So many Maori profess a love for Christianity and yet we copped the same shit as our Native American, and African American, and Aboriginal brothers and sisters.
I remain dedicated to fighting for justice in my lifetime rather than praying for heaven after I die.
Happy New Year to the fighters for justice, wherever you may be, and whatever colour you may be as well.
Hone Harawira is the Leader of the MANA Movement.
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Missionaries were and still are a tool used to subjugate native populations.
Religion and fear divides and replaces social structures, but all under the command of the colonial perpetrators who use fear of the unknown to gain command.
Young minds are usually targeted to instill doctrine that will leave them in fear of death and an eternal damnation, that lasts a lifetime.
The outsiders are devalued. Authoritarian dictates demand “blind faith” and questioning is not accepted.
And of course the collection of money which has made the larger churches very wealthy landowners and with no tax to pay. We pay their rates of these parasites.
A example – Mormons currently collect about $37 million ( IRD income declaration) a year from poor families of NZ. That money is never accounted for to the contributing flock, who are not allowed to question.
In Utah LDS builds giant shopping malls owns massive ranches. Estimated income for LDS is about $7- 8 billion.
Destiny and Arise Pentecostal campaigns of collecting numbers and un receipted contributions on a massive scale. Both led by “charismatic” cult leaders with luxurious lifestyles. Reading the charitable trust documents is enlightening how the power of leaders is entrenched.
https://therationalists.org/2016/08/17/cult-behaviour-an-analysis/
https://www.decision-making-confidence.com/am-i-in-a-cult.html
Show me where there is large amounts of money and no corruption.
Belief in supernatural beings are a relic of the age of ignorance.
You are right Hone. Look after the living.
How many churches openly fight the inequality of the capitalist system, speak out in protest about polluting the environment causing global warming and oppose business and political decisions allowing this to continue, remonstrate about the bankers fleecing NZ by creating 97% of the new money for their private profit at no cost to them ( this amounts to many billions), demand a more humane system of education and justice, prison reform to cut the shocking numbers of incarcerated Kiwis and privatisation of our community assets. They are largely silent and collude by acquiescence.
The morality of religion is an oxymoron.
God really loves the poor that’s why he made so many of them.
[“Frank”, please amend your user-name so as not to be confused with one of our contributors, Frank MacSkasy. Thank you. – Scarletmod]
Christianity and fighting for justice in the here and now aren’t mutually exclusive. I know many for whom there faith spurs them on to fight for justice. Does the Ratana Church count as Christianity, cause they did a lot of good politically in their time.
I agree. There are many people who “fight” for justice across many creeds and belief systems.
Science, Mathematics and astronomy have roots on many cultures including the major contribution from so called Islamic golden age.
The history of was and sending folk to their deaths for the greed of their “Masters” is entrenched with religion. NZ’s “honouring” those killed in wars is cloaked in religious observances to the point that many see as a celebration.
An the other hand non theist mindsets such as Humanism, are essentially pacifist, do not get organised into money and wealth collection structures, nor see an enemy in someone who is different.
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