In preparation for 9/11, the religious right is doing it’s usual job of botching American PR in the world press. I don’t know why anyone is surprised or outraged. It’s just the sort of thing I’ve come to expect from religion. Why? Because religion at it’s base is intolerant and hateful to outsiders. How could it not be, when it basically states that any non-enlightened individual is going to burn in a lake of fire for eternity? Oh, I know…your particular brand of religion doesn’t teach that. Right. Lakes of fire aren’t the only forms of separation. Whether they be subjugating women by forcing them to shave their heads and be baby machines, calling for jihad, or telling you what you can and can’t eat, drink, or think, suffice it to say that religions are about separating…orthodox from non, men from women, believers from infidels, us from them, me from you.

So, how is it trying to separate us on 9/11? By burning a Quran, of course, as a symbol of a hateful, warlike religion that’s all about converting or destroying the heathen non-believers. Separate, separate, separate. It’s a good thing all of those religions are all about finding peace, love and acceptance. As I thought about this little act of fiery protest, I couldn’t help identifying with it, though. The only difference is that I would take it just a tad further. Maybe there should be a ritual burning on every 9/11…maybe that’s just what the world needs. But I would say that ritual burning needs to be of all the religious texts. The Bible, the Quran, the Torah (technically covered with the biblical burning, but just for symbolism), the Bhagavad Gita, the…Tao Te Ching?, I dunno…any book that seeks to control your life and threaten the lives of others. It would have to be up to the individual. Burn Oprah’s magazine, or The Secret, for all I care. But burn the book that controls you, rather than the one that controls others.

I would like to stress that I don’t advocate burning books to control information. And I don’t want all religious texts to disappear. I want their control over their followers to disappear. What I’m talking about is a ritual cleansing. A ceremony in which people decide to cast off religious isolationism and proclaim their new-found acceptance to the rest of the world.  To stop saying “us and them” and start saying “we.” What better way to prevent future events like 9/11, than to cast aside divisive theology?

I think I know just the place for the ceremony, too!

Imagine no religion.