A modest critical thinking in relation to the concept of religious freedom
[... followed by an equally modest eulogy of liberalism]
Mea culpa . I should have been more cautious, but there are fallen. I started a discussion in detail the relationship between Islam and freedom (and so, some time ago, I discussed with specific examples of the relationship between Catholicism and Freedom). And discuss in detail means to stimulate research by the interlocutor of counterexamples. For an imam who gives the
death fatwa against Salman Rushdie, there is one they stayed in his house to protect it. For someone who does not move a finger against female circumcision, there is one that is mitered to the contrary. And so on. For us, a priest who thunders against homosexuals, there is one who hopes even legal recognition (rare, but possible). And so on.
I linger still a paragraph on female genital mutilation. The persistence of infibulation, as I speak, we have, after all, in society permeated by Islam. Since this practice is abhorrent and cruel, and also has no scriptural basis (in fact, I remember that there are evidences to the contrary in the tradition as the behavior of the Prophet with his daughters), it is assumed that in a society, again, heavily influenced by religion, such a custom should be gone for a while '. If
remained (and remains) so long means that authorities can influence it more (that is, those religious ) have moved little . This insensitivity, I believe - an insensitivity to the woman who (I suspect) is structural in Islam (as in his religious sisters or sisters if you like). Since from a purely anatomical point of view, what characterizes a woman is the possession (
inter alia ) Of a vagina, if it continues a practice designed to maim and that also proves to be the bearer of diseases and mechanical problems (not even speak of the woman's pleasure, if you bother: just procreative union), well, if it persists Such despite being painful and unnecessary, and this has been for generations and generations of women, it is really that there is a very good dose of indifference and inertia to impede the removal. And even more responsible are those religious authorities who have the power to shape opinions and thus behavior. And
doubly responsible if the practice goes against religion.
In the debate between me and the two readers of faith islamica sembra emergere uno strano Islam . Siamo abituati, in Occidente, a parlare di Paesi islamici. Ora si scopre, discutendo con queste gentili interlocutrici, che
in realtà, quei Paesi, davvero “islamici” non sono, perché se lo fossero ben altri sarebbero i comportamenti e le leggi vigenti . Insomma, l’Islam sarebbe in qualche modo assente e presente. Se un comportamento è criticato lo si distacca immediatamente dalla religione dicendo “ma quello non è il vero Islam”. Bene, dico io, questo è consolante. Allora dobbiamo presupporre che l’Islam sia un atteggiamento tutto sommato a mal partito in quegli Stati (e sono tanti) dove si governa sulla base di una discendenza and where the Prophet is accompanied by the name of the State, the adjective "Islamic". So far, in line hypothetical, I can follow you. If there is a possibility of translating Islam in politics, so that it does not necessarily go hand in hand with authoritarianism (but I doubt it) and a series of bad uses such as the death penalty, el ' oppression of non-co-religionists, so be it. But, again, due to the content of the Qur'an (
in particular its central concept of jihad , which also allows concrete and violent interpretation ) I have little confidence. Grant me that at least in centuries of history has not really had much demonstration of such a possibility.
This game of hide and seek
("Yes, that behavior X is horrible but that's not true Islam / Christianity / Judaism / Communities, please note that in fact the case of Muslim / Christian / jew / communist that he / she said exactly the Unlike X ... ") applies to all faiths
. You do not come to an end (although, I repeat, then the sum total of historical responsibilities down talk of religions).
I'm still willing to discuss in detail the individual behaviors, individual verses and individual interpretations. But for now we leave in a corner this spring-and-rolls and we also see the What a couple of other perspectives. That individual first.
Religion has no doubt an important role in the spirituality of the individual, for its balance. Our readers have mentioned the relief that a conversion, embracing a faith entails. And I deeply understand these sentiments, and even more confusion and anguish of those who preceded them and respect them for it.
A faith gives great power . Surely the days are more peaceful for those who believe in a Supreme Being who sees and provides, for those who trust in the ultimate justice or who are convinced of the individual survival of the soul after death.
