When the first reports came out of Norway about a bomb exploding in Oslo and then the shooting rampage at the youth camp on Utoya Island, I read quite a few assertions that it must be the work of Muslim terrorists. Norway is part of NATO and has forces in Afghanistan and Libya, so the early thinking was that "murderous" Muslims were trying to send a message.
Well, it looks like these initial reactions had part of the story correct -- the alleged gunman looks like he may well be a religious zealot. However, according to the LA Times, police believe he was a right-wing Christian!
This is not to suggest that all conservative Christians are murderers, but if we look at a lot of the religion-fueled violence in the US, more often than not, it is committed by fundamentalist followers of Jesus. So, while so much media attention is focused on sharia law and the threat of terrorism from radical Muslims, we too often overlook the violent crimes of radical Christians.
Taken a step further, the key factor here seems to be fundamentalism. Fundamentalists from ALL religions are the ones we need to be worried about. They are the ones who believe they have a direct pipeline to the Big Guy and that ONLY their way of viewing things is the correct way.
When you add this factor to individuals who are a bit unstable, you have created a volatile and, potentially, deadly mix. Something we have seen play out time and time again.
Well, it looks like these initial reactions had part of the story correct -- the alleged gunman looks like he may well be a religious zealot. However, according to the LA Times, police believe he was a right-wing Christian!
This is not to suggest that all conservative Christians are murderers, but if we look at a lot of the religion-fueled violence in the US, more often than not, it is committed by fundamentalist followers of Jesus. So, while so much media attention is focused on sharia law and the threat of terrorism from radical Muslims, we too often overlook the violent crimes of radical Christians.
Taken a step further, the key factor here seems to be fundamentalism. Fundamentalists from ALL religions are the ones we need to be worried about. They are the ones who believe they have a direct pipeline to the Big Guy and that ONLY their way of viewing things is the correct way.
When you add this factor to individuals who are a bit unstable, you have created a volatile and, potentially, deadly mix. Something we have seen play out time and time again.
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