It's a term I just heard. Fairly obviously it came from a religious conservative, and got me wondering what exactly that meant. Obviously a secular extremist would be the opposite of a religious extremist. I started thinking about what this would mean and came up with the following items:
Religious extremists like to picket outside of concert venues, theaters and funerals. Secular exremists must therefore like to hold the door for you, and pass you a tissue when you get all weepy.
Religious extremists often cite their own religious texts as the answer to any question. Secular extremists would therefore have to quote a secular book. Like Dr. Seuss, or a scientific journal.
Religious extremists use torture to get people to convert to their religious beliefs. Secular extremists would therefore offer you a comforting foot massage and beverage.
Religious extremists use cars and planes to blow things up. Like shopping malls, or skyscrapers. Secular extremists would apparently drive to these same buildings, and just park in the parking lot making sure not to dent the car next to them. Or better yet, walk so that if they get into an accident on the way there, there's less chance of an explosion.
Religious extremists like to wear lots of uncomfortable clothing. Secular extremists seem to favor sweat pants and thongs.
Religious extremists have a long history of sexual inequality and mysogeny. Secular extremists are more likely to try the "reverse cowboy", and have female co-workers.
Religious extremists tend engage in activities that necessitate hiding in caves so the authorities don't know where they are. Those of a secular extremist nature would live with some friends, and throw parties of such magnitude that the authorities in the next county over would know where they lived.
Religious extremists tend to avoid alcohol and other recreational drugs. Secular extremists understand the phrase "puff puff give".
Religious extremists tend to believe very odd things, even when compared to others of a more moderate version of their own faith. It only stands to reason that secular extremists would have to see some proof before they accepted the kool-aid.
Religious extremists have a tendency to seperate people of different genders, even going so far as to shield the groups from each others sights, while villifying homosexuality. Secular extremists wonder if the cutie over there is going to hit on them or their signifigant other, and are equally comfortable with either possibility.
Religious extremists bomb clinics and shoot doctors. Secular extremists pick up doctors from the clinic and buy them an "Irish car bomb" at the bar. (Jameson and Guinness where I'm from. but recipes vary)
Religious extremists will denounce a piece of fiction as being heretical and hold demonstrations before the piece is even open to public view. Secular extremists will buy their date popcorn.
Religious extremists want world piece in the name of their lord and are willing to kill for it. Secular extremists will be happy with a world wide cease fire in the name of well... anybody really. I hear Ari Fleisher is looking for work...
Religious extremists adorn their bodies with cool symbols of their beliefs. Secular extremists adorn their bodies with tatoos in Japanese becasue they believe it looks cool.
Religious extremists give their wealth to organized religious groups. Secular extremists give some change for the guy on the corner who was turned away by a religious charity.
Religious conservatives like to talk about how much they love their deity of choice and should rejoice in it's creation. Secualr extremists are too busy rejoicing to talk about it.
Others?
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4 comments:
Oh Kris, you do come up with the most interesting of topics. I liked it. :-)
Like most liberals you don't get it or just don't want to. Secular extremism would't be the opposite of religious extremism it would mean persons who held secular rather than religious view points and did extreme things. There isn't enough room here to post those secular view points so I will give you a short list of people who share secular extremists view points. #01. Joseph Stalin #02 Mao Tse tung #03 Pol Pot #04 Fidel Castro #05 let us not forget old Adolf. I think maybe you get the point they they were all "SECULAR EXTREMISTS". And they murdered more humans than all the religions combined.
Quick response:
#1 Stalin was an atheist, however it seemed to be more of an attempt at consolidation of power by replacing religious institutions with himself.
#2 Mao was following Stalin's example (And since Stalin was a main source of support this is understandable)
#3 Pol Pot was a monk. He then followed along the lines of Stalin and Mao. In other words, atheism was not an end result, but a method used to solidify power.
#4 Adolf was obsessed with the supernatural and without a "higher power" such as a god, it is impossible for a given race to be "chosen".
Yes, all four of them were responsible for heinous crimes against other people, but in all cases it was as part of a rise to power. Clearly from this post I am not concerning myself with powermongering meglomaniacs. Instead the actions of the "common" membership.
However you may wish to compare the individuals mentioned to Torquemada, Henry the VIII, any of the kings and Popes from the crusades, Saladin, Xerxes, etc.
The methods of those seeking power are filled with bloodshed, regardless of the basis for an individuals justification for holding that power.
Like most conservatives, in order to make their point, the previous poster pulled some examples out of context and misrepresented them. Better examples would have been the actions of groups such as Greenpeace, Earth First, PETA...
I like this a lot. I just shared it. Why don't you update it?
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