A small Fiona rant concerning.... Religion

"Because we had burned the Koran, and the guy that was out there blasting us for doing the right thing, burning the Koran, showing its proper respect that it deserves, because its an idolatrous piece of trash. His wife died the next week and we picketed her funeral..... in part yes, thats the judgement of God falling on his head, he ought not to have ever opened his mouth and he ought to have been burning the Koran with us. Thats the righteous judgement of God and you can dispute that but you are on the wrong side of that."

I watched Louis Theroux's Most Hate Family in America tonight, about the Westboro Baptist Church in Texas and oh my god. Is that not the most offensive and disgusting rant you ever heard? Seriously, there are so many things wrong with that statement it wouldn't even know where to begin. And it came from the mouth of a young American woman who genuinely believes Barack Obama is the anti-Christ. 

Now lets not go getting ourselves confused, i am not religious in any way, in fact i have been known to be quite anti-religious. However, i do believe that everyone has the right to worship whoever they want in the privacy of there own homes, as long as they don't offend others or remove others liberties. But this sort of thing is just so wrong, and it just reminds me of everything that is wrong with religious across the world. Why things so based in generosity and kindness can invoke such extreme hate-rid and extremism is beyond me. 

These people regularly picket soldiers funerals and colleges. The whole show left me somewhere between intense anger, a desperate desire to laugh and completely speechless. I am very glad to Louis Theroux for making this show. And also i guess this is why i also love the BBC and quite happily pay my Licence Fee (or will quite happily pay it when i get a TV). If this had been made my anyone else it would have had to have been sensationalised or interspersed with images of dying soldiers. As it was, it didn't need sensationalising at all, it was just interesting, thought provoking and just a little bit scary to think there are, in 21st century America, people living who actually think all gay people are going to hell. And me to for living in sin. 

Ahh well, all the best people are in hell.....

(P.S. I feel i should mention Joni decided to follow up this by watching the first series of Rev, another amazing show about religion, from a totally different angle)