the Salty Academic takes on religion

As you all may have noticed I had not posted in the last few days, mostly because I've been working (a.k.a not getting drunk before noon), so I have quite a bit to catch up on. And lately the topic of religion has been all the rage in the papers, so I think I'll start there.

I'd like to preempt this entry by acknowledging that openly discussing religion, much like kicking a little dog in the face, is an impulse one mustn't act on without careful consideration. However, not only am I stupidly impulsive, I'm belligerent to boot. So, naturally, religion ranks as one of the favorite topics of discussion.

With that in mind, the AP wire "Germany Seeks to Ban Scientology" caught my attention. Those familiar with Scientology probably are in the know thanks to the the crazy shenanigans of Tom Cruise and other well-to-do media elites. And while Scientology garners unconventional philosophies, it does have specific texts, a kind of hierarchy, and an astounding membership, all of which, I believe, makes it a religion. Some people, however, might call Scientology a "cult". But really, all religions are cults. That is, a cult as defined by Webster "1. A community or system of religious worship and ritual". And surely if its alright to believe that women were created out of a rib from a man (as is the case in Christianity), then it should be equally alright for one to believe that humans evolved from mollusks (cheers Scientology for that one).

That said, Germany's claim that Scientology is, "a commercial enterprise that takes advantage of vulnerable people", thus threatening Germany's "peaceful democratic order" is ridiculous an appalling. Firstly, all religions are commercial enterprises that take advantage of vulnerable people. That's it's shtick. And any Marxist or Weberian can attest. However, to reduce Germany's claim as a matter of mere economics is too simple. Yes, Scientology can be likened to a kind of mafia, but again, this is no different than other religious groups. So, what's the real problem Germany? Is this an attempt to reclaim some kind of global democratic notoriety in the face of a sullied past? Well, if so, you've got it all wrong.

There can be no democracy, no 1st amendment if you will, without a pluralistic state. This is to mean, a country must accept different worldviews and the institutions that support them in order to be considered truly democratic. And this idea extends particularly to religion. Now, those of you in the "religion is bad" camp will probably say that religious systems have resulted in numerous wars and other sorts of blood-shed, so Germany is on the ball. But this is not entirely true. The 20th century had numerous wars and plenty of genocides. Clearly one of the bloodiest periods in history. And yet none of these were the result of religious persecution. And if you're going to ask, "but what about The Holocaust?". I will answer that the Jews, while the greatest beneficiaries of that horrible suffering, were amongst a slew of other groups to perish under Nazi nationalism (Gypsies, Slavs, Poles, gays, mentally disabled, etc.). And, if one day Judaism would address whether it should be considered a religion or an ethnic group, I will gladly revise my position. Until then though, and for the sake of the argument at hand, I'm sticking with ethnic cleansing.

So, with that in mind, I take us to Mitt Romney. According to journalists and political pundits, Americans have reservations about voting for Mitt Romney because he's Mormon. Nevermind that Romney switch hits on social issues, or rather, doesn't address any issues. No, the fact that Romney is Mormon is more than enough to make people feel "very uncomfortable" (AP-Yahoo poll).

This is understandable. The Mormon Church, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints as they are referred to on the many heart-warming commercials they diffuse throughout TV, gives off that strange, "cultish" vibe. Maybe its because the Mormon Church was founded by some random guy who claimed to have translated the Book of Abraham from papyrus rolls before the Egyptian hieroglyphics were decipherable? Or maybe its the polygamy? I don't really know. But one thing is for sure. The Mormon Church is the American religion par excellence. And while you may not have to agree with their doctrines, you do have give put up with them. Otherwise, you obviously hate America.

In sum, if you're going to vote, definitely don't vote for (or against) religion. Because while religion can bring you a world of interesting ideas and fanciful visions, it probably won't bring you any economic capital (and no, being the owner of mega-church doesn't count).

*This last statement, while being completely valid can also be refuted (with empirical evidence). However, I'm not getting into it.