Religious logic regarding Iraq War?

Question

Does anybody see a parallel between people who are willing to suspend disbelief regarding the existence of a God (i.e. the willingness to believe without evidence based on what they are told), and the people who were willing to accept the existence of WMD in Iraq without evidence based on what we were told?

It seems that people who were convinced of the WMD and Al-Queda link rationale for the invasion of Iraq were more likely to be people who believe in God than those who don't. Do you think there is a connection in people who think this way?

*** I myself WAS convinced that the WMD threat was real and the Al-Queda connection existed, as I could not imagine Bush or his advisors going to war based on the purported evidence, knowing full well the evidence would be revealed either at the outset of the war or by the next Democratic Administration. Blair sealed the deal in my mind when he said he had seen evidence too.

However I am an atheist and believe in the scientific method.

I am not using this as a way to knock religious, though I don't believe in it. But it is important to point out I said that people who believed the original evidence existed are likely to be religious...I DID NOT say that people who are religious are likely to believe the Iraq invasion rationale.

Answer 1

Smug: This question in it self, lacks plausible facts, as it omits other key components such as Iran's intelligence net work's input into the decision, as of the "why" Bush believed he should enter into Iraq. This omitted factor plus, the economic factors to enter into Iraq are paramount into obtaining a factual, plausible, credible conclusion, relative to anything near a objective answer to your question posed. You have presented the popular media version within your question; thereby, you have neglected to include the real facts leading up to the real decision to enter Iraq. Christianity has no relevance, whatsoever, because there are Christians dieing over there too, as well as, Atheists, Gnostic, etc. Please get ALL the facts instead of the media's version IF you are REALLY as "scientific" in your application [methodology] as you preach !

Answer 2

You answered your own question when you said that you were convinced that the threat was real. People bought into the administration's lies regardless of our religious beliefs.

Yet the lies continue. To this day the administration continues to spin the Iraq invasion as counter-terrorism even though Iraq was not involved in 9/11 and was never a threat to the U.S. And it appears that it is the Christians who are the biggest Bush supporters now even though Bush's war has been exposed as a fraud.

Answer 3

There's a very general disability on the part of all humanity to think outside the box.

Sure, the "box" changes depending on the person, but bigotry seems to just be a part of our nature. It's getting a little better now with the revelations in communication in the last century - people are more generally aware of lifestyles and cultures outside their own, and less generally likely to imagine that their own little cul-de-sac is representative of the entire universe. Of course, you go to the sticks, and the peasants - who mostly vote GOP, go figure - are ignorant as ever. I know I'll get billions of thumbs down for saying this, but "conservatism" really is a consequence of people becoming alarmed at the realization that their own values aren't universal. It's also blockheadedness as a virtue, which we've seen reach its nadir with Bush Jr.'s war and with the religious right clinging to ideas like Creationism.

It's ALSO the very same mentality that leads people to fly planes into buildings, so don't accuse me of "apologizing for terrorists" because I criticize a poorly-planned, poorly-executed war. Nobody really buys that Rovian slander these days anyway.

Answer 4

Okay, I'm atheist and here's my logic on it... #1 I was opposed to George W. Bush getting into office in the first darn place because I did the research on the man and realized he was a complete IDIOT before it was time to vote... #2 then 9/11 happened and he made me angry again. I knew he was lying because his mouth was moving when he started babbling about Iraq and I distinctly remembered the liar saying we wouldn't occupy Iraq but blah blah blah... and what are we doing?

My point: The only connections I see is that people are not willing to research candidates BEFORE elections and make wiser choices in the FIRST place because the world is generally having too much fun making money and buying stuff and only what's going on in their IMMEDIATE lives... ALSO, most people were suckered by that liar into believing he was going to support their religious agenda against gays, abortions, and so on and so forth and the bigger issues were ignored in favor of ARROGANCE. If it's not an emergency on THEIR front DOOR they DON'T CARE... until it is. Now we reap the consequence of failed action when it mattered and we weep and gnash our teeth... very very bad karma indeed...

_()_

Answer 5

No, I don't see the connection. My Church of 1000+ members was openly opposed to the war from the outset, and was always suspicious of the WMD's story. Only a minority of US Christians support the war, and most of those who support it do so for political reasons, not religious reasons.

Christians who support the Iraq war are staunch Republicans, and generally endorse any decision that the Rep. party makes.

Answer 6

Though your point is sort of far-fetched, I can see it. People whose minds are open to accept these allegations are also open to swallow anything else, no matter how different it is in nature as long as logic is threading the two beads on the same string.

Strange parallel, smart though.

Answer 7

I see a parallel between strong faith and suicide bombers. If those people didn't have those crazy beliefs we would have bin gone from Iraq for a long time. Every body would be happy with the end of Saddam and Bush would be up in the polls.

Answer 8

convinced, i have felt the same way for a lengthy time period. i think which could be why any such number of of the Bush administration claims, no longer pretty a lot WMD, were popular entire fabric and without question. that would also clarify why any such number of proceed to immediately to parrot the same claims even regardless of the actuality that they have got been disproven.

Answer 9

nope i'm agnostic and i knew that bush was full of it from the very beginning what really should have given it away to people was when he said the part about how saddam tried to kill his father and guess what he still didn't prove the weapons of mass destruction

Answer 10

Could be. People who are willing to accept as fact anything that the "authorities" tell them - church or government - would be quite easy to fool.