Orthodoxy of Religions versus Commonality of Religions
By Mario deSantis, September 18, 2006

"Love your neighbor as yourself." - Moses
"What you do not want others to do to you, do not do to others." - Confucius
"What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man." - Hillel
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto to you." - Jesus
"Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you." - Muhammad

In my last Saturday's article[1] we referred to how pleased former Vice President Al Gore was in realizing that dialogue is “a process by which meaning comes through.” Therefore, it is consequential that our social conversations must be meaningful so that we can understand and respect each other.

President Bush has been quoted as saying that God told him to wage a war against Iraq[2], and a few days ago President Bush has stated that he senses a "Third Awakening" of religious devotion in the United States that has coincided with the nation's struggle with international terrorists, a war that he depicted as "a confrontation between good and evil[3].”

Last week, in his speech at the University of Regensburg, Pope Benedict XVI quoted criticism of Islam and the Prophet Mohammad by 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who wrote that everything Mohammad brought was evil and inhuman, "such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached[4]." Such allusion of Islam as a violent religion has caused turmoil in many countries around the world and some Christian churches have been put on fire as well. This reminds me of the published Danish cartoons which depicted Muhammad as a terrorist and which caused riots, deaths, and protests all over the world[5].

Now, when we realize that number one criminal of the world bin Laden and his lieutenants always praise and thank God (Allah) in their taped speeches and conversations[6] I can understand how we can all get brainwashed in thinking and believing that Islam is indeed a violent religion.

We have been saying for a long time that the war on terror doesn't exist yet but in the minds of demagogues such as president Bush and his neo-uber-alles friends. And, Doctor James Zogby is right in saying that “bashing Islam and preying on the public’s fears is demagoguery at its worst[7].”

It doesn't make common sense to invoke any religion to offend or to wage wars against other people, and in fact all of the most important religions follow the ethics of reciprocity or the so called Golden Rule[8] “treat others as you would like to be treated." And it makes sense that we dialogue in our common sense language because it make sense to convey 'meanings' rather than demagoguery.

Linguist George Lakoff has stated that the way we use our language matter, and that we need to change this language of war used by war profiteers, religious zealots, sold out politicians and Free Market marketeers.

References

[1] deSantis, Mario “Bush's Government: An Unlearning and Disabled Organization”; Ensign, September 16, 2006

[2] Ha'aretz, “'Road map is a life saver for us,' PM Abbas tells Hamas”; June 25, 2003

[3] Baker, Peter “Bush Tells Group He Sees a 'Third Awakening'”; Washington Post, September 13, 2006 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/12/AR2006091201594.html

[4] Wikipedia, “Pope Benedict XVI Islam controversy”; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_XVI_Islam_controversy

[5] Wikipedia, “Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy”; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyllands-Posten_Muhammad_cartoons_controversy#Publication_of_the_cartoons

[6] BBC News, “Text: 'Bin-Laden tape'”; January 19, 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4628932.stm

[7] Zogby, James J. “Islam Is Not The Problem”; TomPaine.com, September 18, 2006 http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2006/09/18/islam_is_not_the_problem.php

[8] Wikipedia, “Ethic of reciprocity”; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethic_of_reciprocity