Sumdunce
If you'll qualify that it appears to mostly be coming from the one faith, I'll agree. There are, as I'm sure you know, peaceful Muslims and those who decry the violence of the more extremist branches, and there are Christians (can you say Pat Robertson?) who are clearly off their rockers and in need of intervention.
That's a good point, and sort of highlights the question of whether religion, as practiced, reflects a society or determines a society. I happen to think they're more interrelated, but clearly there are vast cultural differences, sometimes codified by religious language, and sometimes which themselves determine the meaning of the language.
Well, unless you count the conservative churches who are openly political in their backing of the Republican party and all it stands for (and I happen to go to something like that, and be a registered Republican).
This is not, by the way, a knee jerk condemnation of the US or some PC approved multicultural "it's all relative" sort of stance. I just think that religions are important to people because they help make sense of what they see. When the west was less settled (so to speak) most of the Christianity practiced was a sterner, less forgiving kind, despite the relative gentleness of much of the NT. Shoot, there are even bloodthirsty Buddhists out there :-)
FRANCE is so screwed by Muslims...the worst is yet to comeFundamentalism in French Workplace Private employers wrestle with expressions of Islam, while study alleges criminal links. By Sebastian Rotella, Times Staff Writer PARIS - Employees set up clandestine prayer areas on the grounds of...
So attacking the religion as the sole or primary cause seems not only a waste of time to me, but seems likely to further polarize the issue. Of course, it might make someone feel better, more righteous, justified, etc -- but that's not a good barometer of truth.
Sunny
