just a vehicle to drive that hate. *Note: While conservative Christians don’t use violence like extremist Muslims, they use the laws to subjugate certain groups of the citizenry with violence being a component.

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[1] http://www.commdiginews.com/featured/muhammad-cartoons-free-speech-and-respect-for-religion-41284/