Taqwacore trailer, Punk Rock & Religion: A Thread of Thoughts open to all who have them

The following is my response to another thread dealing with religion, hate and punk rock. Inspired by this new movement depicted in Taqwacore.

Eric Wong:
I'm not on board with group interpretations of any dogma. Be it religion, culture or government. Which is why I gravitated towards punk back in A day. It was a movement of dissent (what I thought at the time) that had no ONE position, rejected indoctrination and socialization. A kind of responsible and self governing momentum by a gathering of individuals. In reflection, this interpretation was highly idealized. However, it was in my opinion, far more productive that the class based, drug induced, hypocritical hippie love movement. Now, left wing partisan Democrats with real nice cars and art collections. Feeling comfortably green while identifying with the peasant under class and sad little minorities.

The Muslim religion is deeply intertwined within various cultures. So much so, one could say they are one in the same. As the dogma is so entrenched in every aspect of their daily lives. To question Islam in such a way would seem truly liberating! As a punk mutation totally appropriate!

Especially in these times! When the enemy is perceived to be "the conservatives" or "liberals". Token, complacent bullSHIT. What we have in the West (especially the U.S.) is far from enlightened protest or rebellion! But two sides competing for power and righteous oppression. Two, opposing football teams fighting simply for the sake of winning. Nothing else!

That's my only concern with this new punk thing. Is the underlying intention fueled by hate? Fascists come in many shades and forms. I'll have to watch this in its entirety!

In terms of religion advocating violence and oppression. They do have this delusional misinterpretation in common. But the dogma itself prominently shares a message of love and submission. Quite the opposite! A true fundamentalist Christian, Muslim or Jew would view such mislead interpretations as worldly things. That Separate us all from each other and from God. I just avoid organized groups, stay away from lit windows at night, lock my door and close my mind. Until its time for the two minute warning...or we discover an antidote.


Anonymous:

But that is just the problem....the hate is not a misinterpretation. It is a literal interpretation. The holy books teach hate.http://cobourgatheist.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=145%3Athe-quran-and-bible-are-hate-literature&catid=156%3Awhat-are-religions-really-about&Itemid=72

http://freethoughtperspective.net/?p=3528


Eric Wong:
No god ever was
We are above all animals
To earth will we die
-Peter Wahl

"Atheists hate religion."
An easy interpretation or misinterpretation.
One can just say that, develop it into a doctrine and then organize a group around it.
Thou who hates what I believe must be condemned.
It is so simple and sadly, so very common to slap literal interpretations upon the face of allegorical narratives.

Strangely, the authors in this rant have a great deal in common with a number of Muslims and Christians. In their partial extraction of these texts to validate, persuade and re-contextualize them. For the sake of political and social ambition. The Old Testament is like butter for hot potatoes! Christians and apparently atheists alike always seem to gravitate to the Old Testament. To either rationalize war and judgement, or to cry victim to it. All in the name of God. I actually know of certain individuals that spent a great deal of time contemplating the differences between the words "kill" and "murder". Their conclusion was that one was righteous and the other evil. This person was a spiritual leader...

I'm just saying! You have to get them in the head or they will just keep coming! Turn you into one of them!




Anonymous:
Okay....huh? There is no god....just the our over active imaginations and overwhelming fear of death.

Hate what? Reality? If there was an all powerful and all knowing god that allowed evil and death and rape and war and terrorism and child molestation and genocide and disease and natural disasters he/she/it would be by far the most evil and frightening tyrant in all existence. How horrible that would be. I'd rather worship Hitler or Pol Pot.

Anonymous:
I don't mind.



Eric Wong:
Free will and I don't mind either.

“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.” ― Jean-Paul Sartre

All the atrocities of which you speak are very human. Like the reality we have fabricated for ourselves. Man's greatest strength is to take something beautiful and then fuck it up. Real bad like...