Cam Ponders Religion and Humanity
Jun. 14th, 2003 02:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
misscamWho said Norwegians were dull?
Of course, after this was reported, traffic to the game almost crashed the site *chuckles*. Nor will NRK remove them, so they're staying. Valgerd, Valgerd... Seriously, Norway's Minister for Culture wants me want to drive a tank through the ministry sporting a banner with Shut UP, Valgerd!. According to recent polls, most Norwegian women agree. Next election she'll be a goner, though, with her Christian People Party. Their polling keeps falling like a rock plummeting to the earth. The Conservatives (it's a coalition government of the Christian People Party, the 'Right' Party aka the Conservatives, and the Left Party, whose not really left, but middle-of-spectrum-ish) are doing better, the Left party might actually not get a single representative in Parliament next state election. The way thing stands now, our next government might be a coalition of Socialist Left and the Labor party. That'll be interesting...
Aaanyway... In the course of writing my take-home exam, I read some very interesting articles on various religions and practices. It has always struck me how much religion teaches us about humanity and human perceptions, wants, needs and drive for a higher purpose. Religions to me tell me very little about a possible higher Creator at all. I read the Bible and the Qu'ran and even the Hare Krishna's writings (a Hare Khrisna tried to convert me recently) and I learn about humans, past and present. What is also very interesting is what we humans have used religions for. Consider Islam and Christianity and the purposes they have been used for. As one scholar pointed out:
Since Khomeini took power in Iran in February 1979, a very strong picture of Islam with a capital I has formed in the Western Imagination (in Europe and North America). This is an artifact entirely constructed by the media, with the "scientific" help of political literature which has not ceased to multiply reports, descriptions, and "analyses" of the fundamentalist movement. It is no longer possible today to use the word Islam before a Western audience without immediately conjuring up powerful imagery combining the strongly negative connotations of the terms jihad, holy war, terrorism, fanaticism, violence, oppression of women, polygamy, repudiation, the veil as the Islamic headscarf, the rejection of the West, the violation of human rights, and so on.
I do not want to discuss here the relevance of these portrayals, which are in fact encouraged by the political talk of Muslims themselves, who have been aiming over the last thirty years to legitimate their struggle in a variety of countries. It is worth remembering the mental obstacles erected in contemporary Wean imagination over "Islam", and in Muslim imagination over the "West". Here "Islam" and "West" have ceased to refer to their objective contents, whether religious, cultural, intellectual, or historical; from now on they function as powerful conglomerates of images, or prejudices, or projections, which call for two grids of mutual perception, two systems for legitimating all enterprises, exclusion and combat on both sides. The "Westerners" make full use of these ideological conglomerates to justify the policy of controlling and rejecting Muslim immigrants; the "Muslims" legitimate their struggle, even sacralizing it, by identifying imperialism, the missionary movement, and Judeo-Christianity as destructive wills which have been directed against the truth of Islam since its emergence. Here, certainly, the identification of Christianity with the West is even more systematic and more rigid than in the time of colonization
(Arkoun, Mohammed. "Is Islam threatened by Christianity?" Cross Currents; New Rochelle; Winter 1995/1996)
So the "West" to the Muslim world is in many ways what "Islam" has come to be for us in the Western world - a threat to our lifestyle, something dangerous, something specifically targetting us. Very interesting, that. It's like a mirror, yet of two opposites. Even when we're different, we are so the same everywhere.
It's also very interesting that the Qu'ran itself actually seem to have a high respect for Christianity and Judaism and diversity (to quote it, "Those who believe, and those who are Jews, Christians and Sabians-whoever believe in God and the Last Day and doeth right-surely their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come them, nor shall they grieve" and "O Mankind, We have created you male and female, and made you into tribes and nations, that you may know one another (not that you may despise each other). Surely, the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you. God is All-knowing, All-aware"). Yet some many people use this religion for hatred, for 'jihad' (which of course has been taken grossly out of context and twisted into what these people want - name death and despair) and to kill even their own people. This is not only true for Islam, of course, many religions have had the same happen to them, and Christianity certainly among them.
I find this deeply fascinating. There is such a huge gap between the ideals of a religion and the common practices of it (take Islam again - the ideals of Islam is of gender equality in many areas, yet the Muslim culture in most of the world can hardly be said to be so), especially when looking at fundamentalists, you start to wonder why people claim they are of that religion at all. I guess it is all part of the human mind's drive to bend everything to fit into the image he or she desires to see. When image starts conflicting with the real world, you either have to give it up - or you start forming the world to your image. I see the same desire in myself, certainly I'd want to shape the world into what I believe is good and true. But this is of course deeply dangerous, because what I believe is good and true may not be so in the grand scheme of things.
On the other hand, if you and I will not try to shape the world in our image, the Osama bin Ladens of this world certainly will. Or for that matter, the Bushes. Frightning thought - as is the thought that they are the same as me, they too want to change the world in their image. There is nothing quite as frightening as the realisation that Hitler and Stalin and Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are altogether human.
But so are Mother Theresa, Aung San Suu Kyi, little Benjamin Hansen, Nelson Madela and the man who ran into his neighbour's burning house four times to try to save the children despite warnings not to.
We are indeed a very strange breed, aren't we?
Of course, after this was reported, traffic to the game almost crashed the site *chuckles*. Nor will NRK remove them, so they're staying. Valgerd, Valgerd... Seriously, Norway's Minister for Culture wants me want to drive a tank through the ministry sporting a banner with Shut UP, Valgerd!. According to recent polls, most Norwegian women agree. Next election she'll be a goner, though, with her Christian People Party. Their polling keeps falling like a rock plummeting to the earth. The Conservatives (it's a coalition government of the Christian People Party, the 'Right' Party aka the Conservatives, and the Left Party, whose not really left, but middle-of-spectrum-ish) are doing better, the Left party might actually not get a single representative in Parliament next state election. The way thing stands now, our next government might be a coalition of Socialist Left and the Labor party. That'll be interesting...
