Tea at Trianon: Violence and Religion

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Friday, July 8, 2022

Violence and Religion

From Aleteia:

G. K. Chesterton once said something along the lines that to criticize religion because it leads people to kill each other is like criticizing love because it has the same effect. The facts indicate he was right (as usual), that it is not religion that is inherently violent, but mankind, who will seemingly murder each other for any number of reasons, be it for anger, profit, passion, or even in some extreme cases, just for the fun of it. It is, in fact, the duty of religions to overcome those impulses in the name of love, not to give in to them.
Sadly, the creators of Under the Banner of Heaven don’t get that, which is a shame because, in terms of execution, the series is extremely well done. The performances are involving, as are the facts behind the horrific true-life events the story details. Unfortunately, what is a fascinating look at what happens when religion is abused is undermined by the show’s ill-informed desire to paint all religion as intrinsically violent. It’s simply not true. From personal experience, I can assure you that the vast majority of Mormons are not out to kill you, they would just like to convert you. (Read more.)

Unknown said...: It is the same argument used regarding guns...but guns do not kill people ...people using guns kill people, the same as religion is used as an excuse to kill people. Violence is as much as part of human nature as is love. Some people have more of a tendency to violence than others and use violence to achieve their goals.; July 8, 2022 at 4:37:00 PM EDT