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Title: Keeping the Faith: Religious diversity threatened by intolerance
Source:
The Rebel Yell
URL Source: http://unlvrebelyell.com/2009/02/05 ... ity-threatened-by-intolerance/
Published: Feb 7, 2009
Author: Haley Etchison
Post Date: 2009-02-07 12:08:40 by Ferret Mike
Keywords: None
Views: 250
Comments: 2
No matter how exclusive your religious beliefs, if you want to continue to enjoy religious freedoms you have to respect the rights of others. Certainly no group is exempt from the possibility of unprovoked attack, but it is only logical that the one who flouts the rights of others will soon be subject to recompense. Christians are being slaughtered in South India not because they offended their attackers themselves, but because they are seen as members of a culture of abuse and oppression that Hindus remember from decades past. Good Hindu men were murdered, their women raped and their children beaten by British colonists under the blasphemed name of the Christian God. The perpetrators were never punished for their crimes but their grandchildren are killed every day for being associated with the philosophy that was used to justify their atrocities. These are the results of blind rejection of religious freedom. Many Americans have voiced displeasure with Obama’s acknowledgement of our country’s diversity during his inaugural address. He said, “We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus and nonbelievers.” But some wish he had stopped after the first six words. Apart from being ridiculous simply for its air of fruitless denial, the call for a mono-faith nation implicit in this objection is a marker for future destruction. I ask these opponents of constitutional freedom of religion, “are you prepared to risk the rights of your prosperity?” Exclusive beliefs can be elegant and well-reasoned – exclusivity in itself is not the problem. The issue is not even really with the lack of recognition of the equally logical natures of different philosophies. The fact that some American Christians are willing to risk their own rights by attacking the liberty of others is the most troublesome meaning of the conflict. Perhaps they are unaware of world events and basic human reason that they believe their overextension of their faith to smother others will go unpunished? History has shown time and time again that abused peoples will not long stand for mistreatment and that the purveyors of ideas that sow inequality do not go unpunished. Surely, we are thankful enough to God for the protection we enjoy to keep from speaking against the very basis of our freedom to worship. If we reject the rights of others, we have no love for justice if we expect our own freedom to survive. Whether one faith is more correct than another is of little importance when human rights are in danger, for when there is no one left to believe the truth it will not matter that the last was lost to the anger of the people he disgraced. KEEPING THE FAITH is a column about religion and philosophy that seeks to open constructive discussion about our most important beliefs. It appears every Thursday.
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#1. To: Ferret Mike, All (#0)
There are any number of groups that have just cause for bad feelings about "christianity" and other religions. All of our worst crimes were either done in the name of "god", or done by atheists that deny and tried to crush any mention of God. The only thing that shouldn't be "tolerated" are criminal actions where others are physically harmed. Leave a persons beliefs out of it.
Click for Privacy and Preparedness files The good and decent people in your family die young and yet a POS Traitor like you keeps on wasting resources. Go figure
4um Traitor
#2. To: ferret mike (#0)
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
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