Before you get your hate-mail fingers ready, please know that this column is not an attempt to push you toward religion, nor put down any other religion. So let those little piggies relax, and take a second to soak things in. Then, prepare to be converted and saved from the fiery pits of hell!
…See what I did there?
Religious extremism. We hear about it all the time. We see it all the time. Heck, most of us are just sick of talking about it all the time. One can rarely get into a discussion about the most recent suicide bombing, without having to include the politically correct, long-winded diatribe of “But I know that not all of Insert Group X’s name here are like that, only the extremists.” It’s exhausting.
Another form of extremism however, is one that remains just as common but is rarely if ever discussed; I’m talking of course, about secular extremism. A perfect example would be the recent hostage taking at the Discovery Channel building courtesy of James Lee. Seemingly fed up with the concepts of religion and personal freedoms, James Lee decided to take innocent people hostage in his cause to save the environment.
Reportedly, there were no visible cardboard signs of “God Hates Fags” and the phrase “Allahu Ahkbar” was nowhere to be heard. Just as surely, Mr. Lee was as dedicated to his cause as any radical, serial-killing Christian that we constantly see depicted in Hollywood blockbusters.
See, one of the biggest knocks against religion is that the belief in a higher power puts crazy ideas in people’s heads, and can ultimately set you on a dangerous path.
James Lee shows us however, that part of human nature desires to take part in a greater purpose. Real or not, when a person denies God, they often try and fill that higher power void with something else. Oftentimes people fill that void with themselves, sometimes it could be their family, job or in this case… Mother Earth.
James Lee had put the Planet Earth on such a pedestal, so far beyond the importance of his fellow human beings that he was willing to harm other people, and ultimately himself for its cause. If that’s not extremism, then I don’t know what is.
Well, except for maybe the “X Games.” Those guys are pretty extreme! Damn my wonky knees.
What say you folks? Should the concept of secular extremism be included in today’s dialogue regarding radicals? Do you think that extreme secularism poses the same risks as radical religion?
Needless to say, oftentimes a “religion” is not needed to breed extremism. People breed it all by themselves, oftentimes with the subjective morality of modern secularism breeding the worst kind. Just ask Hitler or Stalin… though you’ll probably need a Ouija board.
Steven Crowder is a 23-year-old comedian, writer and Fox News contributor.
Fox News Opinion is on Twitter. Follow us @fxnopinion.
Leave a Reply