New Year, Old Pains

A couple of weeks ago I got a nice hate-comment on last year’s “Brokeback Mountain” post from some gay person that obviously was shocked by the fact that there are those of us out here that refuse to let themselves force into mindlessly celebrating this “lifestyle”. So I counter-commented to see if this guy just wanted to let me know or if vanity would drive him back to the scene of the crime to check if there is an answer of mine that deserves some more semantics. Of course the latter was the case and a day later I received an email. The ususal: “You like cappa magna, so you gay. You catholic, so you not allowed to be gay. You twisted inside, so you project self-hate. There are gay priests, so Church bad or (interchangeably) homosexuality good.” You know, the works. Prejudices, intolerance, logic based on enthymemes instead of syllogisms, conclusions that do not follow.

Then via Ken
I read some nice things about our alleged future according to some “thinkers”:

The web magazine Edge asked more than 150 scientists and intellectuals: "What are you optimistic about?"

Philosopher Daniel Denett believes that within 25 years religion will command little of the awe it seems to instill today. The spread of information through the internet and mobile phones will "gently, irresistibly, undermine the mindsets requisite for religious fanaticism and intolerance".

Biologist Richard Dawkins said that physicists would give religion another problem: a theory of everything that would complete Albert Einstein's dream of unifying the fundamental laws of physics. "This final scientific enlightenment will deal an overdue death blow to religion and other juvenile superstitions."

Part of that final theory will be formulated by scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator at Cern in Geneva, which is to be switched on this year. It will smash protons together to help scientists understand what makes up the most fundamental bits of the universe.

I mean, what is this? Are we supposed to sit idly by and pick our nose while sulking spoiled little brats are taking over with their hubris, their self-righteousness, their prejudices, their lack of tolerance (unless it’s the one they want for themselves) and their general misconception of all things immaterial? I know that especially in our times it is easy to blame the Church, Christianity, religion for pretty much anything that went wrong and goes wrong. And, sure, the use of pretty much every scientific discovery for warfare and destruction really encourages turning a blind eye to the problems that science caused, right? And has there ever been a higher body-count than under those regimes that proudly sported the label “atheist”? Of course, as long as those people know that on the one hand they will get their fifteen minutes of fame by just passing on the same old lies (Religion equals violence, fanaticism and intolerance) and that on the other hand looking at some documents (Catechism, Deus Caritas Est, Fides et Ratio, to name but three) might actually force them to think outside of the box, this will not change. Or, as the hate-mailer put it: “This is the end of my correspondence, because you and your poisonous ilk simply aren't worth my time" (I got twenty bucks that say Mister Righteous Indignation will be back after reading this). Right on! Refuse dialogue; threaten alleged homosexuals who are not kissing your feet with “outing” them; give your opponents a bad name in the press by calling them “homophobe” (one of the meanest and greatest tricks of that bunch: turning the disapproval of homosexuality into something that sounds like a disease); bully around; scream down the opposition; use a bit of violence where needed (St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York, December 1989) and impress the populace with great and colorful parades. Pretty soon the difference to 1930’s Germany will be but a slim one.

Interesting post scriptum to the scenario in New York: One ACT-UP member screamed at Cardinal O’Connor “You bigot, you are killing us!” because the Cardinal did not approve of the use and distribution of condoms. Gay logic: Its not the sexually transmitted virus but the Church that kills. Or am I to infer that people who trample the host underfoot, disturb a Catholic mass and preach homosexuality are on the other hand so Catholic that they will not be able to use a condom, just because O’Connor said so? Bigot? Look who’s talking!

But back to the scientists: Can you imagine the sad sight of these kids sitting in their ivory tower at Cern/Geneva, waiting for God to say “Yeah, you got me all figured out. I don’t exist.”?

I think the 20th century has shown us enough of the horrors of atheist humanism, materialism and moral-free scientific progress. You guys want more of the same, you go ahead. And if God slaps you on the fingers again, I don’t might you come back crying as long as you don’t mind me saying “Told you so!”