Religious extremists. For most people just the mention of the word conjures up images of guys with long beards and kalashnikovs. That’s right, it’s the Muslims we have to be scared of. There the ones who want to kill us or convert us. That’s why Turkey can’t join the EU, right? If you ask most people about Turkey joining the EU, the first thing they mention is the religious aspect. Islam, it seems, is an extreme religion. Well I agree that religious extremists are dangerous and not just the bearded ones.
Last week the Spanish Catholic Church launched a campaign against the government’s proposed amendment of the abortion law. The campaign, led by a group of bishops i.e. men, contained the usual combination of misinformation that characterized the Vatican’s fight against the parents of Italian girl Eluana Englaro who was allowed to die after being in a coma for 16 years.
The issue in Spain is that currently an abortion is only permitted in three cases; when the woman has been raped, when there is health risk to the mother or when there is a health risk to the child. The Spanish government want to give all women the right to have an abortion before 14 weeks, whether they meet one of those three requirements or not.
The Catholic Church’s campaign centers around a poster, which you can see below, which compares a happy, smiling, one year old child with a wee, cute, furry lynx. The poster contains the words and me? Protect my life! The message is that a lynx is a protected species and a child, I am assuming an unborn child, is not. The problem is the imagery involved. Like with the case of Eluana Englaro, when we saw images of a young, beautiful, healthy woman, the images used to do not reflect the reality of the situation. As I said, the child is one year old and the government plans are for the legalisation of abortions before 14 weeks.
So what could some alternative images be? How about a picture of the 9 year old Brazilian girl who was raped and left carrying twins and whose family and friends were excommunicated by the Catholic Church for helping the girl have an abortion. Oh, and by the way, the doctors said she would have died if she had given birth to twins at the age of nine. Maybe there could be an image of her, with the words and me? Protect my life!
Or how about a picture of an African child born with AIDS after someone followed the Pope’s advice and said no to sexual health practices. I always thought the Vatican was against assisted suicide but after listening to the Pope in Africa, I’m not so sure. That would be another good candidate for the slogan and me? Protect my life!
Finally, what about the picture of a child who is going to die from a curable illness because the only way to save him would be to use human embryos. How about a picture of him with the words and me? Protect my life!
I realize for some people it is taboo and provocative to criticize religion. Well I think it’s taboo and provocative to label a nine year old rape victim a murderer or to tell the parents of a terminally ill boy that it’s god’s will that he die or calling homosexuals ill or unnatural or to tell less educated people who trust you and follow you that they should basically commit suicide by not using contraception in a continent ridden with AIDS. I think that’s provocative and if anyone else but the Pope had said it then they would labeled an extremist.
So finally, what is a religious extremist and who are they? Well my definition of a religious extremist is someone who believes that their way of life and practices are the only true, right ones. It is someone who not only believes these practices and beliefs are the truth but wishes them adopted into law and if need be imposed on society, both believers and non-believers. They believe those of a different faith or sexuality should be judged as something less than themselves and that only one lifestyle should be permitted in society. Furthermore, when bad things happen, it’s because of god’s will. If a solution to the problem is found, it’s only permitted if it’s in the book. If it’s not in the book, it’s not permitted.
So that’s my definition of what a religious extremist is. I’ll let you decide who they are.
Last week the Spanish Catholic Church launched a campaign against the government’s proposed amendment of the abortion law. The campaign, led by a group of bishops i.e. men, contained the usual combination of misinformation that characterized the Vatican’s fight against the parents of Italian girl Eluana Englaro who was allowed to die after being in a coma for 16 years.
The issue in Spain is that currently an abortion is only permitted in three cases; when the woman has been raped, when there is health risk to the mother or when there is a health risk to the child. The Spanish government want to give all women the right to have an abortion before 14 weeks, whether they meet one of those three requirements or not.
The Catholic Church’s campaign centers around a poster, which you can see below, which compares a happy, smiling, one year old child with a wee, cute, furry lynx. The poster contains the words and me? Protect my life! The message is that a lynx is a protected species and a child, I am assuming an unborn child, is not. The problem is the imagery involved. Like with the case of Eluana Englaro, when we saw images of a young, beautiful, healthy woman, the images used to do not reflect the reality of the situation. As I said, the child is one year old and the government plans are for the legalisation of abortions before 14 weeks.
So what could some alternative images be? How about a picture of the 9 year old Brazilian girl who was raped and left carrying twins and whose family and friends were excommunicated by the Catholic Church for helping the girl have an abortion. Oh, and by the way, the doctors said she would have died if she had given birth to twins at the age of nine. Maybe there could be an image of her, with the words and me? Protect my life!
Or how about a picture of an African child born with AIDS after someone followed the Pope’s advice and said no to sexual health practices. I always thought the Vatican was against assisted suicide but after listening to the Pope in Africa, I’m not so sure. That would be another good candidate for the slogan and me? Protect my life!
Finally, what about the picture of a child who is going to die from a curable illness because the only way to save him would be to use human embryos. How about a picture of him with the words and me? Protect my life!
I realize for some people it is taboo and provocative to criticize religion. Well I think it’s taboo and provocative to label a nine year old rape victim a murderer or to tell the parents of a terminally ill boy that it’s god’s will that he die or calling homosexuals ill or unnatural or to tell less educated people who trust you and follow you that they should basically commit suicide by not using contraception in a continent ridden with AIDS. I think that’s provocative and if anyone else but the Pope had said it then they would labeled an extremist.
So finally, what is a religious extremist and who are they? Well my definition of a religious extremist is someone who believes that their way of life and practices are the only true, right ones. It is someone who not only believes these practices and beliefs are the truth but wishes them adopted into law and if need be imposed on society, both believers and non-believers. They believe those of a different faith or sexuality should be judged as something less than themselves and that only one lifestyle should be permitted in society. Furthermore, when bad things happen, it’s because of god’s will. If a solution to the problem is found, it’s only permitted if it’s in the book. If it’s not in the book, it’s not permitted.
So that’s my definition of what a religious extremist is. I’ll let you decide who they are.
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