Sunday, March 22, 2020

Dogma and Heresy

One of the criticisms brought by the left since the 1980s of religious people is that they are supposedly dogmatic and intolerant, believing that their articles of faith, rather than being unproveable beliefs, are instead matters of undeniable truth and that anyone not accepting those beliefs must be destroyed. For 99% of religious people, this has always been a ludicrously unfair criticism. Sure, a handful of them are intolerant and hateful, but for the vast, vast majority, religion is a good thing that guides them to being better people.

Why discuss this now?

Ironically, the left has always emulated that 1% of intolerant and hateful "Christians" that they like to use as a smear toward all Christians. We see this all the time. Global warming, for example, is treated as a religion, not a science. Dissent and study is not allowed, only faith. But even more to the point, they take this faith as ULTIMATE UNDENIABLE TRUTH and they want the deniers destroyed. And Global warming is not alone. Most of their most cherished beliefs are essentially superstition and dogma with no proof whatsoever or dogma in the face of strong evidence to the contrary. And there's always insults and anger aimed at anyone who doesn't share the faith. Now we have the blessed Virus and whoa betide anyone who doesn't get on their knees and pray accordingly.

Indeed, as I glance through "news" cites, all I see are prophetic arguments telling things any rational person would know to be untrue. Just do the math and you will see that nothing the experts are selling is even credible. Yet, it's proclaimed as true and we are warned that you better believe it... or Virus will get us. Then, next to the "news" articles are article after article that reek of morality tales premised on the worst kind of mislogic. I'm talking about the constant string of hostage-like confessional videos where some person claims that they hath sinned by denying the Virus and now... oh now, the wrath of VIRUS has come down on them and they are lamenting their former foolishness! Repent now, brother. We have the mother cursing to the Gods that her child got sick when all you sinners told us children could not get sick!! (No on said that.) We have hate-filled tirades aimed at "deniers" and the selfish!! Let us hope Virus gets you! We have wrath articles. Did you know that sinner Harvey Weinstein has been brought low by Virus? Of course he has because Virus is good and it metes out justice. All praise the wisdom of Virus. And don't worry about feeling bad about wishing ill on other people because all duties of humanity are waived when it comes to heretics. Destroy their stores. Curse them out. Wish them death. You are on the right side of Virus, it is no sin to hate in the name of Virus.

I look at liberals and I see the sickness that lurks deep inside humanity. I see how jealous haters could lead a community to burn witches, how jealous true-believers could lead a rational, civilized people to round up and kill six million Jews. I see how easy it was to work for the Stasi, to name the enemies of the state and send them to the gulag and to murder an untold number of Chinese neighbors because. they. didn't. believe. like. I. do. Right now, liberals are acting like their worst caricature of the "Religious Right" and then some. They are acting in ways that would make people scream "fake" if you put it in a book. And the irony is that they think they are hating in the name of science and rational behavior. They think their hate is pure and good. They're even writing articles now about why hoarding is a blessed act... despite the fact it's irrational conduct that hurts other innocent people and leaves the sick and vulnerable even more sick and vulnerable. F*ck thy neighbor. The Virus wants it that way.

Times like these are the moments that have slowly taught me that there is something fundamentally wrong with liberals. As humans, they know the right words to speak to name the virtues, but they are creatures of pure wretchedness. Their economic philosophy is premised on spite and envy. Their humanity is tribal. Their belief in science is superstition and magic. Their tolerance of genuine diversity is as xenophobic as the worst supremacist. Their compassion is theft mixed with hate. They are bad people.

Unfortunately, history has shown that they are incapable of self-reflection. They justify their own sins with blindness and hypocrisy worse than the worse alcoholic. And in the rare occasion where they admit that something went wrong, they blame the ephemeral human nature or a small group of leaders or they project their crapulence on their enemies, as they will do this time too. This Virus makes me sad because it again exposes the evil that lurks in human souls. I wish some liberal leader would step up and hold up a mirror to all of this. But that's not happening.

In good news, the grocery shortages seem to be abating here. Yay capitalism.

13 comments:

drjim said...

Wow, way to call it!

The liberals embrace the worst aspects of humanity; hate, envy, greed, hubris, and all the rest.

They are truly troubling in their "beliefs".

AndrewPrice said...

Hi drjim, That's how I see. I think it's despicable. And as you say, it's the worst aspects of humanity adopted with a genuine smugness.

tryanmax said...

I've heard it said about Sam Harris, but I think it applies broadly to all anti-religious types (which I might point out, includes a certain vein of religious reformers; "Jesus was queer, trans, had an abortion"), that the reason for their fear of religion is that they recognize in themselves a tendency toward fundamentalism. That must be why, when they look at religion, they can only see the rabidly Stephen-King-esque fundamentalist 1%. Because they know, if their life had gone a little differently, they'd be leading the next Westboro. (It's no accident that some of them wind up declaring Jihad on America, since Islam is a beautiful tradition and not some weirdo religion.)

