Is it possible for practicing Buddhists
to know that their government and countrymen are murdering their
brothers and sisters overseas, make no effort to intervene, withdraw
into meditation for personal health and safety -and still believe they
are sincere about following in the footsteps of Shakyamuni Gautama
Siddhartha?.
Is it possible that a person who has faith in the efficacy of the teaching of one of the three great Abrahamic religions, be aware that his or her government and countrymen are murdering their brothers and sisters overseas, yet make no protest, but instead withdraw into prayer -and believe that God will bless their indifference to the mass taking of human life and give them salvation?
Apparently, it is not only possible, but has been the most prevalent way of thinking and behaving in America among the devout - at least as long as anyone living can remember. Who promotes this civic amorality, if not most of the clergy, who in fact betray their profession.
A clear majority of the clergy actually lead their flocks firmly in the acceptance of permissive homicide including giving dispensation for disobedience of The Fifth Commandment.
Clergy's lettered high authorities,
especially, are organized much in close collaboration with government
officials in open violation of the "Separation of Church and State
principle - a principle turned on its head and used to keep sincere
clergy in line under threat of heavy taxation if they oppose war too
publicly.
The government and military and CIA are protected from ethical criticism by its conglomerate owned commercial handmaiden, the U.S. media and clergy. The majority of congregations remain closed off from participating in the life of the nation unless it be as fanatic supporters of war and U.S. imperialism, led by a new crop of American style evangelists of the sword.
Since early childhood I have listened to the Holy Father, who has his own state, asking the faithful to pray for peace. Pray! Only pray! As if the spiritual axiom "Action without prayer is dangerous and prayer without action is useless" (if not deceitful if in place helping others), was irrelevant. Action by the Pope, though never taken to halt or prevent war in modern times, has happened for other causes. One was the threat of Papal excommunication (being destined for hell) if one voted communist in an Italian election after World War Two. And sure eternal punishment for joining the Communist Party, not the fascist party. Pope John XXIII excommunicated Fidel Castro for leading a communist revolution. Decades later, His Holy Father John Paul II was welcomed by Castro in Cuba, (Adolph Hitler, raised a Catholic, was not excommunicated).
Clergy embedded with U.S. troops in foreign lands though their religion's teaching would seem to indicate that they should be embedded in the poor populations under attack by high tech U.S. weaponry.
Establishment clergy's rationalizing war role has been one of preaching that U.S. wars are by definition "Just Wars," from Korea through Vietnam and on right up to today's undeclared wars in a half-dozen Muslin nations. Clergymen and clergywomen's weekly war duties are not to apply God's law or Buddha's teaching of nonviolence, but to bless those military shipping out and to bury those that return as deceased. Hermetically sealed in spiritual hypocrisy or even apostasy, a majority of both clergy and congregations seem not to worry of risking damnation for a merciless acquiescence to all the massive taking of foreign life, uncaring, stalwart in prideful false patriotism with blinders on.
But there are always dedicated renegades teaching love, honesty and nonviolence, and condemning imperialist war and predatory capitalism: Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and many many others in the Black Church tradition, The Catholic Mary Knoll Sisters, Fathers, Brothers and Lay Missioners, and the Liberation Church of Latin America though many are thrown out of the church or assassinated.
President Obama says we are going to kill our way to some sort of better security. Has he gone insane, telling the world he is fighting an evil force that exists and not real people with real grievances? He is talking the same as the mentally challenged president before him who claimed God's guidance in war. No clergy made headlines in doubting either president's understanding of scripture and security.
Are we not tired of more and more security measures as if each of us might be considered a potential threat to our neighbors. No habeas corpus and legal rights for those who those imprisoned indefinitely without charge merely on someone's suspicion. With the silence of leading clergy, most American's have come to believe we need to torture for our protection. More and more are out to get us. We are told to stay alert. We wait for the next official alert of orange or red, and are told the odds are high for another 9/11 or worse. Accept the expected, get used to it, take all the killing in stride. Watch those heavily armed soldiers at work abroad on TV. Read of the latest indiscriminate in wide collateral death and destruction Predator Drone Hellfire missile or Daisy Cutter bombing. Charming names America gives it horrific weapons of mass destruction in use for our security. Citizens in the 3rd World live in the stressful insecurity of instant death, in the name of America's Homeland Security.
"Security' started slowly fifty years ago in a society taught thievery from the top down. Security watched shoppers in all larger stores, then locked school doors, and locked bathrooms, set up partitions between taxi driver and passengers. Finally there were security cameras everywhere, and ID required to enter buildings. We have come a long way in this frenetic philosophy of the acquisition of money for money's sake and protective violence and preventive imprisonment more than in any other nation. The ruling classes might be happy with their gated estates and gated neighborhoods for many well-off citizens, but we are not happy watching out for unattended packages or the bulkily dressed, apprehensive of some biological, or nuclear radioactive material dirty bomb or some more planes to be blown away, or subway attack.
Enough already! Where is it going to end?
The U.S. has a record of not winning undeclared wars against third world populations. Lets sort this out with some intelligent New Year resolutions.
1. Resolve that we will caution the faithful not to accept clergy-designated "just wars", nor clergy's abnegation of leadership in calling for elected officials to be bound by the moral and pacific precepts of their religions, religions that place quality of life over the accumulation of money.
