Large Fierce Mammal

Venom (Source: Sony Pictures)

“None are innocent. There are only those weak enough to believe they are, and those strong enough to revel in the knowledge that they are not.” ~ Jacob Strauss, Magus of the Shining Hill, London 1940

“The monster within” has found a lot of traction lately, most eloquently addressed by Dr. Jordan Peterson. Naturally, the mere mention of the Dread Prophet Peterson has come to raise a hue and cry of its own, but no matter. Let us continue, and view tonight’s Dark Sentiment in the best possible way — through unaverted eyes.

As modern society defines it, “the monster within” is the capacity for each human being to be absolutely ruthless and cruel. The monster takes what it wants, when it wants. Takes no prisoners and has no concern for consequence or anything that might appear in a victim impact statement. It is evil incarnate, malice made flesh, and once unleashed cannot be contained again. For this reason it must be denied expression at all costs. Many find this sort of restraint in religion unknowing or uncaring of the validity history has found in the words spoken by Physicist Steven Weinberg in a New York Times interview from 1999:

“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”

I would posit that religion can also be relied upon to lend itself as the horse to which evil people will happily hitch their cart. Ask the victims of the Indian Residential Schools in Canada.

But Religion, as its slightly poorer but no less pervertible cousin Politics, is its own monster, jealous of all competitors and ever prepared to scream them into ignominy as the work of Satan, or fascists. Unleashed, this monster has a name all its own that I once wrote about from personal experience and will revisit here:

The Zealot

By LFM

Loretta was a Catholic wife,
And doting mum of five.
A happy, buzzing, faith fueled bee,
She ruled her Christian hive.

Her children were her everything,
And no expense was spared.
She saw their every wish fulfilled
No sooner than declared.

And even though her brood was spoiled,
She strove to raise them well.
Immersed them in Catholicism
To spare their souls from Hell.

I came to know them for a time,
This family devout,
And, one day while I was visiting,
A nasty truth came out.

She handed me a cup of tea,
Then turned to slice the bread
For the plate of dainty sandwiches
That all her guests were fed.

The while she worked we spoke
Until the topic wound its way
To the news her neighbour’s teenage son
Had just come out as gay.

“Speaking for myself,” I said,
“I see no fault in this.
“The finding of True Love’s the point,
“And not whose lips you kiss.”

“I want my child to find True Love.
“With whom I’ll not forfend.
“True Love and happiness therefrom’s
“What matters in the end.”

‘Twas then Loretta whirled around,
The bread flew ‘cross the floor,
And in her place there stood a thing
I’d never seen before.

Lips frozen in a righteous sneer,
Eyes ablaze with hate.
Where once she gripped a simple knife,
‘Twas now a sword of fate!

Where once stood loving, doting mum,
Now wrathful scourge of God!
“Abomination!” shrieked she then,
“I’ll never spare the rod!”

“If any son of mine were such
“He’d not live out the night!
“I’d stab him dead the while he sleeps
“And send his soul to flight!”

‘Twas then I suddenly recalled
A place I had to be.
I seized my hat and, through the door,
I thanked her for the tea.

When hatred cleaves itself to “faith”,
And sad it is to tell it,
There’s no religion in the world
Exclusive to the zealot.

Thank you for your indulgence Goode Reader and pray do not lose heart in your own inner monster. Or mine for that matter. We’ll reflect further on these points in coming nights.