"Hell is Real!!!"
“Hell is Real!!!”
“Don’t tell me there’s no hell! The hell there isn’t! 97% of theologians agree. It’s in the bible, and the bible doesn’t lie! Billions will die and burn!”
“Don’t tell me global warming isn’t real! The hell it isn’t! 97% of scientists agree that hell...uh….I mean, global warming is real. Billions will burn and die!”
"Why do we humans behave this way? Because we’re insane?"
Seems likely.
Here’s how it works: hell is in the bible. So they tell me. For some people, this means that if hell isn’t real, the bible isn’t real. What then? That’s their personal dilemma, which is a very human dilemma. The answer to this quandary can mean only one thing, that hell must be real. Better that billions and billions of humans die and burn for all eternity than be wrong. And, besides, 97% of theologians agree, even if nothing could be further from the truth.
If you think this is merely a phenomenon of religion, think again.
A recent scientific study stated that rising ocean temperatures, due to global warming, aka climate change, had been overstated by 60%, give or take. This little artifact got buried by the media. In response, theologians….I mean scientists, began throwing around theories about why their prophecies...uh...predictions, might’ve been wrong. But, nonetheless, were still true. “So keep that cash coming….keep those offerings...I mean, keep those corporate grants coming. OK! And don’t you dare say that global warming isn’t real...you heretics! I care about the earth. I care about all living species. I care! I care! I care!”
The news media love global warming for the same reason. Catastrophe is good for business. If it bleeds, it leads. And nothing bleeds like the end of the world. Plus, let’s not forget, they care.
Then, there are the true believers, who aren’t motivated by science grants or fame and fortune. Like all true believers, they’re invested in a particular idea. In this case, the religion of global warming, including any alternative explanation of the data that might cast doubt on their faith.
Personal bias is a powerful elixir, where self-interest and emotional well-being unite to defend the realm within our heads, from the demons of self-doubt. It’s what a savvy lawyer does when picking a jury—stack the jury with people who will identify with your client—and, then, hopefully, find them innocent. Because lawyers love justice. Plus, wealth and prestige. Oh! Yeah...and they care.
This what any good salesperson does. It’s what politicians do. It’s what we humans do, just about any time anyone challenges our deep convictions. If we benefit, whether emotionally or financially, the outcome tends to be the same, we fight tooth and claw to preserve the world between our ears. Such is the nature of any deeply personalized ideology. It’s also why the first task of all genuine devils is to muddy the water. This is what devils do, whenever we humans come to the realization that devils, most certainly, are real.
Racism is another issue which elicits a similar response. Watch as college professors and their students rage against racism, seeing it everywhere, in every statistic, in every headline. For them, racism is alive and well, and thriving in America. And, if America is too small a landscape for their evangelical race-based fervor, they joyfully declare the whole world to be in desperate need of their racialized version of salvation.
Try this little experiment: tell them that racism in the real world, bears no resemblance to the apocalyptic racial vision in their heads. In response, they will likely hate you, vilify, even kill you, in an effort to quell your heresy. “Racism must be alive and well! If not...what is my purpose?” they shout. Like the global warming alarmist, or the Evangelical awash in their doctrinal fervor, racism creates the moral certitude that under-girds their existence. Without it, their world is meaningless.
I guess it’s better that we all burn than to have to deal with that.
Mark Magula
“Don’t tell me there’s no hell! The hell there isn’t! 97% of theologians agree. It’s in the bible, and the bible doesn’t lie! Billions will die and burn!”
“Don’t tell me global warming isn’t real! The hell it isn’t! 97% of scientists agree that hell...uh….I mean, global warming is real. Billions will burn and die!”
"Why do we humans behave this way? Because we’re insane?"
Seems likely.
Here’s how it works: hell is in the bible. So they tell me. For some people, this means that if hell isn’t real, the bible isn’t real. What then? That’s their personal dilemma, which is a very human dilemma. The answer to this quandary can mean only one thing, that hell must be real. Better that billions and billions of humans die and burn for all eternity than be wrong. And, besides, 97% of theologians agree, even if nothing could be further from the truth.
If you think this is merely a phenomenon of religion, think again.
A recent scientific study stated that rising ocean temperatures, due to global warming, aka climate change, had been overstated by 60%, give or take. This little artifact got buried by the media. In response, theologians….I mean scientists, began throwing around theories about why their prophecies...uh...predictions, might’ve been wrong. But, nonetheless, were still true. “So keep that cash coming….keep those offerings...I mean, keep those corporate grants coming. OK! And don’t you dare say that global warming isn’t real...you heretics! I care about the earth. I care about all living species. I care! I care! I care!”
The news media love global warming for the same reason. Catastrophe is good for business. If it bleeds, it leads. And nothing bleeds like the end of the world. Plus, let’s not forget, they care.
Then, there are the true believers, who aren’t motivated by science grants or fame and fortune. Like all true believers, they’re invested in a particular idea. In this case, the religion of global warming, including any alternative explanation of the data that might cast doubt on their faith.
Personal bias is a powerful elixir, where self-interest and emotional well-being unite to defend the realm within our heads, from the demons of self-doubt. It’s what a savvy lawyer does when picking a jury—stack the jury with people who will identify with your client—and, then, hopefully, find them innocent. Because lawyers love justice. Plus, wealth and prestige. Oh! Yeah...and they care.
This what any good salesperson does. It’s what politicians do. It’s what we humans do, just about any time anyone challenges our deep convictions. If we benefit, whether emotionally or financially, the outcome tends to be the same, we fight tooth and claw to preserve the world between our ears. Such is the nature of any deeply personalized ideology. It’s also why the first task of all genuine devils is to muddy the water. This is what devils do, whenever we humans come to the realization that devils, most certainly, are real.
Racism is another issue which elicits a similar response. Watch as college professors and their students rage against racism, seeing it everywhere, in every statistic, in every headline. For them, racism is alive and well, and thriving in America. And, if America is too small a landscape for their evangelical race-based fervor, they joyfully declare the whole world to be in desperate need of their racialized version of salvation.
Try this little experiment: tell them that racism in the real world, bears no resemblance to the apocalyptic racial vision in their heads. In response, they will likely hate you, vilify, even kill you, in an effort to quell your heresy. “Racism must be alive and well! If not...what is my purpose?” they shout. Like the global warming alarmist, or the Evangelical awash in their doctrinal fervor, racism creates the moral certitude that under-girds their existence. Without it, their world is meaningless.
I guess it’s better that we all burn than to have to deal with that.
Mark Magula