Religion

[ng ld]

> > Once upon a time there was a generation in the USA that considered Zen 
>and
> > Buddhism as something very beautiful, some who regarded the wisdom of 
>Islam
> > as very valuable for their life and the claim for tolerance of Sufism as
> > something that could help our modern world without forcing anybody to 
>deny
> > his culture or religion.
> > It's not so long ago, at least some of them should be still alive.
> > I know, though not for sure, that even some of them are here.
> >
> > Otto


Hyperbolic characterizations of religion,
be it of Islam
or Catholicism, continue to
create and sustain ignorance and fear.
And  even when these are
directed at political targets, targets
that are considered by those
that consider themselves tolerant of "other" religions,
to be  intoleratnt or outrihgt hostile to "other" religions
(i.e. the Labor Secretary) these only do more to
cause local communities to
limit and or prevent religious groups from
worship and religious practice.
Hyperbolic characterizations of
the so called "religious right" or the
so called "Amen corner" or the so called
"worshipers of the Pope" or the so called
"Islamic fundamentalist
radicals" or the so called "charlatanical gurus"
serves nothing except to feed the existing hate and fear
born of ignorance and perpetuated by hyperbolic
characterization and vilification of religions.

How one can read Pynchon's use of the Herero
as justification for the vilification of
Christianity I don't know.




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