top of page
Search
Writer's pictureMurray Lewis Freeman
Jun 26, 2023

Religion is the root of all evil

I have been told on several occasions of late that my rants are inappropriate and that my language is insulting and disparaging.

By besmirching MKs and others, I am playing into their hands.

Valid points maybe, but when you look around and see the madness overtaking Israel, it is hard to stay silent.

Smotrich, Ben Gvir, and their posse of clowns believe that ‘nationalist terrorism’ is acceptable and that “The attempt to create an equivalency between murderous Arab terror to actions against civilians, which however serious they may be, is morally wrong and practically dangerous,” https://www.timesofisrael.com/far-right-ministers-reject-criticism-of-settler-attacks-on-palestinians-as-terror/


Netanyhua lapdog Shlomo Karhi, Israel’s communications minister, known for his inflammatory rhetoric, wrote the following: Where is Attorney General Baharav-Miara? Shin Bet chief Bar? Police Commissioner Shabtai?”. “The time has come to take the law seriously, open an investigation and stop the campaign of sedition by Ehud Barak and his friends.”

Karhi then notes that those convicted of “acts of sedition” can get five years in the slammer.

Netanyahu then shares a post by Shlomo Karhi suggesting Ehud Barak should be imprisoned. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/netanyahu-shares-post-by-likud-minister-suggesting-ehud-barak-should-be-imprisoned/

Pay attention Mr. Karhi. The Israel of June 2023 still allows free speech. The Israel of June 2023 demands that the truth be broadcast across the country and around the world.

You and your challenged bully boys want to imprison Barak, I trust you sufficient space to imprison all those Israels who look to rise-up and defeat this ultra-nationalist government.

If you want to imprison someone for ‘sedition’, look no further than your “glorious leader who by all accounts has lost the plot.



I doubt that Smotrich, Ben Gvir, and their posse of clowns, nor Deri, Gafni, or Goldknopf studied Latin or Greek.

It is only in recent years that I came to appreciate the impact that both these languages have had on both modern English and the many descriptive expression we use in our everyday conversation.

Take for example the Latin phrases: ‘Radix malorum est cupiditas’ or ‘Radix omnium malorum est cupiditas’.

Translated into modern English the two phrases mean "the root of evil is greed", or "the root of evil is want".

To paraphrase, something may have been lost in the transition from the original Greek.

The Greek text before translation to Latin reads ‘A root of all the evils is the fond love of money’.

A more idiomatic understanding of this phrase might be, ‘for every possible kind of evil can be motivated by the love of money’’.

Meaning, greed can lead to any number of different kinds of evils and not all evil is rooted in the love of money. In a more humanist light, it can denote the acts that greed makes men do, and also the want of survival that leads to ‘nationalist terrorism’.

Is that a long jump? I don’t think so. To me, it appears as a natural extension of the evil motivated by greed.

‘A root of all the evils is the fond love of money’ is today shortened to ‘The love of money is the root of all evil’ or ‘Money is the root of all evil’.

Religion is not the cause of earthquakes and asteroids.

But, most religions make a big point of separating believers from non-believers and labeling the latter as Sinners.

Abrahamic religions, with their self-defined ‘Jealous God’, are the worst in that respect. Every one of them, when it had secular power killed and tortured those who didn’t have the same beliefs.

Christians spent hundreds of years burning heretics and waging religious wars, and those in Africa still do that. And I don’t even have to tell you how Muslims treat unbelievers and apostates.

Good examples are the Balkans and Northern Ireland, where the people are very similar racially, but have religious feuds going back centuries based on which religion their ancestors converted to.

Religion also establishes the habit of believing implausible ideas based on ancient ignorant myths, which makes it easy for believers to reject the inconvenient truths of science, like evolution and global warming.

Religion is the killer of Free Thinking and of taking responsibility for one's actions. Religion is the perpetrator of false comfort.

Religion is simply a tool to control the masses. Somewhat akin to our modern media.

Put another way ‘Religion was created by man to enslave man’.

Religion employs repulsive procedures and methods of indoctrination against weak and susceptible people to control them.

And of course, the world's biggest source of hate is religion. Think about it!

Elimination of religion and its’ indoctrination is the key to our evolution.

John Winston Lennon implored us to:

Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion, too

Religion is a big evil.



I am a history buff.

At school, I devoured (modern) history. I still do whenever I have the opportunity.

The phrase “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

The quote, in various forms, was used by Winston Churchill, although the original is likely from the writer and philosopher George Santayana, and in its imaginative form read, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

The above lines came to mind recently when reading about the 1861 meeting between ‘Stonewall’ Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart, in the early days of the American Civil War.

At the time, Stuart was a highly regarded Confederate cavalry officer, and Jackson was a prominent Confederate general. The two men formed a close professional and personal relationship, and their collaboration proved significant in many subsequent battles and campaigns of the Civil War.

