Sometimes people of faith, devotees in particular, try to make themselves and their philosophies seem more advanced by making people who aren’t like them seem worse. This is hardly fine for discussions with like-minded believers, let alone if you’re trying to convince or convert the same people you’re insulting.

An example of this would be a recent “Thought of the Day” post by an initiating ISKCON guru about Obama (a supposed supporter of pro-choice) winning the election:

It’s actually unthinkable that we are living in the midst of a baby-killing civilization. But yet it is a fact. This is not human civilization. This is lower than animal civilization. Which animals do we see that kill their own offspring? When the foolish people of a nation choose leaders who support the killing of innocent children within the womb, it is a bleak day indeed for that nation.

[My emphasis.]

Which animals do we see that kill their own offspring? Quite a lot, really. Many animals engage in what zoologists refer to as “infanticide.” If you have ever raised hamsters, puppies or kittens or been anywhere near a farm, you would know that this practice (more properly, “instinct”) is very common. It’s also on Wikipedia, if anyone is interested.

To try to use it in an analogy to prove that the “karmis” are worse than animals because they elected Obama makes the whole argument sound even sillier than it already is (and I’m not even close to being an Obama supporter). In fact, it calls into question the sanity of the entire philosophy.

If someone hears something obviously wrong in what we’re saying, it makes them wonder if the rest of our philosophy is wrong. I’m not talking about opinions and things people can disagree with (evolution, abortion, etc). I’m talking about facts. In this example, it is a commonly known fact that many, many animals kill their young. To say animals don’t kill their young is sloppy, misinformed and most importantly makes the reader wonder if everything else said (the stuff that’s actually about the philosophy) is wrong.

I’ve taken issue with this particular devotee’s writings before. Specifically a bizarre letter to the “great hero” George W. Bush… (My “favorite” part is when he says that Bush was “re-elected with such an overwhelming majority of the voters’ support.” What?! How about a little fact-checking here.

When seen together, the political leanings are obvious. But that’s not what I’m looking for in a spiritual leader. If I wanted political leanings, I’d listen to NPR or watch Fox News.

Please, to our gurus and supposedly fit leaders, give us some real spirituality! We’re not just ripe for it, we’re rotting for want of it!