[New-imc] [www-features] Proposal: Religion: The Good, the bad, and the ugly

[Petros Evdokas]

wowi at grepgrrl.org wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> I was asked by another radical to propose this article/discussion on
> Ireland Indymedia for a global feature..
> 
> http://www.indymedia.ie/article/86338
> 
> 
> thoughts?
> 
> wowi.

Thank you Wowi.

Friends,
The idea is a good one; IndyMedia has shyed away from dealing with real 
politics for years: touching on issues of spirituality, religion, 
authority, social stucture, personal, social and spiritual liberation is 
essential for any organization such as ours. If we claim to be involved 
with the "stuff of life" - politics, liberation, examination of 
ideologies, behaviours and structures - we *must* address those issues.

For that reason, I would oppose publishing the proposed article on the 
global page as a Feature.

The article is blinded by dogma and refuses to show that many other more 
complex views and practices exist. The article does something that every 
journalist should be ashamed of: it misrepresents those it supposedly 
defends (for example "socialism, "materialism", "science", and 
"anarchism") *and* it misrepresents the elements it is opposed to 
(religion).

It is shallow, it presents distorted views, it omits several important 
approaches to the presentation. Worst of all, instead of building trust 
and bridges of understanding, communication and love with potential 
allies in order to expand and deepen the alternative~radical community, 
it insults and offends our people. Entire communities are being slammed 
and degraded by the article's approach.

Please reconsider: we *must* begin to addres these issues, but we must 
do so with care, with love, with the intention of building up the 
revolutionary potential of self-organized communities. And with the 
intent to avoid injury to potential friends and allies.

The article's author consciously denies the existence and the 
significance of millions of people who are involved in the revolutionary 
branches of Liberation Theology within christianity; millions involved 
in the independent branches of Sufi Islam (esoteric autonomous 
spirituality-based practices); millions who, within the US and Europe 
(where IndyMedia is primarily limited), are involved with 
Goddess-oriented spirituality; Do-It-Yourself religion such as the 
Universal Life Church; Nature-based spirituality and Wicca; Love and 
Devotion-oriented practices such as Tantra, Karma and Bhakti paths, 
especially in the cities of the West; paths of spirituality such as The 
Tao and Zen; Entheogen and Cannabis-based practices in both the Old 
World and the New World ...all these, millions of people and a myriad of 
paths to the Divine are made invisible, ridiculed by ommission and 
"invalidated" by the authors' dogmatic approach.

IndyMedia should not be promoting one dogmatic version of someone's 
religion (disguised as a critique of religion). Instead, we must promote 
the aspects of spiritual paths, techniques, lifestyles and ideologies 
that serve and promote global personal, social and spiritual Liberation 
through active involvement in the Movement.

Please do not publish this article as a Feature. Let's find or create 
something better.

Thanks,
Petros
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