April 23, 2007

POLITICS AND RELIGION ON THE SUBCONTINENT

Don't imagine that the United States is the only country struggling with a shifting boundary between religion and politics. The same struggle is going on in India, as this report notes. I tend to keep track of such things in India more than in other countries because I spent two years of my boyhood there. It was a time that showed me that people of many different faiths could live together in relative harmony.

* * *

TOWARD A MORE PEACEFUL WORLD

If you've never heard of a group called Religions for Peace -- USA, have a careful look at the Web site today.

RFP-USA will be sponsoring one of its interfaith academies for emerging religious leaders in Kansas City from June 13 to 27. The deadline for submitting an application to participate (it's open just to leaders of faith communities) officially was April 20, but officials tell me there still are a few slots open and applications will be accepted until early May. To download an application, click here. But even if you aren't going to attend this academy, it's still the sort of program I think the world needs more of and that is worth knowing about.

As you can see by reading about the history of this organization, it grew out of an international body more than 30 years ago, and today is quite active in many ways. RFP-USA's list of member religious bodies does not include everybody and his grandmother (my Presbyterian denomination is not listed, for instance), but it's quite broad.

Sometimes I feel like a broken record talking about the importance of such interfaith groups, but in a world often set aflame by religiously motivated violence, I think it's crucial that we all understand each other better. As I've said before, the goal is to respect one another at least enough not to kill one another. That seems like a simple goal, but we're not even that far yet.

So have a look at RFP-USA today and be aware that it's one more effort to bring some sane discussion to matters of religion.

To read my latest Kansas City Star work, click here.

PS: And speaking of peace, there will be a Kansas City event about Darfur at noon this coming Sunday, April 29, at the Plaza Library. It's sponsored by the group called Save Darfur. Have a look.

Comments

[Dolores Lear]

How many more religious groupings are we going to make, before we understand Original Sin?

It has divided people ever since Adam and Eve reproduced by Body, and all people since have a good and evil mixture of traits, and a genetic disease mixture.
That combined with the environment we are born into, of parents and friend with different good and evil traits, it makes for a sad killing history for our Home Planet Earth.

This new grouping will not get any more accomplished than any other eccumenical movement. We just keep on dividing and dividing and dividing, looking for what? The Truth of why we are such a mixed up Society?
Could Body Reproduction have anything to do with it, since we now know Humans can be reproduced Pure-bred by High Tech?

This is also GOD's Way to make Humans. GOD joins the egg and sperm in a High Tech Womb or in the female womb. Why are Fallen Humans made in the female womb so against High Tech Reproduction and High Tech 'regeneration'? Because it is not God's Way? The Gods that started Life on Earth did use High Tech reproduction for the Adam and Eve Clone Colony.

So why do Fallen Humans say High Tech Birth is not God's Way? Because we lost the High Tech knowledge of Colonization and Reproduction After Body Birth?

[kayceewolf]

An interesting comment in the story from India:

Making a distinction between tolerance and communal harmony, Manmohan Singh said he valued harmony more than tolerance.

“Of course, harmony requires tolerance but harmony is more than just tolerance. There can be tolerance of an unequal, but there can be harmony only between equals,” he said. “Harmony requires mutual respect. One can be tolerant of another, without being respectful. This cannot produce harmony. True harmony is based on mutual respect and regard.”

“The idea of equality is important,” he said.

****************

I've always thought "tolerance" was a weak sort of word. I can think of relatives, coworkers, etc., who I tolerate ... but that doesn't mean I don't seethe inside when they are around. I like Singh's take on harmony because, as he rightly points out, it puts the issue in the realm of equality rather than trying to enforce a truce between people's beliefs or likes.

[Patricia]

Good points, KCWolf. And kudos to Singh for his support of secular government.

[Dolores Lear]

Until we have Equality in Birth, we will only have tolerance, not harmony. Harmony sounds good, but hard to Live it, with all the Unbalanced Bodies, Lifestyles, religions, governments and different skin colors. Until we become On Nation with Equality for All on the whole planet, we keep up with tolerance, and that not very often. All we hear about is wars and rumors of wars. Is that tolerance? It's not harmony.

[Ron]

"I like Singh's take on harmony because, as he rightly points out, it puts the issue in the realm of equality rather than trying to enforce a truce between people's beliefs or likes."

Here's yet another example of why interfaith activities are much more than Bill likes to admit. Most are not just to attain understanding so "we don't kill each other." No Christian is going to truthfully claim that Christianity and other religions are equal. To deny the Christian faith in this way by granting equality to false religions and false gods is wrong.

[kayceewolf]

Jeez, Ron, we were beginning to wonder where you were. I even checked the online "Rapture Index" at http://www.raptureready.com/rap2.html just to make sure the Raputre happened and none of us unworthy folks missed it. ;-)

[Patricia]

Ron has been busy back on the weekend blog worrying about God's sex. That's when he hasn't been worrying that an unbaptized baby might creep into Heaven.

I don't think that one has to "equalize" religions in order to treat the adherents of a religion as equal. There's a difference. Do you recognize the equality(as in government) of Catholics, Christians, Jews, and secular humanists, Ron?

[corbin]

What is equality Patricia?

[Ron]

I recognize their eqaulity in government, yes. Ours is a secular government, so it really doesn't matter what your religion is.

BTW, Lutherans don't do the "pre-tribulation" rapture thing. That's the baptimethocostals.

[Dolores Lear]

KC and Patricia,
Thanks for the Humor. I call more than tolerance, that is Harmony.

[Dolores Lear]

Ron.
I disagree with our government as being secular, I think the USA government has too many Christian rituals and holidays, to be called secular.

The last half of your last post was humor harmony too.

[Betsy]

Just finished an amazing book "Secularity and the Gospel" by Ronald Rolheiser. He points out that the gifts of a secular society and there are many - are really the children of the Judeo Christian sciptures. And that the secular society is a means of allowing people of faith to be just that - people of faith. The antithesis to secular society is not church - but fundamentalism of any ilk. Not church, but Taliban, not Islam, but the ones who see only God's judgment instead of God's mercy.