Although we love to view the world in absolutes, things are seldom black and white. Heroes have skeletons in their closets and assholes secretly donate money to the ASPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan. Okay, maybe not.
But the point is that the world is a complex place, full of moral ambiguity, double standards and mixed feelings.
So we have taken the task upon ourselves to bring back the epic binary of “good” versus “bad,” “right” versus “wrong,” and “virtuous” versus “evil.”
We humbly present you: Asshole and Hero of the week.
Asshole: ISIS
Via: NBC News
For months now we’ve been hearing about the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and the horrific acts they perform in order to “purify” their country. While the public executions and beheadings of people who disagree with them and the rampant acts of terrorism are horrible in their own right, they are now condoning female slavery in order to prevent men from straying.
Yes, you read that correctly.
ISIS is encouraging their fighters to capture Yezidi, a Kurdish ethno-religious group outside the realms of Islam, civilians and teach them the ways of Islam. In their opinion, the ways of Islam means converting the men to Islam and forcing the women to marry their soldiers or enter into harems that have been instituted in order to stop the soldiers from committing acts of adultery.
Because, apparently, having sex with what is considered to be ‘your property,’ a.k.a. female slaves, is not going outside the sanctity of marriage.
The Human Rights Watch has rescued only a fraction of the women being held captive by ISIS soldiers. The organization has interviewed a few of them to learn about what exactly was being done to them by ISIS. In many cases, unmarried women, young girls and married women with no children were taken and married off to the highest bidder. If they fought back, they were beaten. It is unclear whether or not rape has occurred as well, though it is likely.
Suffice it to say, ISIS is on a roll with asshole-like acts as of late, but female slavery on the basis of trying to prevent adultery? That one takes the cake.
Hero: Pope Francis
Via: NYPost
For a long time, the Catholic Church has been adamant about not accepting the homosexual lifestyle or people who “succumb” to it into their faith. They are not alone in this endeavor, though. Most religious institutions view homosexuality as a sin against God and nature.
However, Pope Francis has taken a stand against conservative naysayers. He has declared that civil unions and divorces will be accepted into the Church.
While he’s not ready to join the pride parade or marry two people of the same sex under the Catholic religion, the Pope is taking steps in the right direction toward tolerance, mercy, and open-mindedness, three ideas the Bible teaches wholeheartedly, I might add.
In a report presented to an assembly of Roman bishops this week, Francis and his hand-selected group of advisors assert that gay people have “gifts and qualities to offer the Christian community,” which shows that he and many of his bishops are willing to accept people for who they are rather than whom they love.
Out of the 200 bishops who were at the assembly, only 41 of them expressed their dissent. 41 out of 200 is only about 20%. And, that my friends, is progress.
Featured photo courtesy of: Huffington Post
