“A mother and father whipped their 19-year-old son to death with an electrical cord during an all-night spiritual counseling session triggered by his desire to leave their church, a New York court has heard.
Lucas Leonard was subjected to a 12-hour ordeal by his parents, sister and fellow church members at the Word of Life Christian church in New Hartford, New York, on Sunday, police and witnesses alleged.
His 17-year-old brother Christopher was also beaten and was admitted to hospital in a serious condition. See full story:”
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/17/new-york-church-beating-teen-whipped-word-of-life
An antidote is needed before we discuss the above story. See:
Given no other solution, how many people would stay with a family member without food and shelter for six days?
Back to the Christians. What is it about religion? Europe was plagued with one religious war or another for more than a thousand years. Richard the Lion Hearted waged war with Muslims for no historically relevant reason. Jews and Arabs have attacked one another since before recorded history and continue to this very day. Now, terrorists, presuming instruction from the Quran, roam the world seeking mindless destruction. Muslims fight Muslims between Sunni and Shia. Even among the ‘civilized’ Roman Catholics and Protestants, there is an obvious competition. During the last half of the 17th century, Massachusetts Puritans split open the noses of Quakers and cut off their ears – just because they were Quakers.
As it is with our 33rd cousin the chimpanzee, Homo sapiens likes to mix it up every once in a while for some materialistic cause – worthy or not. Chimpanzees don’t have religion. Humans developed religion to explain the unknowable universe; religion is based on having respect and love and compassion. Yet, as a single cause, religion has started more wars than any other cause. What is it about religion that two boys will be beaten by their parents for twelve hours until one dies and the other is in serious condition? What happened to the two Great Commandments, the Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments?
Mariner certainly doesn’t understand. He notes, however, that when Christians leave their New Testament to roam around in the Jewish Old Testament, something strange happens.
He gives us all his love
He gives us all his love
He’s smiling down on us from up above
And he’s giving us all his love
Lyrics by Randy Newman, from Cold Turkey, written and directed by Norman Lear (1971).
Ancient Mariner