Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id CAA22830 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 22 May 2002 02:52:22 +0100 X-Authentication-Warning: cheetah.nor.com.au: Host 253.digital.ppp.telstra.dataheart.net [202.147.129.253] claimed to be green-machine Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.20020522114154.006ef524@pophost.nor.com.au> X-Sender: jeremyb@pophost.nor.com.au X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.1 (32) Date: Wed, 22 May 2002 11:41:54 +1000 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: Jeremy Bradley <jeremyb@nor.com.au> Subject: Re: Boom! and you go to Heaven In-Reply-To: <03df01c2010d$5b04d080$106278d5@APATRICK2KLAPTOP> References: <B9107096.3C2%sd014a6399@blueyonder.co.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-MailScanner: Found to be clean Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
At 05:20 PM 21/05/02 -0400, you wrote:
> > So suppose then that people are relatively easy lured into believing
> > all kind of crazy stuff, as long as the promises are great enough
> > to rationalize away any doubts regarding its truth content.
> > This is precisely the vulnerable and sorry human trait that terrorist
> > organizations eagerly tap into.
>
>As do religious cults....hmmm, a combined religious cult/terrorist
>organisation would be a double whammy. Now hwy has no one thought of that
>;-0
>
>Alan
Hi Alan
There are many cults and religions which fall outside of the normal
definitions which are (IMHO) both religions and terror groups. All lure
their followers into believing "into believing
all kind of crazy stuff" which is based in "promises are great enough
to rationalise away any doubts regarding its truth content".
The cult of individuation oxymoronicly promises a cohesive and prosperous
global society for example. The Religion of US industry backs up these
promises of global development but denies the reality of the resulting
climate change and the mayhem which will be the results of their economic
terrorism. Jewish fundamentalist cults promise peace and stability in the
ME through State terrorism and ethnic cleansing.
The Cult of capitalism also encourages selective forgetting as a suitable
companion to its lies. Dresden and Nagasaki were non military targets
populated by hundreds of thousands of innocent Christians. The S11 deaths
in the US are dwarfed by the death, atrocity and long-term effects of US
nuclear tests on entire populations of Pacific peoples; a matter for which
the US still refuses to offer compensation.
Let us not forget that the Western Christian cults promised fallen
Crusaders (members of terrorist organisations such as the Roman Church) a
place in heaven, a facet of which lives on in the hearts of all soldiers
regardless of which God they have on their side. Kamikaze pilots (the first
to use planes as bombs against the US) were also told that they would go to
heaven as a reward
As Susan Blackmore suggests in The Meme Machine that altruism (along with
just about everything else) does not actually exist - it may be just the
by-product of a selfish meme.
Yours, the amused lurker
Jeremy
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