Yet, at the same time, they are so full of hate, they fail to notice that the things that corrupt religion are the same things that corrupt everything, including themselves. They see the trappings and overlook the substance. And when they spontaneously start adopting the same trappings—group chants, restricted diets, special clothes, arcane rituals—they scoff and tell you it's different.

Say what you will about Nietzsche, at least he didn't want to be right.

AndrewPrice said...

I went to see my doctor this morning and I asked some questions about the virus. I figured I would pass his answers on because what you find online is totally contradictory.

1. It takes about 4 days for symptoms to show.
2. It starts with a cough and fever (above 100.4).
3. You will get better after a few days.
4. But then, at the 7 day mark is when it strikes. You either keep getting better and you will be fine, or it hits your lungs and you struggle to breathe.

If that happens, go to the hospital because you may need a ventilator. Up until that point though, treat it at home like the flu with fluids, rest and Tylenol for fever. The use of ibuprofen is considered controversial and some believe it can make it worse.

If you have it, isolate yourself for at least 14 days and at least 3 days after all the symptoms are gone.

AndrewPrice said...

tryanmax, I think there is something to that. You often hear liberals confess their evil thoughts or whatever as they project their issues onto other people... "I know the world is racist because I've had to learn to overcome those feelings." The idea that the rest of us never had those thoughts escapes them.

tryanmax said...

Thanks for the info from your doc. That tracks with what the least hair-on-fire people are saying about this thing.

Tennessee Jed said...

I am pretty frickin’ mad at Lady Nancy of Botoxshire and the way that party is politicking like mad. Saw an article where majority whip was saying use the crisis to reshape the country to their liking. May the dung of 1,000 camels besmirch their beds

Tennessee Jed said...

I appreciate advice from your doc. As I may have mentioned, I would be a so-called “high risk” patient with C.O.P. D., And Crohn’s disease, over 70 years in age, and taking two biological anti-immune suppressants. As such, if I got those symptoms, I would immediately call my doc. And suspect he would admit unless we get to a point where there are virtually no available beds locally. In East Tennessee, we have yet to see much of an outbreak at all. It doesn’t mean we won’t but I expect it will be a “hot spot” kind of thing

AndrewPrice said...

tryanmax, He's very smart, always well informed, never sugar coats anything, but isn't an alarmist either. So I absolutely trust him. I thought it might be helpful to pass that on.

AndrewPrice said...

Jed, Your mileage may vary. I thought it was helpful to get an informed perspective on the symptoms, the course of the disease, and when to see a doctor. Those are all things the internet has gummed up badly.

Obviously, it may be different in your case. One thing that may be important to you though is that they are apparently very big on wanting to know if you have been in contact with someone who has it. If you haven't they won't test you for it and the hospitals apparently won't let you stay unless you are in true distress -- our ER parking lot is actually rather empty. So consider that if you do go. To put a fine point on it, it might help to say that you have been near someone (maybe at an office or something).

The Dems are really pissing me off. They told Biden to attack just because Trump is handling this well. The left pundit class is trying to stir confusion... in a national emergency. And now the Dems are standing in the way of a huge aid package. I actually think they will pay for this, for once, because the package (1) is similar to what they always demand so standing in the way makes no sense, and (2) had become an expectation rather than a hope, so people are now confused and angry.

I think the media senses this as they are struggling to find ways to avoid saying that the Dems are blocking this. I love how many leftist websites are vaguely referring to "the Senate" blocking the package.

I think this is a huge mistake by them.

ArgentGale said...

I've noticed the same things myself, Andrew. They may scorn religion yet all they've done is picked up a secular form of it, frequently using politics as a substitute for it. The appeal of it does make sense for a certain set of people who believe that now is all you get, especially when it comes to the need to control others. Faith's always been one of the hardest things for me to handle so I don't know how much I can contribute there but it's clear humans do need some form of religion.

Thanks for the notes from your doctor, too, which to echo the others is about what I'm hearing from people who aren't freaked out about this. And for their part the Democrats sending more clowns to the show and being completely unashamed of their intention to not let this crisis go to waste is absolutely disgusting and I hope that it backfires on them hard. Still, it makes the political and economic freaking out I'm seeing in other places on the right more understandable and I hope your read on the public and how they're willing to push back once this officially blows over is correct, Andrew. It's getting hard to keep sane these days. Also, check your e-mail.

tryanmax said...

Hey, everybody. You should rummage through any weird chemicals you have laying around for anything with chlorosomething in it. If you drink it, it’ll keep you from contacting COVID (because you’ll die). Dr. President MD DO DDS esq said so. I heard it on the comedy show that follows the news.

AndrewPrice said...

Whoops, 61% of the public approves of Trump's handling of the virus. That grinding noise you hear in the distance is the great gnashing of teeth on the left.

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