Religious Extremism Is Alive and Well

Today's Washington Post has two religion related stories that make for an interesting justaposition. One looks at the intolerant Christianist element within the Anglican Communion which, despite all the much more pressing and important issues facing the world has an unbelieveable obsession with homosexuality. The other story deals with death sentences being imposed for blasphemy in Pakistan, demonstrating the clear and present danger involved in allowing religious beliefs to become intertwined with the civil laws.

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If allowed, the Christianists in the Anglican Communion would no doubt favor giving out death sentences like the Islamic fundies. Personally, I wish the leadership of the western/modern faction in the Anglican Communion - which has all the money - would stop wringing their hands over the issue of "unity" and kick the lunatic fringe to the curb and cut off all funding to the wingnut elements and then wait to see how quickly these groups wither on the vine without ongoing funding from those they condemn for not engaging in anti-gay bigotry. I truly cannot grasp the mindset of those who seem to get their main enjoyment in life from hating others - they must be very emotionally disturbed. What happened to the Gospel message of loving one's neighbor? It should also be note that as I have posted in the past, "man of God" Anglican Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria (a homophobe extraordinaire) may have been involved in ordering the massacre of over 600 innocent Muslims. First, here are highlights of the Anglicans:

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Organizers of the Global Anglican Future Conference say they will not formally break with the 77 million-member Anglican family when the meeting ends June 29. Even so, the gathering is a clear challenge to Anglicans who want their fellowship to remain unchanged.

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The summit occurs one month before the Lambeth Conference, the once-a-decade meeting of all Anglican bishops, organized by their spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.
Many of the estimated 280 bishops attending the conservative summit are boycotting Lambeth, mainly because Williams invited bishops from the U.S. Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada and elsewhere who believe that the Bible permits committed gay relationships.

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The majority of Anglicans now live in developing countries and are scandalized by Northern views of Scripture. The leadership of the conservative summit comes mainly from these provinces. The top organizers are Orombi, along with the archbishops _ called primates _ of the Anglican churches of Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and the Southern Cone based in Argentina. U.S. conservatives, a minority within the Episcopal Church, and British Anglicans also are playing important roles.

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While the conference participants share a theological outlook, they disagree over what they should do next. Some have close relationships with North American and European dioceses, schools and ministries, and gain stature from their ties to a major world church. The communion is the world's third-largest Christian body, behind the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christian churches.

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For a view of where mindsets like those of the the GAFCON attendees leads, one has only to take a look at Pakistan where blasphemy is a capital offense. here are highlights on that story:

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A Pakistani judge sentenced a Muslim man to death Wednesday on charges he insulted Islam's Prophet Muhammad, a court official said. Falk Sher, a court administrator, said Judge Shoaib Ahmad Roomi also sentenced the man, Shafeeq Latif, to life in prison and fined him $75,000 on a separate charge of desecrating pages of Islam's holy book, the Quran, in 2006. Latif was accused of making derogatory remarks about Muhammad.

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Under Pakistan's blasphemy laws, anyone who insults Muhammad can be punished by death. Scores of people, including Muslims and minority Christians, are facing trial under the laws, which human rights groups have demanded be abolished.

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"True believers" have sadly turned religion into one of the great force of evil in today's world.