The Religious Wars
Nicholas Kristof had an intersting op-ed in the NY Times yesterday on the religious wars. Traditionally, these wars have been fought with swords, but in the past few years they have been fought with the pen. I've found that the pen has a greater power to inflict pain than the sword would. The sword inflicts a temporary pain, while the pen harms feelings - and relationships - for a long time.
I don't know if I think that things are calming down. Being involved with many conversations on spirituality (emergent church, Islam, life issues, GLBT issues), I've seen a lot of anger expressed.
Are the religious wars calming down? What do you think?
Just a few years ago, it seemed curious that an omniscient, omnipotent God wouldn’t smite tormentors like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris. They all published best-selling books excoriating religion and practically inviting lightning bolts.
Traditionally, religious wars were fought with swords and sieges; today, they often are fought with books. And in literary circles, these battles have usually been fought at the extremes.
This year is different, with a crop of books that are less combative and more thoughtful.
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