Thomas Jonathan Jackson, (Stonewall Jackson), earned his nickname during the First Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861. He commanded a brigade of Confederate troops who held their ground against Union forces, earning praise for their steadfastness. General Bernard Bee of the Confederacy reportedly exclaimed, "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall!" This nickname stuck with Jackson for the remainder of his short life. He died, aged 39 in May 1863, of pneumonia, a week after he was accidentally shot by troops under his command.

In the 1850s, James Ewell Brown (JEB) Stuart served in the U.S. Army as a cavalry officer. He was stationed at various locations, including Texas and Kansas, where conflicts with Native American tribes were ongoing. He gained valuable experience in scouting, reconnaissance, and other cavalry duties, which would prove beneficial in his later military career.

In 1857, he participated in U.S. military engagements against Indian tribes and was wounded during a mounted attack on the Cheyenne.

It is important to note that the Indian Wars during the 1850s were vast and complex conflicts that involved numerous military campaigns and engagements across different regions of the United States.

Stuart was born in February 1833 and died on May 12, 1864, just one year after his great friend Stonewall Jackson.

In the TV movie, Gods and Generals, the first meeting between Jackson and Stuart is shown. I have to assume that the meeting and the words spoken by each man are responsibly accurate and that not too much license has been taken.

Jackson informs Stuart that he is aware of the latter's military exploits, in particular, his experience in the Indian wars.

Stuart, perhaps surprised Jackson by giving credit to the Cheyenne and other native tribes for their tenacity, bravery, and fighting skills.

“They were fighting for their land, their heritage, and their way of life” concludes Stuart.

A profound statement.


So why have I given over much white space to Jackson and Stuart?

This past weekend, together with others, I spent time in the north of Israel. We visited the 1967 battle site at Tel Faher and heard about the sheer bravery of the IDF troops, spearheaded by the Golani 51st brigade, assigned to take the position, and the resistance from the entrenched Syrian troops.

Before visiting Tel Faher, we spent a pleasant couple of hours in the village of Ghajar (pronounced RA-zhar), on the Israel/Lebanon border, the only Israeli community of Alawites.

What an amazing experience.

“It is also notable as the only Israeli community of Alawites, a Syria-based ethnic minority best known as the group that the country’s dictatorial rulers for the past 52 years — current president Bashar Assad and his late father, Hafez — are descended from. Bilal Khatib, who is Ghajar’s accountant and spokesman, said Alawites tend to be secular people who value a person’s character and are respectful of other Muslim sects and different religions. Ghajar contains no mosques, since, except on holy days, people pray individually at home.”

“It’s a way of life,” Khatib said. “We respect people as people. Our religion is to be a good person, love everyone and hold no hatred against anyone, be they Druze, Jew, Christian, or Circassian.”

Maybe I am naive, but this a beautiful story that we can learn from and build on to reach a just agreement with the Palestine inhabitants of the West Bank, who, like the Cheyenne and other Native American tribes are looking to retain their land, their heritage, and their way of life by all and any means.

If the above thought is an act of sedition, then lock me up.

Are we in the early stages of a Third Intifada?

In all but name, it would appear so.

For Palestinians of the younger generations living in the West Bank, abounded by their government, and harassed by Israeli settlers, the combination provides the perfect motivation for an armed rebellion of their own.

Messers Smotrich, Ben Gvir, and their posse of clowns take note. While the IDF may succeed in winning the battle, crushing the Palestinian resistance, the chances of winning the war are nil.

That is obvious to anyone who is even mildly awake and living in the real world.

As Winston Churchill was fond of saying: ”Jaw, jaw, jaw is better than war, war, war”.

So yes, Staurt’s remarks to Jackson all those years ago, speak volumes concerning today’s ongoing struggle and land grab in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.




Winston Churchill, a hero of mine, and one of the reasons that I can write this rant is once again derided by the Woke wannabees.

Although it is unlikely they would concede the point, Smotrich, Ben Gvir, and their posse of clowns can thank the likes of Churchill for his stand against Nazi Germany.

“Anger of Winston Churchill's family as St Paul's Cathedral lambasts him as a 'white supremacist' in an online post about Britain's great wartime leader.”

“St Paul's Cathedral removed the highly derogatory descriptions only last week.

The post said Churchill was an 'unashamed imperialist and white supremacist'.”

The offensive description read:

Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965) "As Prime Minister during the Second World War, he led the country through incredibly challenging times, enabling a fight back against the Nazi occupation of Europe. He is also a figure of controversy, as he was an unashamed imperialist and white supremacist”.

Last Friday the last line was thankfully changed to read: 'He is also a figure of controversy, especially when viewed from a modern perspective.'



Churchill is in good company.

Ernest Hemingway, one of the giants of 20th-century literature, is now subject to his books being reviewed by the Woke Brigade, in case they offend the sensitivity of these poor unfortunates. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12232785/The-Old-Man-PC-Woke-warnings-language-attitudes-Ernest-Hemingway-books.html

When will it stop?

Comments

bottom of page