Religious tolerance has been much in the news lately. I can hardly turn on the television, open a magazine or surf the net without encountering some news of outraged Christians protesting the perceived persecution of Christians by non-believers. Meanwhile, outraged Muslims riot in Europe over cartoon depictions of their prophet, Mohammed, in a Danish paper, while the left-of-center press in America demonstrates their solidarity with Islam and their religious tolerance by blaming the cartoonists (even while mildly issuing token statements deploring the violence and death that has accompanied the Muslim protests). In Iraq, American troops continue to pursue an elusive victory that has served to perpetuate conflict between the Sunni minority and the Shiite majority, while our government protests that we cannot withdraw because our withdrawal would lead to civil war. On our shores, religious leaders rush to put religious icons in public places, knowing that the ACLU will file suit, and the right-wing can win elections by running footage of the Ten Commandments being removed from yet another courthouse or schoolroom, thus branding their opponents “anti-Christian” and “against morality”. The moderate Christians, meanwhile, preach a doctrine of tolerance and pluralism, acceptance of diversity and opposing points of view, choosing to remain “above the fray” and accepting of all beliefs. Let’s remain neutral seems to be their rallying cry.
I have news for my moderate, neutral Christian friends. It’s too late. You can no longer remain neutral in this culture war. A line has been drawn in the sand, and you will be forced to choose sides. The two largest religions in the world are battling to control the soul of the globe, and the rest of us will be caught in the crosshairs. All the rhetoric of the “moderate” Christians and the “moderate” Muslims is meaningless, for they are no longer in control. The reins of power have been seized by the more extreme factions who believe that it is their duty to their God to convert the rest of the world, to bring “heretics” around to the “right” way of thinking. They will demand nothing short of total loyalty. Fail to choose sides, and you will become branded as “non-believers” with the rest of us - the Jews, the Hindus, the Buddhists, the Deists, the Wiccans, the Animists, the agnostics and atheists, and millions of practitioners of tribal religions around the globe. You will become the damned. You will join the rest of us in the category of “collateral damage”, and will become just as dispensable, since you will be one with the forces of “evil”. The battle between good and evil has begun, and you are inevitably a part of it. Which is only fair, because you, the moderates in your religions, are for the most part responsible for the onset of the worldwide holy war.
Thirty years ago, in the 1970s, moderate forces were for the most part in control in the halls of religion. Religious tolerance was a reality, and the extremist factions were nothing more than a grumbling minority that from time to time rose up to proclaim the end of civilization was near, and God’s wrath was about to befall us. As the tumultuous 1960s gradually gave way to the profit-enhancing 1980s, the grumbling minority quietly sat back and planned their strategy, while the religious giant slumbered in oblivious tranquility, brought on by the illusion of religious tolerance. Unfortunately, the tolerance that was so celebrated was just that - an illusion, enforced by political correctness and a post-modern view that all truths are equally valid, and therefore no belief should be criticized or belittled (except, of course, a skeptic’s belief that there may not be a deity at all - this small group has been constantly belittled throughout the entire recorded history of mankind). Discussions about the role of religion in society were acceptable only insofar as they were willing to acknowledge upfront that religion was, on the whole, good for society. Any religious “truth” had to be respected, even if not agreed with, because it was religious and therefore exempt from the same standards of critique and analysis that are brought to bear in most other fields of endeavor. A comedian making a joke that was perceived as “offensive” or “belittling” to any religious group would be righteously vilified in the press. Left-wing writers would say, of course we must support freedom of speech and the press, but oh, how could you possibly be so callous and cruel? Don’t you have any respect at all? Self-censorship became the norm. Few writers dared to speak out against the ongoing march of “religious tolerance” that became increasingly oppressive and repressive toward any public expression of non-belief. In spite of the deferential, reverential attitude shown to religious groups by the majority of the press, both right and left, Christians still perceive themselves as “persecuted”. Calls for apologies are myriad; apologies are usually quickly forthcoming from editors, retailers, and even academics for the slightest of perceived injuries. Meanwhile, atheists and perceived atheists continue to be vilified, vandalized, sabotaged, assaulted, and even killed by the righteous without any public outcry for “justice”.
Holy War. The words have been etched in my brain. We currently have a president leading the United States into battle under the aegis of a crusade. Few will admit it. Most prefer to believe it is a war solely over oil. The religious nature of the attack on the World Trade Center is downplayed in favor of the geopolitical theme of battle against colonialism. The rhetoric of the religious right in both the Christian world and the Muslim world is taken as so much hot air, a small but vocal minority blowing off a lot of steam. Few are willing to admit the obvious fact that is staring all of us in the face - that small but vocal minority is in control of the centers of power in not only the Arab world, but also in the western world. The religious right in America seized the White House and Congress; now they want, and are close to getting, the Supreme Court. Many states are busily passing laws that will make Christianity the de facto religion - in Missouri, they are mulling over a law that outright mandates that. Religious governments are in place throughout much of the Middle East, and are mobilizing to seize power in those few Muslim countries they do not yet control (with the indirect assistance of the imperialist Christian soldiers leading the United States). Brace yourselves. This is going to get ugly. You will have to decide soon which side of that line you want to be on, because they will not allow you to be neutral. Did you doubt them when they said “you’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists”? Don’t doubt them. Believe what they say. They really mean it.
The sacred books of both Christianity and Islam dictate the need to spread God’s word and establish God’s kingdom on Earth. This is frequently denied by the “moderate” factions in both religions, as well as by many non-believers who believe their safest course is to throw in with the religious left. Such denials are made possible only by a selective reading of these texts, where one rejects or simply refuses to see the many passages that mandate conversion by any means, including force if necessary. I applaud the efforts of the many mainstream Christians and Muslims who have attempted to redesign their religions in a more tolerant manner and take into account the dynamic needs of a fluid modern worldview, even while deploring the unspoken repression of dissent in the name of tolerance that has allowed the less tolerant view to prevail. It is time to drop the taboo against religious criticism, and openly discuss these issues in the public square. Biblical scholarship should not be restricted to the ivory towers of academia, but should be encouraged in the somewhat more egalitarian sanctuaries of the mainstream churches. Jokes and cartoons must no longer be seen as persecution. Failure to see your point of view must no longer be perceived as hostility. Instead of demanding apologies for comments you find insulting or offensive, open up a dialogue with the offender. You might find out something you didn’t know. You might be able to instruct them in something they didn’t know. Avoid proselytizing those you disagree with, and you might find them more open to listening to you. Avoid regarding those who disagree with you as expressing “hostility”, and you might find you are more open to listening to them. Most importantly, avoid sticking your head in the sand in order to hide from the bitter truth - a holy war is upon us, and the lines have been drawn. Choose sides. You can stand with the holy warriors bent on including everyone in “God’s kingdom” - or you can form an “unholy alliance” with the rest of us, the damned majority. Either way, you lose. Unless we can find a way to stop the holy war now.
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