Religious Underpinnings

People who are fundamentalists about their religion perplex me.

One of the qualities i hold most dear is the ability to reason.

I do not usually find reason and religion mutually exclusive. to the contrary when I examine religions I see what is the product of rational thought. Prohibitions against birth control and homosexuality are justified and rational if you’re given a world where most people die at 35 or 40 and manual labor is imperative to maintaining society and the number of people reaching the age of procreation is only around the number required to ensure that the population remains steady or growing at a small rate. These prohibitions, which both come from the desire to ensure that sex is linked only to procreation, do not make logical sense where the health care system ensures most of the population lives into their 70s and technology is significantly advanced enough that having a significant population directed towards manual labor is no longer necessary.

Returning to the core issue. I’m reading Jon Krakauer’s book Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of a Violent Faith which explores a double murder in the Mormon community in Utah. What I’m having a hard time comprehending is the 1984 murders of Brenda Lafferty and her 15 month old daughter Erica by Brenda’s brothers-in-law, Dan and Ron Lafferty. Dan and Ron did this because they received a revelation from god to “Eliminate” Brenda and erica among others.

I don’t know where to start. Killing someone, especially a young child, is unthinkable to me. quite frankly the whole concept of god talking directly to people directing them what to do seems ludicrous. What I really see is that these revelations are a subconscious part of the brain coming out and that by phrasing them as revelations rides the revelator of responsibility for their actions or to repress the urge to act and deal with the underlying emotions.

I know my analysis comes from a humanist point of view. I firmly and adamantly believe that people should take responsibility for their actions. Passing the responsibility of on God or a Commander-in-Chief is an immature act of cowardice.

I would hold the Lafferty brothers in slightly higher regard if instead of stating that god directed them to “remove … Brenda and her baby … [because] they have truly become obstacles in [God’s] path and I will not allow my work to be stopped.” (p. 162) They stated that “We’re going to kill that bitch because she took my family from me and doesn’t know her place.” (My words, but in character.)

For that matter i’d be more respectful of Bush and conspirators just came out and said “We want oil and big government contracts for our former employers.” But, enough political digressions.

Some religions, especially fundamentalist editions, require the relinquishing of rationality and logic. Which is truly strange. If god gave you the ability to reason shouldn’t you use it?

I’m left where I started. I’m really sure that I’ll never understand people who come from a fundamentalist stance. But, then again who will ever figure me out fully?