Daily Meditation: Saturday, November 26, 2005

Fanaticism - its aberrations

11/26/2005

Over the course of history, not only has religion brought about all sorts of atrocities, but those who carried them out were convinced they were doing their duty. To imprison, massacre and burn ‘heretics’ and ‘infidels’ without any consideration for their humanity was to demonstrate their faith. And some of them were even persuaded that in doing so they were acting out of love for their fellow men: by condemning them to be burned at the stake, they were saving them from the fires of Hell, from eternal damnation. The aberrations fanaticism can produce in the minds of some are extraordinary! And God, of course, would reward them! But did they first ask him if he condoned the massacre of his creatures? This is the first question to be asked of all those who, even in our epoch, claim to be ‘soldiers of the faith’ and think of themselves as instruments of the divine will: has God sent them to earth to massacre their fellow creatures in his name?