I Cogitate
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Religious Politicization
Not that anyone has a tally but there have been
and are as many demagogues, and worse, of just about any faith.
That's one of the problems--you can't stop anyone from espousing and
twining his or her faith, or interpretations of such, with oxymoronic
pronouncements or acts that give religions a 'black eye.'
In 2004, it's intriguing that a large and growing number of Americans are adamantly pushing for and voting for United States government, law, culture and society to adhere to Biblical teachings, describing this as appropriate due to America being a Christian nation and because such guidelines offer the most moral way to live. Many also wish to have our dominant faith--Christianity--taught in public education, along with instituting school prayer.
But isn't this the flipside of an Islamic theocracy? Government and religion exclusively bound.
And for schools, the similarity to Islamic madras-type educational institutions is compelling.
Wouldn't such moves actually be yet another smudge vilifying one of the world's religions?
Ironically, having a country ruled by religious dictates, with no requirement of reason and rationalism, is a governing system our current elected national leaders dramatically oppose in various other nations around the world, including Iraq.
Does it all boil down to ownership of that ever-so-elusive gift called truth? Name a religion or a belief system and it comes with truth attached. Both Islam and Christianity have many branches and, therefore, many differing interpretations of truth to offer but each is the "righteous" one.
In Islam, Usama bin Laden espouses his murderous interpretation of Islam, as does Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Imam Mehdi Bray, and countless others profess and embrace their particular versions.
In Christianity, there are religious sects of Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran and Baptist faithful, along with numerous others. And we in this country have endured Jimmy Swaggart's fall from supposed grace, Jerry Falwell's compassionless ramblings, overtly racist scripture, along with an incurable affront to holiness in slavery.
So how would this work? Which 'guiding principles' should we adopt here in America? Or do we somehow institutionalize each and then teach them all? Talk about crusades that would result!
Irshad Manri, in her book "The Trouble With Islam," asks: "...Who is the real colonizer of Muslims--America or Arabia? Why are we squandering the talents of women, fully half of God's creation? How can we be so sure that homosexuals deserve ostracism--when the Koran states that everything God made is 'excellent,?" Questions Americans should be pondering about Christianity.and some of its interpretations.
Any moves or proposals to inject any non-secular doctrinairism as the dominant paradigm of everyday American life are consciously or unconsciously for political, monetary or authoritarian gain--not for some greater personal or societal good.
Unfortunately, that is too much and too often the sad history of the world and simply unacceptable. Non-secular doctrinairism isn't a necessity for a moral life. Case closed.
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