The Roots of this Evil

Tamerlan and Dzhokar Tsarnaev; Religion infected their brains and innocents died.

Soon, it will be time again for the Boston Marathon. The events of 2013 will be brought forward, again and again.

That time, in the city of Boston, near the finish of the Boston Marathon. people came to celebrate a special day, take part in a great tradition and athletic endeavor.  This was the very thing that I want people to do.

Two young men, brothers, ages 19 and 26, made bombs and placed them in a crowded area. Then they walked away.  Three people were killed when the bombs exploded , including an 8 year old boy.

Other s suffered mutilating injuries. The older brother was eventually killed during the search and pursuit. The 19 year old remains in prison awaiting execution. An appeal for a new trial has been denied.

The absolutely innocent victims will never recover from the tearing apart of their bodies, and the anger, sadness and fear which will fill their brain.

Leaders searched for words. Barrack Obama was up to the task. Vice President Joe Biden could not conceal the emotions which most people must have shared; "perverted", "twisted", "cowardly" came to his mind to describe the perpetrators. Our new Liberal leader, now Prime Minister, flunked this surprise examination of his instincts. He says words to the effect, " We need to get to the roots of this behavior. Such an act is carried out by persons who feel excluded, at war with innocents, at war with society".  In other words, the killing and maiming of innocent people is not really the fault of these poor "excluded" terrorists. The blame should be laid at the feet of American [or Canadian] society.

No, Justin. No.

.The Boston bombers were not born evil. Their parents did not teach them to be evil. The schools they attended in America did not turn them to evil. American society did not "create" the monsters they became.

So what was the "root" cause, to use Justin's word?

Religion.

You say, religion is not a root of evil, just "extreme" religion is a root of evil. OK, where are the lines between moderate , orthodox, fundamental, extreme?  The divisions are "blurred" and transition seems to occur quickly.

I think religion is like an infection. It invades the brain. It can be introduced easily when the victim is just a child. But it may also attack at any age. Religiosity is similar to a virus. I t "takes over" and replicates itself. It may become incurable.

The distinction between religion and psychosis is often difficult. They often coexist. Extreme religiosity should be a psychiatric diagnosis.

Religion infected the 26 year old Chechnya bomber. He then passed it to his brother. Religion is the root cause of the Boston bombing. It was the cause of the events of 9/11. Religion was the cause of countless other atrocities, massacres, wars and murder over the centuries.

So, can we cancel religion? John Lennon "Imagined" this. Some countries are working on this project but it is a slow process. In many sectors of the world, religion is still a dominant, controlling force.

So, unfortunately, we will not be able to quickly abolish all religions. Governments and their security forces will have to settle for vigilance and "nipping problems in the bud". The authorities are improving in their ability to do this. Let's have some laws that will assist. Stop apologizing and crying about loss of personal freedom. I suggest a focus on religion. Monitor religious literature, audio-visual and internet postings. Be aware of what is being taught in religious schools and "centers". Let's have some workable regulation of what can be posted on the internet. Decide what sort of content cannot be on the internet. For example, look at the individual, Feiz Mohammed. You can Google search and even buy his material on line. An Australian Muslim preacher noted for his Islamic fundamentalism, he has given lectures in which he blamed women who were rape victims for the fact that they were raped, urged young Muslims to kill "infidel" non-believers, called on Muslim parents to have their children die as a jihadist martyrs and called Jews "pigs" while laughing about killing them. He also called for the beheading of a Dutch politician.

Enough is enough. Adult, explicit sex  displayed on the net is a  trivial, inconsequential issue compared to the malignant ranting of this psychopath. Pull down his postings. Confiscate his DVDs. Close his "youth center". It is unfortunate that Guantanamo prison is going to be closed. Seems like a perfect place for Feiz Mohammed

Once the virus/fungus of religion has invaded the brain, it replicates rapidly, reducing cerebration to a vicious cycle of barbarism and atrocities. All traces of compassion, kindness, respect for others, disappear. Music, art, any appreciation of accomplishment in human history is denied. It appears to be an incurable disease.

For this, there appear to be only a couple of answers.