Divinity, US Marines, and Humanity

December 25, 2004

Dear Sir:

Mankind has suffered much and continues to suffer much from a disease called “divinity.” If we want a cure, we should only take the medicine called “humanity.”

Thanks for emailing me a photo of the U.S. Marines fervently praying to God in Iraq. Happily, the bible claims that: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:6. Unhappily, however, the same bible also admits: “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Rom. 3:10.

Abraham was willing to kill his son out of obedience to God. Fighting armies too are willing to obey the word of command without question to their Commander in Chief. The soldier who kills, the bomber pilot that destroys thousands of lives and properties in a minute are indeed heroes due to, if not because of, the principle of unquestioning obedience.

In child sacrifice, the father kills the child for the sake of obedience. In war, however, parents on both sides have an arrangement to kill each other’s sons and daughters for the sake of obedience.

I ask: who benefits from such horrors? Obviously not humanity. Only the church or synagogue or mosque officials in search for more glory on the one hand; and, on the other hand, the homicidal maniacs as heads of government in search for more power. But let’s not exclude the corrupt businessmen in search for more freedom to make more profit. Whatever the case may be, what prevails is not love of humanity, but only more hate and violence and war to please divinity.

Now let’s take a good look at the fighting armies on both side fervently praying to God for victory. The army that is victorious thanks God for the victory. The army that is defeated, however, continues to pray to God for vengeance. Thus, as soon as war is over, we lay the foundation of another. Indeed, there has yet to be a war to end all wars - the war against poverty – especially poverty of the worst kind: - poverty of the human mind and the poverty of the human heart.

Here is Bertrand Russell and I urge you readers to deeply reflect on what this great man simply wrote: “Many a man will have the courage to die gallantly in battle, but will not have the courage to say, or even to think, that the cause for which he is asked to die is an unworthy one.” Meanwhile . . . “Few men seem to realize how many of the evils from which we suffer are wholly unnecessary, and that they could be abolished by a united effort within a few years. If the majority of every civilized country so desired, we could, within twenty years, abolish all abject poverty, quite half the illness in the world, the whole economic slavery which binds down nine tenths of our population; we could fill the world with beauty and joy, and secure the reign of universal peace. It is only because men are apathetic that this is not achieved, only because imagination is sluggish, and what always has been is regarded as what always must be. With good-will, generosity, intelligence, these things could be brought about.” Poch Suzara, Chairman, Bertrand Russell Society, Philippines