Religion and AE
It’s Sunday night and that always puts AEman into an introspective, reflective, spiritual frame of mind. Well, no it doesn’t. But let’s just say for the sake of argument it did this time. Religion’s been in the news a heck of a lot lately, and usually for not very life-affirming reasons. AEman assumes most of his readers keep themselves up to speed on current events including the ways religion and in particular, religious fundamentalism is shaping our world. It plays such as large part in the geopolitical scene, it would be obscene to ignore it now.
Really, religion and AE break down into another supply and demand exercise. Why don’t we unpack it, just for giggles? To the extent religion gets extreme, or fundamental if you will, it’s about making life on Earth suck so bad that one can’t wait to get to the afterlife.
You know, like orthodox Jews not being able to enjoy the bacon in eggs and bacon, like devout Christians feeling bashful and guilty on the beach in Nice, like Islam’s five prayer calls a day giving way to the 70 or so perpetually renewing virgins. Not sure what that does for Islamic women, unless in their minds' eyes they see their reward coming from Chippendales. But it does seem to have captured the imaginations of many young male Muslims. Side bar - lexicographers have recently discovered what may have been a whopper of a mistake: the original textual precursor to the Koran appears to have said “raisins” not “virgins”. Imagine the surprise of the car bomber thusly rewarded! I mean, raisons are good for you … and they can be so plump and juicy … but AEman does digress …
On the demand side, if the globe went fundamental overnight it would be an energy demand godsend (well, except for the gas-guzzling, monster-home-building, spare no expense Christian fundamentalists in the good ole USA). Almost immediately, one could expect sales to shift thusly:
- In -- prayer mats, robes, beard grooming accessories, and certain very select books;
- Out -- most air conditioning, SUVs (and for that matter most cars), jet skis, HDTV plasma, surround sound home theater systems, etc.
Christian fundies are another case altogether, though. They get to have their afterlife cake in heaven and eat well on Earth too. Their white-gowned, shuffleboard-centric afterlives are a tad more staid than you-know-who’s perpetually renewing you-know-what’s. So they have to give prizes in the present, and that means a life replete with huge homes, aircraft carrier-sized cars and when financially feasible, SubZero appliances.
Enough of that wretched excess, let’s get on to supply, where excess is not such a problem. AE’s going to come on strong because of science, innovation and the nads it will take to pull us decisively out of the status-quo malaise in which we currently wallow. Count now, wilt thou, the number of very religious folk leading the AE charge in the scientific community. Finished? In fact, it seems likely that religion and the very religious may play almost no role in leading the charge, though it is hoped that the merely somewhat religious will not hinder the good work that must be done soon. If God made the Earth and we humans too, surely he doesn’t want us to ruin it and kill ourselves. I mean, that’s His prerogative, right? AEman signs out now saying He’ll be pissed if we steal his thunder, and pleased if we help sustain our world for many future generations to follow. I know, I know, this is heresy. G’night.
posted by Andy Bochman at 10:59 PM
 
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