X-Message-Number: 17559
From: "John de Rivaz" <>
References: <>
Subject: Terrorism as "God's work"
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 12:16:38 +0100

I am glad Mike Perry raised the "God's Work" issue.

The thought that someone could deliberately train for 5 years for an event
in which he sacrifices his own life for a cause is incredible. Rather than
military counterstrikes, where most of those killed would have had nothing
to do with it, I think that a long standing campaign using the entertainment
media subtlely to remove the concept of the "noble sacrifice" from the human
mind set would be a much more effective counter to suicide terrorism.

I was most moved by a British Moslem who publicly renounced her faith on the
British television casting aside some religious icon. I do not actually
think that Muslims are particularly to be singled out for this sort of
thing - most religions, such as Christianity, make a virtue of sacrifice.
The idea that anyone who sacrifices his life fighting for the cause
automatically goes to heaven
is one of the most destructive mind-viruses with which humanity is
contaminated. If it were possible to get all the major religious leaders to
withdraw religious services until people start behaving properly, it would
get the message across. It is quite absurd that the terrorists gave their
lives in service of god (as they put it) and yet the survivors and relatives
of victims turn to god in their sorrow.

I am also disturbed by the production of films such as "Air Force One"
turning such events into entertainment. I know the story of "Air Force One"
was fiction, but it must play its part in indoctrinating people into this
"sacrifice mode".



Sincerely, John de Rivaz:      http://www.deRivaz.com
my homepage links to Longevity Report, Fractal Report, music, Inventors'
report, an autobio and various other projects:
http://www.geocities.com/longevityrpt
http://www.autopsychoice.com - http://www.cryonics-europe.org -
http://www.porthtowan.com

From: Mike Perry <>
> Subject: Terrorism as "God's work"
>
> "Like the attacks led by Osama Bin Laden and Ramzi Ahmed Yousef in recent
> years, the horror we just witnessed was evidently motivated by crusading,
> messianic, fundamentalist religion, an unswerving conviction that to
> destroy America is to do God's work. Since this form of terrorism has no
> other political goal, there is no reason to imagine that world opinion can
> exercise any brake upon it. And since it didn't succeed in destroying
> America, we should expect that there will be more to come."
>
> Quoted from the website
> http://slate.msn.com/HistoryLesson/01-09-13/HistoryLesson.asp
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------

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