Enlightened Chains, pg. 16
able to deflect hatred away from a direct action against the state and towards other states - typically Israel and the US, but also Indonesia, Spain, and many others.
But all religions have their own sects of fundamentalists that see all movement towards secularism as a de facto challenge to their religion. Jewish fundamentalists prod the government of Israel to not only subject the Palestinians to, in some cases, horrible living conditions, but to provoke them by extending Israeli settlements further into disputed territory. Hindu fundamentalists in India, such as the Sangh Parivar, have been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Muslims and Christians in the Indian Subcontinent over the past few years.
All of these groups have one fundamental goal - to return to some mythical Golden Era where their religion was the single unifying force for society. What is not generally discussed is the inherent contradiction of trying to push a modern society into a pre-modern mold. Like a Luddite coveting a flashlight while decrying the use of evil technology by all other members of society, they are so blinded by their own fear that they cannot see the simple truth that their religion has already proven itself able to live side-by-side with science. The fact that their religions continue to grow bear this out.
In fact, it is probably a direct result of the Enlightenment that these religions still thrive today. Over and again, Enlightenment writers taught tolerance for religious differences. If, for example, the Muslim world had not acted as a buffer between Christendom and Hindu societies; then it is highly likely that the Crusades would only have been the precursor of a world-wide religious wars. Like the Thirty Years War in Europe, all of the world would have descended into a mad rush to conquer two competing
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But all religions have their own sects of fundamentalists that see all movement towards secularism as a de facto challenge to their religion. Jewish fundamentalists prod the government of Israel to not only subject the Palestinians to, in some cases, horrible living conditions, but to provoke them by extending Israeli settlements further into disputed territory. Hindu fundamentalists in India, such as the Sangh Parivar, have been responsible for the deaths of thousands of Muslims and Christians in the Indian Subcontinent over the past few years.
All of these groups have one fundamental goal - to return to some mythical Golden Era where their religion was the single unifying force for society. What is not generally discussed is the inherent contradiction of trying to push a modern society into a pre-modern mold. Like a Luddite coveting a flashlight while decrying the use of evil technology by all other members of society, they are so blinded by their own fear that they cannot see the simple truth that their religion has already proven itself able to live side-by-side with science. The fact that their religions continue to grow bear this out.
In fact, it is probably a direct result of the Enlightenment that these religions still thrive today. Over and again, Enlightenment writers taught tolerance for religious differences. If, for example, the Muslim world had not acted as a buffer between Christendom and Hindu societies; then it is highly likely that the Crusades would only have been the precursor of a world-wide religious wars. Like the Thirty Years War in Europe, all of the world would have descended into a mad rush to conquer two competing
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© 2004 by Xpatriated Texan
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