timberwraith
I receive regular versions of "religion is to blame" in my mentions on a regular basis.
I will again remind people that I saw bigotries just as hateful and virulent rise up in the white/cis/het dominated environs of New Atheism, as I did in the nominally christian home that I grew up in.
I'll remind people of the virulent racism, xenophobia, transphobia, and other sundry myriad bigotries that currently flourish in the secular UK.
It's not religion. That's not the problem.
Humans are.
timberwraith
The sad thing I have learned in my life is that human beings will reach for *any* tool at their disposal in serving as a means to justify their prejudices and their desire to exploit other human beings.
Whether it's science, religion, philosophy, political/economic theory (that goes just as much for capitalism as it does for its competitors among communism and socialism), or some other systematized perspective, they all can be bent to serve the maw of our desire to hate and exploit others.
timberwraith
That root of "protect me and mine and fuck the people who are not a part of my family/nation/neighborhood/race/religion/political party/[insert in-group]" runs strong in us and lives at the root of so much of our fuckery.
"I must survive and my group must survive at all costs. Fuck the people not in my group." selfishness drives this.
Stare it in the face and get to know it well. It's the demon we all live with.
timberwraith
I'm going to toss out one more thing on this thread for the other white people in my mentions.
Consider how religion has served as a tool of liberation for non-white people in fighting white supremacy and the maw of colonization.
Now, tell the people who have benefited from using religion as a tool in their liberation from white supremacy's bullshit that their religion is a part of the problem.
Go ahead white atheists. Try that out.
timberwraith
To this day, I still remember white atheists losing their shit over indigenous people in Hawaii opposing putting a new telescope on top of a mountain that is sacred to them.
Lots of particularly racist comments about non-white people and their "superstitions" impeding science.
Hey, you know what? If someone's spiritual beliefs can serve as an organizing force in preventing even more of their home being destroyed by white colonizers' needs and priorities, I don't have problem with that.
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