World Affairs
Politics & OpinionsBy Jonathan
11 months ago
A dangerous attack on the American Bill of Rights has begun to show up on right wing blogs. Some posts go so far as to advocate denying First Amendment protection to the Muslim faith. Others go further and assert, "In America we must start by banning Islam and outlawing Muslim schools and the Quran. Then we must deport or imprison those who teach and/or practice Islam." These attitudes are intolerable.
No one has the right to decide whether another American's belief system is a religion. The words of the First Amendment, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion," precludes our government from discriminating against any religions. What could be a worse discrimination against a specific belief system than to legislate that it doesn't "qualify" as a religion at all.
We have a responsibility to judge individuals by their actions, not by the books they read. For example, when the United States decided to outlaw polygamy, Mormons were simply forbidden to follow the (then current) dictates of their book. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
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World AffairsPolitics & OpinionsBy Jonathan
11 months ago
I find three major reasons to purge all thoughts and feelings of vengeance from my life:
1. It is abhorrent to the value systems I honor.
2. Lusting after vengeance raises my blood pressure, makes me physically and emotionally unhealthy, and causes my life to be dominated by suffering rather than joy.
3. It doesn't work. Whether personal or international, vengeance begets more vengeance in an unending cycle.
The Buddha says, "Hate is never conquered by hate, Hate is only conquered by love."
Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:38-39,43-44)
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World AffairsPolitics & OpinionsBy Jonathan
11 months ago
President Obama's peaceful outreach in the Middle East has been received poorly by a few bigoted and hate-filled Americans who selectively quote passages from the Quran in an attempt to demonstrate that violence is demanded by the tenets of Islam. Is some of the Quran less than peaceful? Of course, this is a book written more than a millennium ago. For comparison, let's look at another ancient book.
While the Bible certainly contains passages, especially in the New Testament, that promote compassion and love toward fellow humans, there are a number of quotations from the Old Testament that are fully as dangerous-sounding as anything in the Quran.
Here's a little from Exodus 21, including the "eye for an eye" passage:
20 "If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, 21 but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property.
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