Living in the Dark Ages, cont.

FIRST, OBAMA ADMITTED that he had no strategy prepared with which to deal with the newly emerged "Islamic State". Then after deciding on big time bombing, he admitted that he had underestimated the gang of religious fanatics who have taken over parts of Iraq and Syria. Well, at least he's honest, if not always competent. The Islamic State must be destroyed, because it would like to destroy us, goes the American rationale. (there's always a rationale). Is this war for oil, capitalism, freedom, American Christianity, or mainstream Islam? Take your pick. One over extended, paranoid superpower, and two huge and primitive religions, each with over a billion fervent adherents, uneasily coexisting, while the other four to five billion of us wait with bated breath for the next drama. If a fanatic militant group devoted to science, reason, and learning, was doing what the Islamic State is doing, maybe it would be a bit more palatable. Maybe we could all embrace the movement, proclaim an "age of reason", and just get along. But to watch primitive but powerful religions wield such cultural influence makes one feel as if one is living in the dark ages, circa twenty first century. Its always tempting to give one's self over to a glorious cause.But this? wouldn't we all be better off to unite in a world wide crusade to reverse global warming, bring learning and prosperity to everyone, and explore space? A bran-fire new religion, featuring common sense, and desirable, universal human goals! But no, instead we languish in the primitive thinking handed down to us for thousands of years; God fearing, violent, brutal adherence to dogma without reason. Maybe our descendants will do better.