Monotheism: the rise of modeltheism.
I love the scifi TV show “Caprica.” I really wish it had gotten as popular as Harry Potter, so I could've witnessed all the shit fits as Xians and others freaked out over the terrorists being monotheists. But man, when you think about it, in a society full of polytheists, the terrorists would HAVE to be monotheists. Only monotheists have the mindset capable of religious terrorism.
Not all monotheists are terrorists, of course, but when's the last time a Hindu blew up a building full of innocent people, or purposefully spread a deadly disease to others, just because they weren't Hindus? That's right, it has NEVER happened.
And before you go off saying “Ah, but the Romans killed Jews and Christians for religious reasons!” Well, yes and no. The Roman Empire had a policy where they didn't care what religion its citizens believed in, so long as they worshiped the Genius Spirit of the Emperor. In a time when religion and politics were not separate, this seemingly religious matter was really more of a political one. It was viewed as unpatriotic, traitorous even, to not worship the emperor's Genius.
Either way, it doesn't count as religious terrorism. I'd give some kind of an argument to support that, but I can't think of one offhand. At least not one that I agree with enough to say.
This was cross-posted from http://alex-antonin.dreamwidth.org/190803.html
You can comment either here or there.
Not all monotheists are terrorists, of course, but when's the last time a Hindu blew up a building full of innocent people, or purposefully spread a deadly disease to others, just because they weren't Hindus? That's right, it has NEVER happened.
And before you go off saying “Ah, but the Romans killed Jews and Christians for religious reasons!” Well, yes and no. The Roman Empire had a policy where they didn't care what religion its citizens believed in, so long as they worshiped the Genius Spirit of the Emperor. In a time when religion and politics were not separate, this seemingly religious matter was really more of a political one. It was viewed as unpatriotic, traitorous even, to not worship the emperor's Genius.
Either way, it doesn't count as religious terrorism. I'd give some kind of an argument to support that, but I can't think of one offhand. At least not one that I agree with enough to say.
This was cross-posted from http://alex-antonin.dreamwidth.org/190803.html
You can comment either here or there.