Gunpowder, band-wagon and lot: Part 1

 

This post has nothing to do with Guy Fawkes or gunpowder except insofar that strong personal beliefs can lead people to do whacky and horrendous exploits. Many of these, thankfully, are relatively benign but they can still adversely affect innocent peoples' lives. And every so often a belief will culminate in something as severe as a plot to overthrow a government.

Some examples include the flat earthers, holocaust deniers, possibly even the more extreme pro-Trumpers. What about so called Christian outfits like tele-evangelist Benny Hinn, Bethel Redding, Hill Song? Or the whole Charismatic movement with its emphasis on "spiritual gifts"? Or creationists, atheists. Don't get me wrong here: I am not condemning or condoning any particular belief: let each man be fully persuaded in his own mind. But I notice that each of these entities use a mix of peer pressure, playing on emotions, mass hysteria, exclusivity, suggestion and even hypnosis to promote their ideologies, even if unwittingly. 

Sometimes labelled "radical", "extreme", "cult" or "conspiracy theory", they can be recognised through non-sequiturs and other nonsense appearing in their teachings. An example in a recent search for sanity I happened upon in a YouTube video The #1 reason evolution is impossible saddened me because the #1 reason, though thoughtfully presented, was flawed from the outset as any Physicist would tell you. Just scroll down the comments.

It has been said that we humans have a God shaped hole that yearns to be filled. Perhaps there is more in this than meets the eye. Just as a dog likes nothing more than to play catch, perhaps the need for religion is just a part of the make-up of every human which has evolved over millions of years as a sort of defence mechanism to give us some sense of meaning to life or, if you prefer, was placed there by the Creator as a proof of existence. The idea is explored in more detail here. After all, about 84% of the current world population identify with a religious group and that does not include atheists (who also take their position on faith). And 75% of US adults identify as Christian. Can they all be wrong? Well, actually, yes - if it be that humans are born with this need no more or less than being born with two legs. And if so be, it does not follow necessarily that God exists.

And so I come to relate the sad case of the Irish Dodo...

(to be continued in Part 2)