The Role Of Religion In Terrorism & Acts Of Violence
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The recent police shootings in Queensland has turned the spotlight on the role of religion in terrorism and acts of violence. The Train brothers at the centre of this mass murder were brought up by an evangelical father. The Trains made a YouTube video around the time of the police shootings telling the world that they had killed the demons and devils who had invaded their property (this video has been taken down by the police). This was a reference to the 2 young police officers who were murdered by the trio of armed Queenslanders. Thankfully, 2 more young police officers were able to survive this act of domestic terrorism.
Christian Indoctrination in The Murdering Trains
The Train’s neighbour was also murdered by the two brothers and their wife Stacey. There are early reports regarding the trio’s involvement in anti-vaccination and sovereign citizen groups and their online forums. Nathaniel Train and Stacey Train had both been school principals and teachers prior to leaving their jobs. Anti-Covid vaccine stances seem to be a tipping point in their lives and may have heralded a descent into conspiracy theory madness and their armed insurrection/killing spree.
Regional Queensland is home to pockets of extreme views on issues like fluoride in the water, anti-unionism, and the overreach of the state.
Gareth Train posted online:
“ “If you are a conservative, anti-vaxx, freedom lover, protester, common law, conspiracy talker, alternative news, independent critical thinker, truther, Christian, patriot etc etc expect a visit from these hammers,” he said in one post, referring to the Queensland Special Emergency Response Team.”
–(Matthew Knott, SMH, 15 Dec 2022)
Old Testament Tales & Conspiracy Theories
Parts of Queensland, like parts of America, are steeped in the Christian religion and the more virulent forms of this. I have always thought that there are parallels between the deep south of the USA and the far north of QLD in terms of conservativism and Old Testament values. If you are brought up with stories about God smiting enemies and devils and demons these things remain inside your head for better or worse. If you combine this with a belief in your God’s ultimate say in matters of the world, then, the rule of law is more easily undermined. This places the role of religion in terrorism and acts of violence, as an enabler. There are more than 100 million evangelical Christians in America – that is a big section of their society. Mass murders in the US are happening every week and almost every day. The prevalence of guns is, of course, the main cause, but the motivation to kill many in acts of extreme violence is, also a fact of American life.
The global pandemic was deeply unsettling for many people around the country and the globe. It spurred a section of society to march in the city streets against government overreach in terms of vaccine mandates and lock downs.
Libertarians here and in America were outraged by any curbing of their individual freedoms. A million people died from Covid related diseases in the USA but despite this right wing politicians led anti-vaccine and mask wearing campaigns. It was a crazy time and that craziness lingers in far reaches of our communities, as seen in Wieambilla this week.
Christianity & Domestic Terrorism
Domestic terrorism is a real danger and it is primarily coming from the extreme right. This is hard for police services to deal with because many of their members are on this side of the political divide.
Many in the security forces share some of the conservative values and Christian views espoused by right wing groups. This terrible tragedy, which has taken the lives of three human beings in Queensland, may sharpen the focus for the police in tackling this very real danger on our doorstep.
The world is made up of stories. The Bible is full of stories. These stories underpin how we see things. Whoever or whatever controls the narrative points the way.
When small children are indoctrinated by their parents and church they are groomed to see things in a certain light. This is why religious institutions are so heavily involved in education.
Get em while they are young and you have a good chance of having them for life. Sometimes steeping children in particular values can have a positive result, as in the case of stories about loving one another and helping those less fortunate. However, many Christian groups are conditional about who you can love and help, which positions them as poor moral arbiters for humanity as a whole.
Science has allowed many human beings and societies to free themselves from belief and stories about invisible supernatural entities. Science showed the many shortcomings of religion’s world view and understanding of how things actually work. It is interesting that the recent pandemic pitted science (the vaccine and public health) against sections of society who were unwilling to temporarily give up their personal freedoms to combat the virus.
This stoush has, perhaps, driven some of these people back into the arms of religious belief.
People like the former president Donald Trump cast aspersions on science and ran his ‘fake news’ campaign, which undermined the authority of the world media to communicate important things about the pandemic. These fissures remain in the minds of some, like the Trains, who began to see devils and demons in the guise of 4 young and inexperienced police officers. Is it, indeed, time to clearly see the role of religion in terrorism and acts of violence?
©WordsForWeb