2. That clergy shall be constrained from collusion with powerful amoral politicians and heads of corporations subjugating their congregations to a materialist pseudo-philosophy of the preeminent righteousness and goodness of the state and its right to wars, two-party domination and influence over children through commercial media cartel penetration into schools.
Is it possible that a person who has faith in the efficacy of the teaching of one of the three great Abrahamic religions, be aware that his or her government and countrymen are murdering their brothers and sisters overseas, yet make no protest, but instead withdraw into prayer -and believe that God will bless their indifference to the mass taking of human life and give them salvation?
Apparently, it is not only possible, but has been the most prevalent way of thinking and behaving in America among the devout - at least as long as anyone living can remember. Who promotes this civic amorality, if not most of the clergy, who in fact betray their profession.
A clear majority of the clergy actually lead their flocks firmly in the acceptance of permissive homicide including giving dispensation for disobedience of The Fifth Commandment.
The government and military and CIA are protected from ethical criticism by its conglomerate owned commercial handmaiden, the U.S. media and clergy. The majority of congregations remain closed off from participating in the life of the nation unless it be as fanatic supporters of war and U.S. imperialism, led by a new crop of American style evangelists of the sword.
Since early childhood I have listened to the Holy Father, who has his own state, asking the faithful to pray for peace. Pray! Only pray! As if the spiritual axiom "Action without prayer is dangerous and prayer without action is useless" (if not deceitful if in place helping others), was irrelevant. Action by the Pope, though never taken to halt or prevent war in modern times, has happened for other causes. One was the threat of Papal excommunication (being destined for hell) if one voted communist in an Italian election after World War Two. And sure eternal punishment for joining the Communist Party, not the fascist party. Pope John XXIII excommunicated Fidel Castro for leading a communist revolution. Decades later, His Holy Father John Paul II was welcomed by Castro in Cuba, (Adolph Hitler, raised a Catholic, was not excommunicated).
Clergy embedded with U.S. troops in foreign lands though their religion's teaching would seem to indicate that they should be embedded in the poor populations under attack by high tech U.S. weaponry.
Establishment clergy's rationalizing war role has been one of preaching that U.S. wars are by definition "Just Wars," from Korea through Vietnam and on right up to today's undeclared wars in a half-dozen Muslin nations. Clergymen and clergywomen's weekly war duties are not to apply God's law or Buddha's teaching of nonviolence, but to bless those military shipping out and to bury those that return as deceased. Hermetically sealed in spiritual hypocrisy or even apostasy, a majority of both clergy and congregations seem not to worry of risking damnation for a merciless acquiescence to all the massive taking of foreign life, uncaring, stalwart in prideful false patriotism with blinders on.
But there are always dedicated renegades teaching love, honesty and nonviolence, and condemning imperialist war and predatory capitalism: Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and many many others in the Black Church tradition, The Catholic Mary Knoll Sisters, Fathers, Brothers and Lay Missioners, and the Liberation Church of Latin America though many are thrown out of the church or assassinated.
President Obama says we are going to kill our way to some sort of better security. Has he gone insane, telling the world he is fighting an evil force that exists and not real people with real grievances? He is talking the same as the mentally challenged president before him who claimed God's guidance in war. No clergy made headlines in doubting either president's understanding of scripture and security.
Are we not tired of more and more security measures as if each of us might be considered a potential threat to our neighbors. No habeas corpus and legal rights for those who those imprisoned indefinitely without charge merely on someone's suspicion. With the silence of leading clergy, most American's have come to believe we need to torture for our protection. More and more are out to get us. We are told to stay alert. We wait for the next official alert of orange or red, and are told the odds are high for another 9/11 or worse. Accept the expected, get used to it, take all the killing in stride. Watch those heavily armed soldiers at work abroad on TV. Read of the latest indiscriminate in wide collateral death and destruction Predator Drone Hellfire missile or Daisy Cutter bombing. Charming names America gives it horrific weapons of mass destruction in use for our security. Citizens in the 3rd World live in the stressful insecurity of instant death, in the name of America's Homeland Security.
"Security' started slowly fifty years ago in a society taught thievery from the top down. Security watched shoppers in all larger stores, then locked school doors, and locked bathrooms, set up partitions between taxi driver and passengers. Finally there were security cameras everywhere, and ID required to enter buildings. We have come a long way in this frenetic philosophy of the acquisition of money for money's sake and protective violence and preventive imprisonment more than in any other nation. The ruling classes might be happy with their gated estates and gated neighborhoods for many well-off citizens, but we are not happy watching out for unattended packages or the bulkily dressed, apprehensive of some biological, or nuclear radioactive material dirty bomb or some more planes to be blown away, or subway attack.
Enough already! Where is it going to end?
The U.S. has a record of not winning undeclared wars against third world populations. Lets sort this out with some intelligent New Year resolutions.
1. Resolve that we will caution the faithful not to accept clergy-designated "just wars", nor clergy's abnegation of leadership in calling for elected officials to be bound by the moral and pacific precepts of their religions, religions that place quality of life over the accumulation of money.
2. That clergy shall be constrained from collusion with powerful amoral politicians and heads of corporations subjugating their congregations to a materialist pseudo-philosophy of the preeminent righteousness and goodness of the state and its right to wars, two-party domination and influence over children through commercial media cartel penetration into schools.
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