We’ll Always Have Paris

My thoughts lay today with the people of Paris, France. The ISIS attack last week, preceded by the Charlie Hebdo attack a few months ago, has shown that the  terminal disease called Islamic fundamentalism is at least as grim and deadly an undertaking as the Spanish Inquisition was, six hundred years ago. These events also punctuate the claim of atheists who, like myself, believe that religion is the most implacable cause of mass murder.

Imagine, as John Lennon proposed, there is no religion. Yes, there might still be occasional wars. Economic fundamentalism causes a few of those, but it is second to religion. But religious exterminations, of which there have been ever-so-many, would simply not exist.

Is there any reason to believe in god, when if you do believe, you must then reconcile that being’s existence, with world events such as those in which groups like ISIS and Islamic fundamentalist groups target peaceful, soft targets. No real “god” would permit this, and therefore, there must not be any entity called god out there. Those of you that pray are simply applying wishful thinking to the world.

Don’t pray for Paris. Do something tangible about it. Contribute some money to help the victims. ISIS consists of deluded human beings, who are motivated more by hopelessness than by their religious beliefs. I believe two additional things: First, every time we poke our noses into the Middle East, we make things there much worse. Taking an active role again in the mess we’re have already created won’t end the turmoil. The United States should assist those countries we call our allies, but not supply a presence. Second, ISIS must be exterminated, but it is not our role to do that. It is the role of the real stakeholders, the governments of neighboring countries that feat being overrun. So, not our job.

In an earlier blog entry, after spending two weeks in the Middle East a few years ago, I stated that “The Middle East has Always Been a Time Bomb.” No longer. Now it is the Middle East is exploding all over Europe.