THE TROUBLE WITH DEMONS

Many people think that in order for a person to be moral, they have to be a religious believer. More broadly, many believe that secular cultures are inherently immoral, un-anchored from any system that could provide an ethical underpinning necessary for a successful civilization.

Yer old pal Jerky believes the opposite is true; that, far from providing a bedrock foundation, the man-made and all-too-manipulable mythologies of faith are a dangerously shifting sand-dune of arbitrary absolutes and solipsistic meta-relativism.

Case in point: BTK killer/pillar-of-the-Lutheran-church Dennis Rader. In a recent interview, the ten-time serial torture-killer insisted: "I just know it's a dark side of me. It kind of controls me. I personally think it's a -- and I know it is not very Christian -- but I actually think it's a demon that's within me."

In truth, there is nothing quite so Christian as blaming one's heinous transgressions on possession by evil spirits. It's the ultimate "get out of jail free" card, which is ultimately the appeal of all religions. They absolve you of responsibility. As Rader watched his victims' families weeping on the TV news about the devastation his terrible crimes had wrought upon them, his Christian faith allowed him to tell himself: "Wow. That's one evil demon that's got itself wedged up inside me! Oh well. I'm sure God will forgive me when I meet him in the Great Hereafter. After all, I can't possibly be held responsible for what a demon does, can I?"

Of course, it's true that Rader won't be held responsible in the Great Hereafter, because THERE IS NO FUCKING GREAT HEREAFTER!!! And deep down inside, Rader knows it. They all know it; the child-molesting priests, the bombers, the hijackers, the idiots who stone rape victims to death, the high officials who launch jihads, inquisitions and fatwahs… but they refuse to face up to it. Because every religious believer is a believer of convenience. They're more afraid of personal accountability than they are of burning in an everlasting afterlife, because they know that shit is bogus.

Meanwhile, somewhere out there, another religious True Believer is stocking his car trunk with duct tape, pliers and a blowtorch at the slavering behest of his own, personal demon. God save us from those who believe in Him.