In light of the tragic events in Egypt and Libya - all of which appear to have been religiously motivated both on the part of the film's makers and those who attacked the U.S. embassies and wrought violence and murder - on of the statements of the late M. L. Mencken (who was born on this date in 1880 and was a well known literary critic, editor and journalist) seemed very much on point in terms of the foul fruits of religion:
“I believe that religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind – that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overcome by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking. “I believe that no discovery of fact, however trivial, can be wholly useless to the race, and that no trumpeting of falsehood, however virtuous in intent, can be anything but vicious.
Be it Christian fundamentalism or Islamic fundamentalism the fruits are the same: hatred of others, the denigration of freedom and true liberty, and typically a small cadre who enrich and empower themselves through their control of others. Pope Benedict XVI and the ayatollahs in Iran and Saudi Arabia have more in common than their followers care to admit.
Quote is via Civil Commotion.
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