What's funny is that you are so quick to ascribe very liberal interpretations to Islam and yet so quick to say that Judaism is very restrictive.
BTW - your prior post was a great one, just so you don't think I am always attacking you. I thought your interpretation with respect to Islam really gave me a perspective that I often don't see here.
However, Judaism today and I'm sure one can argue similarly for almost any modern religion is more a freedom of choice. Yes, you have the Orthodox who are very dogmatic almost to the point of having more in common with an ayatollah than a modern Jew. For the most part, religion as a function of what people believe today, Judaism is very liberal and basically provides that it is evolving with the people. Without going into complexities of Orthodox v Conservative v Reform v Reconstruction v 15 people who get together in their homes every week, it's really what you want is what you get.
There are deep divisions from one end to the other and this is typical in all modern religions. I don't find a major advantage strictly in one religion over another. One can find restrictions and bases for hatred and looking down upon others. Similarly, one can find love and respect and admiration of all peoples.
The focus on Islam, on message boards and in the Western news media, seems to be more because politics has become so intertwined with Islam. Whenever there is an issue, it becomes a "fatwah" or a "jihad." This is an attempt, in my opinion, to bring a voodoo doll a "higher calling" into the weaponry, to motivate the adolescent into falling for the 72 virgins perhaps.
I'm sure there is some nutty Rabbi or some Christian fundamentalist minister somewhere who says that "it's a holy war" to fight against Saddam. The difference is that most Jews and most Christians would laugh at that one, and, if it were reported in a newspaper, most readers would laugh. (Many, many people are being turned away from Bush in the US because of these issues which are starting to make front pages.) You certainly wouldn't get many Jews to blow themselves up for a promise of some extra bagels (ok virgins) and I certainly can't imagine what an equivalent promise would be for an extreme Christian fundamentalist. <vbg>
The concept of being "chosen" is something that is common in all religions. Again - it is a voodoo doll. If there is a deity, I can't imagine that deity putting one group over another by virtue of the way they wear their clothing or the number of genuflections, etc. I would imagine this deity would judge more how one treated his fellow humankind. I can't imagine using a child as a suicide weapon ever being met with a smile in a deity's "heaven." |
