h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Apparent from obvious monetary concerns, why can't you?

Because I'm a Bahai and I don't think it would be safe. Although perhaps they wouldnt know that I was.... I dont know. Too scary anyway.

What, you think someone's going to mug you because of your relegion?

It seems very likely, don't you know what's going on there right now?

I'm an American. We know nothing.

It's inconceivable to me to attack or be attacked because of religious orientation. But then, I also can't understand discriminating on basis of sexual orientation, or everyone's Football obsession, or belief in religion in general, so I could see how I'd be misinformed.

"Do you even know there are other countries?"
-Eddie Izzard

Yes well right now Bahais are being discriminated against all over the middle east. I think in Egypt they are required to declare their religion (not unlike the Jews in the 2nd world war). Also I think they're not allowed to hold certain jobs. I havent been paying very close attention either but my Mum was telling me about it.

Yeah, yeah, very funny.


And you wonder why I'd rather live in America.

Of course I wonder... Canada is much better...

It's better than the Middle East I'll grant you.

Certainly.
Of course thats looking at the world through our western eyes.

Can't be helped.

Why not just say you aren't Bahai?

Because I am a Bahai and you sholdn't deny your religion. For the same reason that people who are being jailed for it what not and the people who die in prison because of it dont just say they're not.
I may not be very religious, and perhaps I'm not a very strong Bahai but I still am one.
I don't know...

Well here's what I think:

(But keep in mind that it's coming from an atheist.)

In a hypothetical scenario, the government asks me what my religion is. I know that if I don't answer with a Christian denomination, I'll be sent to an extermination camp. Assuming they have no evidence to support or refute any claim I make, my options can be broken down like this:

1. I tell the truth-that I'm not Christian-and they kill me.
2. I lie, but they don't believe me. I get sent me to an extermination camp anyway, and I die.
3. I lie. They believe me and I live to fight them in secret or to bootleg it out of the country.

I could choose option 1 because I believe strongly in my religion (or lack thereof). I would of course die however and, assuming my religion is correct, go to Heaven (or whatever).
This is a perfectly honorable and acceptable course of action in my mind. But then, even though hardly my problem, there'd still be a fascist and oppressive government left on Earth, and it would be slaughtering millions of people without just cause. Personally, I would feel that I have to /do/ something about it.

Options 2 and 3 both involve me lying. The consequences of 2 are obvious, so I'm not going to bother with them. 3, on the other hand, leaves me with the possibility of fighting back, one way or another. Maybe I win, maybe I lose. But either way, when I eventually die I'll still go to Heaven (or whatever), because God would recognize that I had /motive/ to lie about the religion, and I didn't actually change it. And frankly, an All-loving, All-forgiving God certainly wouldn't hold it against me that I'd rather go on living don't you think?

Now of course this isn't quite the same, but it gets my point across. Besides, I'm sure in the future they'll find someone else to discriminate against and forget about the Bahai; it's more or less a historical constant. So you can go to Egypt then.

I think if you're religious you're not supposed to deny your religion. God doesnt like it or something.
Doesnt matter, I wont be going to Egypt anyway. There are tons of other places I want to go even more. And I don have any money anyway.

Money, the Eternal Obstacle.

So true.