Religious Wackos from Both Sides of the Fence

[If I ever become a “public figure,” I’ll probably have to pay for writing this. What the heck.]

I love the internet for many reasons. (“You can check porn. And stock quotes.” No, George, that’s not why.) One of the most important reasons is that anybody can look up information that certain organizations and individuals would probably rather you didn’t know about.

A couple of interesting facts that I’ve run across online recently:

The United Pentecostal Church International opposes women wearing makeup, among others things, because it mimics the appearance of sexual arousal. No lie.

http://www.upci.org/am/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1673&#34499

I have to wonder, does UPCI oppose exercise, too? You know, flushed cheeks, glistening face, etc. What about the research showing that chocolate can simulate an orgasmic effect in women?

I suppose I should be more concerned about the fact that UPCI doesn’t believe in the Trinity (which for me crosses the line into “cult”). Still, the makeup thing sticks in my craw.

Gimme a break. Here’s a nice refutation of that position:

http://www.inplainsite.org/html/united_pentecostal_church.html#make%20up

Secondly, the Nation of Islam. Did you know their ideology includes the belief that white people were created through a breeding program launched by a black scientist named Yakub? And that the purpose of these “inferior” people was to punish the “original” people with 6,000 years of repression?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_of_islam#Teachings_on_race

I’ll admit that Adam and Eve may have been black. Who knows. (Better question: who cares? We’re all here now, aren’t we?)

It all sounds like some kind of superhero comic book series. You know, with a villain called The White Menace and a hero who blasts a breed of voracious insect-people off the face of the earth before they can enslave and consume thousands of innocent citizens.

I suppose I take issue with this viewpoint because it’s based on a stereotype. And stereotypes are bad, aren’t they? Oh. Only some stereotypes are bad. I see.

I won’t even comment on the NOI’s beliefs about UFOs. I guess I had always assumed that, while not exactly mainstream, NOI was an actual religion rather than an anti-white/anti-Jew group with a big stack of sci-fi books under the bed. Silly me.

Suffice it to say that, as far as I’m concerned, they’re giving Scientology a run for its money.