Dr. Lou
I tend to agree to a certain point. How does the scripture and the history fit into the equation, though?
For me it's a certifiable pain in the ass. At any given time, for instance, people of certain religions bear certain potential dangers to me; how much I dwell on them, of course, speaks much about my state of mind. (Paranoia will destroy ya.)
But an annoying Christian in my face, for instance, is a sensitive call. If I can identify sect or faction, it helps with communication. If I understand something of the relationship between history, the paradigm itself, and the manifestation in any given person,
that helps with communication.
But I find I get along just fine, for instance, with Mormons, unless of course doctrinal points come into play. It is absolutely bizarre to listen to a woman argue that subordination of the gender is a privilege; kind of like a Republican in that sense. But that's the thing. As long as it's about the weather, and don't get me started about the bus schedules ....
But living in a political climate where Christianity was a daily factor for several years (Oregon, '91 - '96) I've come to have a fair amount of contact with Christians outside the church setting, and I've never been pleased by what I've found. I had originally thought it was just because I was at a Catholic school, or before that in a Lutheran confirmation class. But I've found that anywhere principles will meet, they will collide. I keep hoping for a way around that, but in the end, people are on pins and needles about ridiculously abstract ideas bearing consequences ridiculously out of proportion for their potential of practical application.
With something like Islam, it's even trickier; in addition to issues of culture, economy, and violence plaguing relations between groups, Islam bears the burden of being a monotheism in a field already spoiled by Christian manure. And trying to understand the scripture and history ... well, it involves a temporary adaptation of paradigm in order to sympathize with a culture that has long been viewed as foreign to the prevailing ideologies of my time.
Something else goes here, but
Friends just came on in the background and I must go destroy the television now.
:m:,
Tiassa