Yesterday, Slate ran a piece by Jonathan Schwarz titled
"The Rotarian Menace: What does Osama have against Rotary clubs?" in which he outlines the basis for Islamist distrust of Rotary International. Oversimplified: an early Rotarian connection with the Masons caused Muslims to assume an anti-Islamic bent in the Rotary. The Masons are assumed to be anti-Islamic because of their participation in colonial business networks. It is an article worth the read .
While certainly mildly entertaining, and perhaps confusing to some, the distrust of Rotary International is also indicative of the dark side of religious belief:
Religious belief invites and fosters conspiracy-theory-like thought.
If one honestly believes that the universe and our individual lives are controlled by a being(s) that cannot be physically perceived, what sized leap is it to believe that humans can and do operate without the least perceptibility to the outside world? None.
And if the world is controlled by invisible actions of people, what better way to combat these sinister people than to also operate with clandestine methods and manners? Otherwise, the nefarious might get a glimpse of what the righteous intend.
And no one should know what others intend, that might lead to understanding.
And god knows that Understanding is an evil thing for humans to possess. It leads to god's non-existence.
