Posted by Jason on January 03, 1997 at 00:41:56:
In Reply to: The particular danger of some religions (Christianity and Islam) posted by Carlos Javier on January 02, 1997 at 04:06:54:
: The christians and the muslims believe that there is one, and ONLY one way to their god; i.e. their way. The christians believe that jesus christ is the only way to god, and that is their duty to see to it that all persons on this earth become christians. The muslims have the same sense of duty to bring all persons to follow mohammed, the seal of the prophets. There is no room in their programs for co-existence or tolerance. The fact that the infidels don't want to believe or are too smart to believe can not be allowed to stand in the way of the fulfillment of god's will for ALL humanity. Anyone who opposes their efforts, like biology teachers who dare to teach about evolution, are enemies of god and have thus forfeited any rights to clemency.
I think these are pretty sweeping statements. Not all Christians and Muslims believe
in these things. Just the hard line fundamentalists. Yes, I agree that conservative
Christians believe Jesus is the "only way" and that all who don't submit will be
roasted by their deity. Yes, it is a form of metaphysical chauvinism, but despite
this, many conservative Christians are interested in tolerance. In fact, I've learned
that many of them oppose anti-tolerance movements like the Christian Coalition and
the Christian Reconstruction movement.
: Yes, there are moderate christians and muslims who don't feel the need to evangelize. It's lucky for the rest of us that they are too lazy, selfish and complacent to take on the task that their religion demands of them. If they were true to their faith, they'd be making life hell for the rest of us right now.
This is an ad hominem attack. I know some liberal Christians and I have read some
of their literature. They are often very sincere and intelligent people. In fact,
I know four liberal Christians who were ex-fundamentalists who changed their
religious beliefs due to philosophical reasoning. Before making such statements about
liberal religionists, I highly recommend that you understand why they hold their
position. Perhaps engage in a conversation with a United Church minister. Maybe read
some books by Tom Harpur or Scott Peck (who argue for a liberal Christian perspective).
I don't agree with them, but from my assessment they offer a much more enlightened
and intelligent view of religion than fundamentalists. When you've done this, you'll
realize that sincere liberal religionist thinkers are anything but "lazy, selfish,
and complacent."
A crucial mistake people often make is an "us vs. them" mentality. That is, lumpinp a
particular group of people in a category and labelling them the enemy. If we did this
we may find ourselves as the barbarians at the gates. Remember, religion is not the
enemy, it is dogmatism.
- Jason