Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Religion, Racism, and Narcissism

Narcissists are people with severely wounded and threatened egos.  Deep down they feel very inferior.  They compensate by trying to find or invent ways to feel superior.  Religion and racism both appeal to them because they allow the narcissist to feel superior simply for belonging to a "superior" group.  They can feel superior simply because of their skin color, their ethnic heritage, being a member of the "one true church" or a member of the "chosen people", etc.

A recent series of articles in Media Matters provides evidence of this link between religion and racism (not to mention ignorance).  The articles focus on an attempt to build a sort of white supremacist homeland in a region of Montana.  When explaining why they chose Montana, one of the leaders of the movement said: 

"Our Christmas parade still goes by that name and we have a nativity scene in our public square with a Baby Jesus... Come Home!"

If you spend any amount of time exploring the statements of white supremacists in America, you will realize what that "come home" exhortation means.  It is often used and is shorthand for "come home to the religion of your forefathers".  

The religion they are referring to, of course, is a traditional version of American Christianity.  This is somewhat ironic because the leaders of the white supremacist movement seem to be completely ignorant of the fact that Christ was a Jew and that their European ancestors were actually converted at the point of a sword and were, in fact, pagans.  Like most religious people, I am sure that they "deal" with these facts either by ignoring them or wishing them away.  Facts are mere nuisances, at worst, when they can be chosen based on how one feels about them. 

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