britexpat76

And it's not of the usual suspects.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01swd7g

Awful, truly awful.

Kix

Uneducated scumbags that were/are brainwashed by religious zealots - from the original (white) missionaries onwards.

It's the same in every religion.

Religion is the opiate of the people.

britexpat76

It is the way they are using religion to throw their own children they cannot afford onto the streets. The 2 babies burnt was horrific.

Quite possible one of the worst things I have had the misfortune to watch.

Kix

Surely you've seen the video of those three people getting burned to death in some other african state as they were witches. Poor people are just sat there on fire with locals beating them with sticks while the police watch.

Truly disturbing. Drop a bomb on the lot of them, then re-colonise and bring a proper civilised society to the lands.

Ethos83

Substitute culture for religion and you're probably closer to the truth.

When was the last time the CoE burnt babies?

The irony of your statement is that the Christian missionaries who went to Africa in the 19th and 20th century went there largely to combat these types of practices which have tribal superstitious roots going back forever, certainly dating well before the arrival of established religions. A great book about the conflict between local cultures and Christian missionaries is Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, in which the missionaries were rescuing twin babies abandoned in the jungles (seen as evil spirits by local tribes).

What you often find in parts of Africa is that many of the converts adapted elements of Christianity while keeping elements of their older tribal religions and cultural traditions. They may call themselves Christians (or Muslims) but their reality is very different from the established Christianity in the western world.

Just to play the devil's advocate, would you agree that the cold pragmatism of the rationality behind the secular mindset is also an opiate in its own way? It certainly allows us (including me) to remain detached from sufferings and horrors elsewhere.

Gordon Barlow

"Drop a bomb on the lot of them" is not the most humane way to bring civilisation to anybody. Let's face it: we in the West do much the same thing as those savages are doing when we send NATO drones to blow up villages in the Middle East. A lot of children die in agony when that happens. We had best wash the blood off our own hands before we get too indignant about the blood on others' hands. Do unto others, and all that...

mikewot

NATO? Are you sure? I like the emotive touch with children dying in agony. You obviously don't have the faintest idea just how careful Allied Forces are when targetting and the imperative to reduce collateral damage to the absolute minimum.

Millhouse

It's not seen that way though is it?

And minimum isn't zero - collateral damage is a nice phrase to cover the reality: killing innocent bystanders.

mikewot

And your point is? If the technology existed to target individuals without any horrid things happening to bystanders it would be used. Think back to the thousand bombers raids in WW2 to hit one factory in comparison to the laser targetting used in the Gulf Wars. We're getting much better at killing only what we want to kill, but we're not quite there yet.

Millhouse

My point is that when you kill innocent bystanders by dropping stuff from the skies the political support (in both countries) for your efforts falls dramatically. Hearts and Minds is how you win a war - you know that.

Norm_uk

Except Jainism - the more extreme they become the safer the world is. Even insects get a break.

Some religions are clearly worse than others.

N.

scrubbedexpat141

Problem with religion is; witch do you choose?

britexpat76

That depends on where you are born and your parents. Most people with religion have had no choice in the matter.

That is the worst thing about it.

scrubbedexpat141

You ruined my joke.

Bastard!

mikewot

As I said before thousand bomber raids versus laser targetted bombing, not perfect but getting better. And remember the American saying from Vietnam "When you've got them by the balls their hearts and minds will follow"