Aaanyway... In the course of writing my take-home exam, I read some very interesting articles on various religions and practices. It has always struck me how much religion teaches us about humanity and human perceptions, wants, needs and drive for a higher purpose. Religions to me tell me very little about a possible higher Creator at all. I read the Bible and the Qu'ran and even the Hare Krishna's writings (a Hare Khrisna tried to convert me recently) and I learn about humans, past and present. What is also very interesting is what we humans have used religions for. Consider Islam and Christianity and the purposes they have been used for. As one scholar pointed out:
Since Khomeini took power in Iran in February 1979, a very strong picture of Islam with a capital I has formed in the Western Imagination (in Europe and North America). This is an artifact entirely constructed by the media, with the "scientific" help of political literature which has not ceased to multiply reports, descriptions, and "analyses" of the fundamentalist movement. It is no longer possible today to use the word Islam before a Western audience without immediately conjuring up powerful imagery combining the strongly negative connotations of the terms jihad, holy war, terrorism, fanaticism, violence, oppression of women, polygamy, repudiation, the veil as the Islamic headscarf, the rejection of the West, the violation of human rights, and so on.
I do not want to discuss here the relevance of these portrayals, which are in fact encouraged by the political talk of Muslims themselves, who have been aiming over the last thirty years to legitimate their struggle in a variety of countries. It is worth remembering the mental obstacles erected in contemporary Wean imagination over "Islam", and in Muslim imagination over the "West". Here "Islam" and "West" have ceased to refer to their objective contents, whether religious, cultural, intellectual, or historical; from now on they function as powerful conglomerates of images, or prejudices, or projections, which call for two grids of mutual perception, two systems for legitimating all enterprises, exclusion and combat on both sides. The "Westerners" make full use of these ideological conglomerates to justify the policy of controlling and rejecting Muslim immigrants; the "Muslims" legitimate their struggle, even sacralizing it, by identifying imperialism, the missionary movement, and Judeo-Christianity as destructive wills which have been directed against the truth of Islam since its emergence. Here, certainly, the identification of Christianity with the West is even more systematic and more rigid than in the time of colonization
(Arkoun, Mohammed. "Is Islam threatened by Christianity?" Cross Currents; New Rochelle; Winter 1995/1996)
So the "West" to the Muslim world is in many ways what "Islam" has come to be for us in the Western world - a threat to our lifestyle, something dangerous, something specifically targetting us. Very interesting, that. It's like a mirror, yet of two opposites. Even when we're different, we are so the same everywhere.
It's also very interesting that the Qu'ran itself actually seem to have a high respect for Christianity and Judaism and diversity (to quote it, "Those who believe, and those who are Jews, Christians and Sabians-whoever believe in God and the Last Day and doeth right-surely their reward is with their Lord, and there shall no fear come them, nor shall they grieve" and "O Mankind, We have created you male and female, and made you into tribes and nations, that you may know one another (not that you may despise each other). Surely, the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you. God is All-knowing, All-aware"). Yet some many people use this religion for hatred, for 'jihad' (which of course has been taken grossly out of context and twisted into what these people want - name death and despair) and to kill even their own people. This is not only true for Islam, of course, many religions have had the same happen to them, and Christianity certainly among them.
I find this deeply fascinating. There is such a huge gap between the ideals of a religion and the common practices of it (take Islam again - the ideals of Islam is of gender equality in many areas, yet the Muslim culture in most of the world can hardly be said to be so), especially when looking at fundamentalists, you start to wonder why people claim they are of that religion at all. I guess it is all part of the human mind's drive to bend everything to fit into the image he or she desires to see. When image starts conflicting with the real world, you either have to give it up - or you start forming the world to your image. I see the same desire in myself, certainly I'd want to shape the world into what I believe is good and true. But this is of course deeply dangerous, because what I believe is good and true may not be so in the grand scheme of things.
On the other hand, if you and I will not try to shape the world in our image, the Osama bin Ladens of this world certainly will. Or for that matter, the Bushes. Frightning thought - as is the thought that they are the same as me, they too want to change the world in their image. There is nothing quite as frightening as the realisation that Hitler and Stalin and Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are altogether human.
But so are Mother Theresa, Aung San Suu Kyi, little Benjamin Hansen, Nelson Madela and the man who ran into his neighbour's burning house four times to try to save the children despite warnings not to.
We are indeed a very strange breed, aren't we?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-06-13 11:09 pm (UTC)Hence why fundamentalism is so deadly, and seems to be so much stronger than the liberal perspective. Because a humanitarian thinker will always be willing to acknowledge that uncertainty, that possibility that other perspectives also have truth. Fundamentalism of any kind (secular, too) can't and won't. They are TRUE BELIEVERS who will DIE FOR THE CAUSE (and so will we).
Like Yeats said . . .
Date: 2003-06-14 06:00 pm (UTC)Are full of passionate intensity."
Re: Like Yeats said . . .
Date: 2003-06-15 09:25 pm (UTC)TURNING and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
(...)
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
"slouches towards Bethlehem" used to give me shivers all the way down my spine, as did the whole mood of the poem.
Re: Like Yeats said . . .
Date: 2003-06-16 10:21 pm (UTC)And to think Yeats wrote it way back in 1922 . . .
no subject
Date: 2003-06-15 09:32 pm (UTC)But if I believe blindly in my own perception, I could be a very dangerous person. And I like the thought of that even less, so I try to keep a little doubt in my mind, so that if I one day find out all I have done and all I believe in are for bad, I can still save myself.
Here's to hoping I'll never have to.