I've become rather fixated with the religious right, and their influence, and boneheadedness, that I've gone back and searched for those times in my life where I had a 'Eureka' moment. Reading the book the True Believer' by Eric Hoffer was one of those ephiphanies. According to the author this is who the true believer is:
"He's a guilt-ridden hitchhiker who thumbs a ride on every cause from Christianity to Communism. He's a fanatic, needing a Stalin (or Christ) to worship and die for. He's the mortal enemy of things-as-they-are, and he insists on sacrificing himself for a dream impossible to attain. He is today everywhere and on the march."
These words were first written in 1951, and have so much resonance in what is happening in the world today. The book is definitely worth a read to examine mass movements from Christianity to Islam, and how it affects nations and war. You might want to check out this website, and see what an incredible life this self-educated longshoremen and later University lecturer had.
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