Fallacy #1
People deserve everything they get and get everything they deserve.
This is the worst fallacy because it is due to completely lazy thinking. We know the above statement is untrue simply by looking at what happens to children.
Fallacy #2
Good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people.
This is false for the same reason as #1.
For those who still refuse to admit #1 and #2 are fallacies, here are a few of many examples these notions should also apply to:
America's 9/11White Jewish Holocaust
Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Great Depression
Buffalo Creek Disaster
Pensions being lost
Domestic violence
Spaceshuttle explosions
Titanic
“Hate” crimes
Some obvious major examples are not listed because it is already sickly said to be the victim's fault.
No Escaping Without A Valid Excuse
When we believe the above fallacies, we are saying human actions towards their fellow humans have no impact on the outcomes of others. We are avoiding responsibility for direct and indirect actions. We are avoiding responsibility for immediate impact and delayed and cumulative impacts. We are denying someone is responsible for the good or bad behavior of a child who has not reached the age of majority.
When we believe in these fallacies there are no innocent victims. Hell, there are no victims and no criminals based on this flawed thinking. Everything happens as it should.
Test after test proves these statements to be false. If they were true, criminals would not succeed to the extent they have in the past several centuries of human history. No one religiously devout would suffer tragedy. Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson and Cynthia Wesley would have had an equal opportunity to live. Children the world over would be protected from parental disease, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and racially.
Inconsistency Rejoicing In The Misfortune Of Others
"Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him." (Proverbs 24:17–18 KJV).
”And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.” (Deuteronomy 28:63)
Ignore Ancestors, Invite Misfortune (Selected Passages)
For those who embrace their human cultural origins, ancestors “are at the core of all harmony or disharmony in society.” “The causes of all good deeds, fertility as reflected in the abundance of harvest or the productivity of women, and joy of family are the result of the ancestors. One could also say that all misfortunes, misdeeds, famines, and difficulties of living are caused by the ancestors in African religion. Nothing in society is immune from the influence of ancestors.” (1)
”At the base of all misfortune, however small, in someone’s life is a disorder in the human universe. Someone is responsible. Nothing occurs as misfortune without the intervention of humans.” (2)
”Any evil deed or misfortune such as theft does not just happen to one person, it happens to a community. Therefore, calamities are not distinguished by their scope.” (3)
”The transition into the spiritual realm starts during life, when individuals are moral and generous. Thus, they can look forward to continuing to be a member of their family as an ancestor. Ancestors can offer protection and guidance and, in return, are given life through the acts of remembrance by their families. It is believed that once an individual is no longer mentioned by name or remembered, they become a part of the collective immortality. Those who do not transition into the world of spirits as an ancestor are those who are not properly mourned or remembered, did not have children, or engaged in evil practices. These dead will not be in any position to assist the family and, in fact, can cause misfortune to the community in general.” (4)
”The ancestors are believed to be able to neutralize all evil and prevent all misfortunes. They certainly preside over fertility, as manifested in the birth of children and cattle, as well as plentiful crops. The ancestors assist the living because they want to be remembered. Neglect of the ancestors may cause the living to experience great misfortune and sickness.” (5)
Related:
Unit Three: Studying Africa through the Humanities - Module Fourteen: Religion in Africa - Student's Edition - Activity Two: Indigenous African Religions: ExploreOur Fatal Flaw – The Absence Of Harmony. The Root Cause Of Many Problems.
Notes:
(1) Asante, Molefi Kete and Mazama, Ama Editors, “Encyclopedia Of African Religion,” (2009) p. 52 (Also p. 25, 236, 309, 423, 506, 548, 574, 623, 654, 676, 738, 745).(2) Asante and Mazama, p. 84.
(3) Asante and Mazama, p. 149.
(4) Asante and Mazama, p. 195.
(5) Asante and Mazama, p. 385.