Only that faith gives strength eccessiva . Poiché si tratta, in origine, del rapporto individuale con un Essere Superiore,
si finisce col legittimare tutto quello che a quell’Essere, alle Sue parole, è fatto risalire . Parole che però si contraddicono, o tra religione e religione o all’interno di una stessa religione quando vi sono nei testi sacri diverse interpretazioni possibili (e dove non ci sono?). Nonostante questo (e passiamo dalla prospettiva individuale a quella collettiva) si comincia col tracciare una linea tra fedele e infedele, la linea diventa dislivello di valori, e poi ci si sente giustificati ad ammazzare o almeno opprimere e disprezzare il secondo. E’ spesso stato detto, riprendendo una citazione (Misinterpreted) of Dostoevsky, that atheism is to be rejected because, without God, anything is possible. Acutely did however observe a contemporary French philosopher,
because there is no God, everything becomes possible . Dire
Deus vult, but sha 'Allah becomes the blanket to cover every wickedness and cement to reinforce the status quo each
harmful to anyone, individual or cateogorie.
Religion creates unpleasant elective affinities (to use an understatement
). Our young reader and interlocutor Asyia Fatima is very likely to be a loving and gentle person, but on his blogs we also find room for Osama bin Laden, which, of course, is not a balanced picture and harmless. Some time ago one of our Catholic readers, which is certainly far from meeting the colonial wars or expulsion of Jewish communities, proved lenient towards a movement that mixes Catholicism (a little) and fascism (a lot) because basically they are co-religionists.
And again. You may also think that September 11 is not a purely religious event of the matrix, which is an event of war (and hence political) with a veneer of Islam, but certainly, if someone had the guts to crash into a villain by skyscraper out of many people is high because was extremely sure of finding something wonderful after death. And also, if they believed
a bit 'less and immortality of the soul to heaven, much less young and ignorant American soldiers headed off to shoot the inhabitants of countries that would not be able to find on a map outline . I know it sounds idealistic, but perhaps the wars as the Iraq war would stop, despite the high wages, though there was some sort of objection mass due to the fear of losing, with the skin, really all there is to lose .
Religions tell us so that the human being is weak and fallible, in comparison to the Supreme Being, but then, alas, justify all the actions that, by that human weak and fallible, are perpetrated in the name of the Supreme same. Never mind that there is a central authority (the Pope) or that there are many (like the wise of Islam - which is even worse because it increases the confusion), what matters is that, in the name of God, those authorities did not budge an inch. God becomes the tool of any doctrinaire stiffening.
In this sense, the concepts of kindness, tolerance and freedom which are derived from religion and lived by their representatives, although in fact positive, however distorted, sick. Il liberalismo arriva ad un concetto di rispetto che è di ben altra fattura. Occorre dare spazio ad ognuno perché, ciascuno, potenzialmente, potrebbe avere ragione, fallibili e deboli come siamo. Che ciascuno sia ascoltato, che ciascuno contribuisca, che nessuno ammazzi od opprima nessuno in nome della propria posizione. Per dirla con von Hayek “La libertà è l’essenziale per far posto all’imprevedibile e all’impredicibile; ne abbiamo bisogno perché, come abbiamo imparato, da essa nascono le occasioni per raggiungere molti dei nostri obiettivi.
Siccome ogni individuo sa poco, e, in particolare, raramente sa chi di noi sa fare meglio, ci affidiamo agli sforzi indipendenti e concorrenti dei molti to propitiate the birth of what we desire when we see "[1].
E 'reasoning with a fund of appreciation for the chance: one hundred schools should not compare it to flourish and then crush them better (as he did in China who made use of this metaphor), but because we humbly recognize that each other may be right, the more you contribute the more you raise the chances of improvement.
E 'appreciation of the cooperation, mutual aid, higher education, paradoxically, that of communism . And many schools will contradict and, perhaps, as theologians and wise men of religion, but none will be entitled to knife or marginalize those belonging to another. We share the bizarre and perhaps even sad human condition. Let's listen and possibly give us a hand, and that no one tells us that his personal relationship with a Higher Being (which may also exist, who knows) authorizes him to weigh only an ounce more than the others.
Communism is not about God, but
not even be aware of the fallibility and limitations of the human being as his essential (that is a kind of paradise end of the story), so then is embarrassed to explain why historical events have arisen as a communist or have failed diverted.
Liberalism concedes, however, that we are made of hardwood and wrong, hard to shape, and avoids any
personality cult or super-personality, therefore, did not even embarrassing to acknowledge that there may be (and must be fought! ) or its deviant forms in which pretext of "liberalism" is the name. And do not apologize because in the end there is a similarity at least verbal or a distant relationship.
Valete.
[1] Friedrich A. von Hayek, The
free society, cit. in D. Antiseri,
Preface to FA von Hayek, Individualism
: the real one and the false, Rubbettino 1997 (Italian edition of
Individualism: true and false , 1949), p. 29.
{Yes, Beiderbecke, I shall return, but see now that I treasure!}