Para teroris mempraktekkan apa yang kita ajarkan

Setiap kali ada ledakan bom, para pemuka agama menjadi sangat sibuk. Mulai dari menjadi narasumber di televisi sampai seminar-seminar. Mulai dari himbauan di mesjid, gereja dan vihara sampai bikin buku. Mulai dari mengutuk serangan bom sampai membela diri bahwa agama tidak mengajarkan kekerasan dalam bentuk apapun.

Apa benar agama tidak punya kontribusi terhadap segala bentuk kekerasan termasuk terorisme? mengapa para pemuka agama selalu merasa membela agama mereka walaupun tidak ada orang yang secara implisit mengatakan bahwa agama mendukung kekerasan?
Saya kira umat beragama harus berani jujur mengatakan bahwa agama memang menyumbangkan bahan bakar yang cukup besar untuk kekerasan.

Agama-agama Semit seperti Kristen, Yahudi, Islam yang punya klaim ketuhanan yang kuat punya unsur kekerasan yang kuat bahkan dalam kitab-kitab suci mereka. Dalam Perjanjian Lama agama Kristen dan Katholik misalnya bisa kita temukan unsur-unsur kekerasan yang kuat. Dan karena itu ritual korban menjadi central untuk mencegah timbulnya korban sosial yang lebih besar. Walaupun dalam Perjanjian Baru, paradigma korban ini diaminkan dalam pengorbanan Yesus Kristus (sehingga tidak perlu ada korban-korban lain lagi) semangat korban dan kekerasan ini kadang masih kental.

Dalam praktek bergama sehari-hari, banyak penganut agama sebenarnya munafik: kekerasan selalu diajarkan dari mimbar-mimbar gereja dan masjid kita secara terang-terangan. jangan heran terorisme selalu menemukan lahan subur untuk bertumbuh. Agama yang eksklusif adalah lahan yang sangat subur untuk terorisme.

Jadi tak usah munafiklah tiap kali mencounter dan membela agama (praktek agama) sebagai yang tak bersalah, karena para teroris sebenarnya telah dididik secara benar oleh kita.

salam

Jackson Browne wins Republican apology over song

Senator John McCain and his Republican Party publicly apologized to singer Jackson Browne on Tuesday for using his song "Running on Empty" without permission in a campaign advertisement last year.

The apology came as Browne and McCain's Republican camp agreed on a settlement to the lawsuit that the singer filed in August, soon after the advertisement aired.
Browne's 1977 song was used by the Ohio Republican Party in an attack on Barack Obama that was critical of the Democrat's stance on gas conservation. Obama defeated McCain in last November's presidential election.
"We apologize that a portion of the Jackson Browne song 'Running on Empty' was used without permission," McCain, the Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party said in a statement.
The Republican camp also pledged in future elections to obtain permissions and licenses from artists "where appropriate" when using their copyrighted works.
Browne, a liberal activist, told Billboard he would "absolutely" sue political candidates and groups he supports if they used his music without authorization.
"I really hope that people begin to understand what goes into making music," Browne told the music publication's website. "It's not just that one gets paid; it's that one's entire enterprise is fed, whether it's recording studios or the amount of money you can pay our band. ... It is a huge industry."
Browne had sued McCain, the Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party, accusing them of copyright infringement.
It is not the first time a popular singer has gone after the Republicans for use of a song. In the mid-1980s, Bruce Springsteen complained about then-President Ronald Reagan's
contextually inaccurate use of his song "Born In the U.S.A." during his re-election campaign. (Reuters/LOS ANGELES,July 21)

Watchdog condemns saucy sausage ads

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A saucy radio advert for sausages which encouraged listeners to reveal "where you like to stick yours" was criticized by Britain's advertising watchdog on Wednesday.

The ads for Mattesons smoked sausages elicited 21 complaints from listeners who said they were offensive because of the sexual innuendo and should not have been aired when children were likely to be listening.

"Think about all the things you can stick this tasty, extraordinarily large sausage in," one advert said.

"Mmm... Pizza, pasta, stir fry. You have any ideas? Give me a call and tell me where you like to stick it."

Kerry Foods, which makes the sausages, said its adverts were intended to be tongue-in-cheek and were not designed to be offensive.

The Advertising Standards Authority did not uphold the complaints about the innuendo because it was not sexually explicit, but said the ads could "cause harm to children".

It ruled the ads should not be aired at times when they were likely to be heard by children. (Reuters/LONDON, July 22)