On Lawrence Solomon’s God
I’ve finally discovered why National Post “columnist” Lawrence Solomon is such an avid climate change denialist: he’s also and more important, a morally stunted bigot. That’s the only conclusion that can reasonably be drawn from his inspiring Christams column, “Godless Societies are Unfit for Survival.”
It’s not what you might think at first. According to Solomon, any society that believes in a God — any god or gods, it doesn’t particularly matter — is a superior society. Any society that doesn’t, is an inferior one: either an evil murderous one like North Korea (incidentally, not an atheist country), or a “non-progressing” one (his concept), like the African Pygmies.
I can’t decide whether Solomon doesn’t actually believe in any gods, and just thinks it’s a useful lie that elites like himself should perpetrate in order to maintain social order, on whether he really is so incredibly, unbelievably, criminally stupid that he thinks religious beliefs have value just because they’re religious.
As a matter of fact, most of the world’s major religions have at some point engaged in vicious and bloody struggles to eradicate the other ones. There are still Christians, Jews, and Muslims who cling to the belief that their God will help them exterminate their rivals and cleanse their holy lands, who will shortly thereafter subject those enemies to an eternal punishment in hell. I need hardly point out that there is something seriously morally questionable about believing that one of these faiths has it right, let alone (as Solomon claims to believe) that all of them do.
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[...] blog was the recent publication of a scurrilous column by National Post columnist Lawrence Solomon, arguing that only “Godly” societies thrive and [...]
Sir Francis
Solomon’s attempting a Coles Notes Leo Strauss in that risible piece and failing miserably. Even when measured against the FP‘s illiterate norm, it’s a startlingly idiotic display.
I literally laughed out loud at his reference to the “Judeo-Christian religion”, whose key precepts must be fantastically confusing. I think I’ll just stick to my Leninist-Shintoism.
thwap
His faith teaches him important “values” such as “Kill those scum-sucking atheist troglodytes!!!!”
The poor guy HAS to think that way, … otherwise he’s convinced that his loving God will torture him for all eternity.
Sixth Estate
Sir Francis — Yes, the argument that religion provides a moral foundation for society regardless of whether it’s true or not is hardly unique to Solomon. But it rarely gets presented in print in such amateurish form.
Thwap — I get the sense that either Solomon is not a Christian, or is an entirely theologically inept one who actually cares very little for its precepts. The interesting thing is that you don’t have to believe that Christianity or any other religion is true, to believe that it is essential that the masses BELIEVE it to be true.
karen
“…you don’t have to believe Christianity or any other religion is true, to believe that it is essential that the masses BELIEVE it to be true…”
I think you pretty much nail it there. I am convinced that it is essential for power that the rest of us sop up whatever soma they can concoct for us.