Posted: Jun 27, 2007, 1:59 PM CST
In response to:
I'm sorry, but to suggest religion is the problem is just not accurate. People with certain TWISTED religious convictions often carry out these disgraceful crimes, but they are not true to their respective faiths.
There is a small grain of truth in that certain cults/ religions do foster murder; take a close look at the cult of Khali in 19th cent. India under the British; aka "stranglers". They lived to murder, simple as that, especially against the Brits and "unbelievers". The British military finally resorted to total force trying to wipe them out. Those that stood trial were, basically convicted of "a religion unfit to be practised", as others have. This cult still exists, but is no longer murdering people, of any particular nationality or religion. Why do you suppose that is? Were their original leaders wrong? They have made no such declaration. Neither have any leaders of other existing religions; yes the Pope has apologized for past events and so far he remains the only one. All religions have "over zelous" activists, as it were. Certainly the murderous revenge obsessed "Yahweh" of the Old Testament is one of the bloodiest so called Gods of history as were his followers of those times. No one has stepped forward to apologize for the crimes of genocide carried out under his teachings ...as interpreted by his priests...why not? People still believe in Yahweh, but they aren't on the rampage, at least not under a "religious" banner; some may argue that , actually they are under the guise of a political belief called Zionism...is that so far fetched....certainly not to its untold thousands of victims...
Should there be a world synod of all the religious leaders to formally draw up a sort of 10 Commandments of what makes for "a good" religion and what doesn't?? Not much chance of that is there, as the delegations would be rather large simply because, for the exception of the Pope, there is no one leader for any religion any longer. The Muslims as a whole had one until Israel branded him a criminal and put a bounty on his head: The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, he was the closest to "the Muslim Leader that all respected and revered; the Protestants, have no single leader; too many denominations and degrees of protests; Hindus simply do not believe in one head, the closest would be the Dalai Lama to represent them and the world's Buddhists. Interesting concept, but unworkable. So who would, could, can speak for all others? It would be a literal madhouse if tried, though the idea is interesting to try and come up with what can constitute "an acceptable religion" for all peoples; but this implies a world religion...and all the ramifications of such a radical concept; maybe just an agreement between all, that no more killing be done in any religions name; forget trying to enforce this for the time being...one step at a time...watch out for the landmines...they're everywhere.....