Thou shalt not kill. Murder. The fifth commandment. But if you think about it : if you think about it, religion has never really had a problem with murder. Not really. No, more people have been killed in the name of God than for any other reason. All you have to do : all you have to do is look at slavery, the Middle East, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Holocaust, and the World Trade Center, and you'll see how seriously the religious folks take 'Thou Shalt Not Kill'. The more devout they are : the more devout they are, the more they see murder as negotiable : it's negotiable. It depends, you know? It depends, it depends on who's doing the killing and who's getting killed.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Carlin argues religion has historically justified murder despite commandments against it, showing hypocrisy.
- In plain terms
- Religion has often supported killing despite saying not to kill.
- What can you take from it?
- Look at actions, not slogans.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do ideologies justify violence?
- What counts as murder?
Another view
It overlooks religions that oppose violence.
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