From: twm27@isuvax.iastate.edu
Subject: Re: What is the problem?
Reply-To: twm27@isuvax.iastate.edu
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 23:48:24 GMT

In article <1jn5voINN71b@calvin.usc.edu>, alves@calvin.usc.edu (William Alves) writes:
>In article <1993Jan21.164156.10837@cs.cornell.edu> donsw@cs.cornell.edu (Donald Wihardja) writes:
>>In article <1jl83gINNoro@calvin.usc.edu> alves@calvin.usc.edu (William Alves) writes:
>>>Silence and censorship create the kind of
>>>ignorance and lack of communication that promotes stereotypes and intol-
>>>erance. Religious prejudice and other forms of bias are overcome by knowing
>>>members of other religions as people, by trying to understand (if not agree
>>>with) their belief systems and customs, and by openly communicating.
>
>>Well, I just think that the topic is one of those that both side cannot 
>>agree on as it is the fundamental belief in each side. (If Jesus is the
>>Son of God, Islam is bogus, if not, Christianity is bogus.) So there is
>>no point in spending effort discussing it.
>
>Proselytization is not the only possible reason for discussion of religious
>issues. One of them is the understanding of culture without necessarily
>wanting or needing to adopt that culture yourself. I think that religion
>is one of the most fundamental aspects of culture and is appropriate, even
>crucial, to discussion of a culture as we have in this newsgroup.
>
>In parts of the United States, some people have the idea that Muslims are
>warlike, intolerant zealots with towels on their heads, that they support
>terrorism, international agression, and barbaric forms of punishment. Such
>an attitude has ramifications far outside of religion itself - it shapes
>public support for foreign policy; discrimination in employment, housing,
>and services; even who one's child plays with.
>
>One can try to legislate against religious discrimination, but until the
>fundamental attitudes change, the problems will remain. One can teach
>people that Muslims are normal people, that their religion supports peace
>and tolerance, that they teach the equality of humankind. When people
>get to know Muslims, they will see that they are mostly just as friendly,
>intelligent, and non-violent as most Christians. This cannot happen without
>open discussion and experience of each other's culture, including religion.
>
>Oh a government can try to segregate religions and races, to tightly con-
>trol expression and speech related to religion and race, and may even
>succeed for a time to hold disparate peoples together with a minimum of
>violence. But as is tragically obvious in Bosnia, Croatia, Azerbaijan,
>and many, many other places around this world, such an approach does not
>make the problems go away. It just allows the blind, unreasoning anger
>to build until the problem finally explodes.
>
>>Basically, its just bad timing, that's all.
>
>I live in Los Angeles, and I know first-hand how prejudice and social
>inequities can erupt into massive violence - in this case the worst
>riots in the United States in this century. The main problems were racial,
>not religious, but I think the principle holds. My response could have
>been (like others I know), to move to an all-white neighborhood or city
>and avoid the discussion of racial issues altogether. I could bring up
>my child trying to insulate her from other races and prohibit the discussion
>of issues of race. However, this would only serve to ingrain misunder-
>standings and bias in yet another generation. It would only be a matter
>of time before Los Angeles exploded again. Instead, I live in a multi-
>ethnic neighborhood. I will expect my child to go to a multiethnic school
>and read from both the Bible and the Quran, as well as many other points
>of view.
>
>>>Then, to me, the answer is more education and the teaching of religious
>>>tolerance.
>
>>You know, I believe that "religious tolerance" stems out of the fact that
>>many people don't VERY FIRMLY believe in religion anymore.
>
>I have known people of extremely firm convictions who held no prejudices
>towards people of other faiths. In fact, while both Christianity and Islam
>teach prosetylization, they also teach tolerance and friendship. A true
>believer should look upon a non-believer with pity and love, not anger.
>
>>As for the role of education: Education/scientific knowledge makes people
>>believe less in God than in laws of nature.
>
>I can recall nowhere in any body of scientific knowledge where it states
>that God does not exist or offers any evidence to believe in God or not.
>Many great scientists are very firmly religious. One thing that education
>can do is to teach people to think for themselves and respect the fact
>that others may come to different conclusions.
>
>Bill Alves

        Your views are nice. But to hold such views and protect it one
must also behave in a prosetylizing way otherwise such person would cease
to exist?
	
    	Somewhere along the line one must fall into a group or form
a group of their own. One cannot remain neutral in whatever situation
one encounters. If one were to do so, one would have to forsake some
virtues that one believes. And one is back to square one, that is choose
a stand and defend it.



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