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fucktoyprincess -> RE: The "Paganization" of Culture (2/22/2012 11:45:37 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Anaxagoras
Pagans wouldn't be any exception to religious bigotry but it seems that since paganism is usually polytheistic, it doesn't see divergence of belief as threatening to such an extent compared to monotheism which places an emphasis on The One. The singularity of monotheism, where there is one exclusive path, may lead to greater intolerence. Ancient Rome might be a good indicator of this issue. There was a massive empire with many faiths of which relative tolerence was shown. There was religious persecution of course but it tended to be politically motivated rather than over issues of faith. When Christianity became predominant, significantly less tolerence shown toward other faiths.
Yes, for the most part I would agree with this. Let me use Hinduism as an example. India, where the majority of the population is Hindu, has been home to many different religions (Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, and is even home to the Dalai Lama and his followers who are in exile from Tibet) at different times of history. And historically, many groups have been able to live and thrive there with no prejudice. There is, of course, a long history of Muslim-Hindu violence in India, but my reading of history seems to point more to the intolerance of the Muslim religion in creating that situation. Hinduism does not believe there is only one path to enlightenment. Therefore, the traditional Hindu approach has always been many paths, and they tend to treat other religions as simply other paths. Hindus don't see themselves in spiritual competition with other religions in any way. With that said, the Muslim-Hindu tensions in India have brought about a group of what I call "fundamentalist Hindus" who are exactly what one would expect once you put the word fundamentalist in there - religious extremists who are trying to use religion to politically divide the populace. They are fringe, and do not represent either mainstream Hinduism, or even the fundamentals of Hindu theology.
Monotheistic religions are by their very nature intolerant of others. Add to that faiths that believe in conversion (such as Islam and Christianity) and you have a highly intolerant combination. Not only do they believe they are right, they believe others are wrong, and must be brought over to the right side. Judaism, while monotheistic, does not adhere to the concept of proselytizing in the same way, and so it seems to me that in Judaism, they really just want to be left alone to practice their religion freely, but are not in the business of trying to convert everyone to their one right way. Buddhism, as an offshoot of Hinduism (Buddha was born a Hindu), shares more in common with Hinduism philosophically than it does with the monotheistic religions. It is more about private journey, and again, not about proselytizing.
Of course, Hindus and Buddhists have been in conflict in Sri Lanka - but I would say this is more of a political war than a religious war. At the end of the day, even the most tolerant religions still seem to have difficulty.
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