The Threat Of Radical Religious Extremism To A Free Society
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This week marked the anniversary of two important historical events. Each took place in different time periods and in different parts of the world, but they remain united by one common trait. Each informs us about the dangers of radical religion, and the threat it poses to democracy.
The Jonestown Massacre
On November 18, 1979, People’s Temple leader, Jim Jones, led some 931 of his followers in a mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana. The world watched in horror as images surfaced showing hundreds of people dead from cyanide poisoning.
What is less well-known, however, is the event that triggered the mass suicide. On November 17, U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan, a Democrat of California, traveled to Jonestown to investigate the commune's activities. The following day, as Ryan's group was about to leave, several People's Temple asked for passage out of Guyana. Jones became distressed at the defection of his members, and one of Jones' lieutenants attacked Ryan with a knife. Although Ryan escaped unharmed from the initial attack, Jones ordered Ryan and his companions ambushed and killed at the airstrip as they attempted to board their plane.
Many of you may recall how the world watched in shock and horror as footage of the dead began to surface from Guyana. Here is a not-so-well-known, but ironic photo from the Guyana compound, which reads: "Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it."
The Unfinished Journey Of Anwar Sadat
On November 19, 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to make an official state trip to Israel. When Sadat made his acceptance speech as Egyptian President in 1970, he remarked:
“Let us put an end to wars, let us reshape life on the solid basis of equity and truth. And it is this call, which reflected the will of the Egyptian people, of the great majority of the Arab and Israeli peoples, and indeed of millions of men, women, and children around the world that you are today honoring. And these hundreds of millions will judge to what extent every responsible leader in the Middle East has responded to the hopes of mankind.”
Sadat put these sentiments into action by subsequently entering into the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin on March 26, 1979. This treaty followed the Camp David Accords, a series of meetings facilitated by President Jimmy Carter in 1978.
Though widely popular with most Egyptians, the treaty was vastly unpopular with Egyptian extremists and radical Muslims throughout the Arab world. In October 1981, during a military parade in Cairo, Sadat was assassinated by a group of radical Muslims led by a secret-cell Islamist serving in the Egyptian military.
The Dangers Of Radical Religion
This is not an idictment of either Christianity or Islam. Regardless of its label, radical religious theology is dangerous to a free and open society because it will permit no competing ideology, theory or alternative explanation. By its very definition, this is totalitarianism.
The U.S. faces a new brand of radicalism today. This brand does not originate from those at whom our government frequently points its accusing finger. This brand also differs in one key aspect from Jim Jones-style radicalism; namely, it does not cloak itself in absolute secrecy. In the U.S. today, radical, pseudo-religious, right-wing elements engage in blatant acts of domestic terrorism by bombing abortion clinics, killing doctors, and disrupting town hall meetings.
With the mega-phone of the Internet and a 24/7 news cycle, they call for the armed overthrow of the government from the floor of the U.S. Congress. Yes, I mean you Congresswoman Bachman. Your behavior is not free speech, Congresswoman. It is treason, and you should be punished for it.
Still others cloak themselves in secrecy on C Street, calling themselves a “church” and a "fellowship" to avoid paying taxes while beating their breasts over the very idea that me, you, our children, our parents, or God forbid an immigrant, might have access to adequate health care.
Even now, religious extremists distribute seemingly innocuous merchandise calling on their followers to “pray for Obama,” referring to Psalm 109:8.
Psalm 109:8 - indeed the entire Psalm - has nothing to do with being loving, nurturing or supportive. In fact, it is one of the least loving passages from the entire Bible. You can read the full text of the Psalm 109 here. Through this behavior, religious extremists are secretly advocating harm to President Obama. Such behavior is against the law.
I am a strong proponent of free speech, free press, the right of free association, and the right to be free from the dictates of any particular religious ideology. Those are the freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment. Radical fundamentalists in the U.S. should not be permitted to cloak themselves in the First Amendment because their brand of “free expression” is fundamentally totalitarian, dangerous to the principles of a free and open society, and anathema to true religious teachings which typically focus on peace, love, tolerance and moderation.
The worst mistake that liberal, moderate or independent America can make, however, is to simply ignore this radical behavior in the hopes that it goes away. We should, instead, do all in our power on a local and national level to shine a beacon on this behavior and then call it out for what it is - fringe, extreme, unlawful, and unacceptable.
