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[balmofgilead]

I realized recently that when I think about other religions (or more specifically, when I thought about other religions as someone who was deeply invested in Judaism), I didn't see them as variations on a theme (i.e. the theme that Judaism's a part of--religion).  I saw them as entirely opposite, the flip side, archenemies. Such that if there were

Comments

[wlotus]

I used to think of religions other than evangelical/pentecostal Christianity in that way, too. Other Protestant Christians were closest, then Catholics, then Jews, then everyone else. It was very much an Us vs. Them mentality, with us being at the centre of God's perfect will, of course. If we'd known better, it would have been arrogant. As it was, it was sad, elitist, and isolationist.

These days I think of all religions as equal and arranged in a circle with God/The Divine at the centre. All of the religions are equidistant from the centre...except the radicals in any religion are on the outskirts and in sore danger of falling out of the circle altogether. :-)

[balmofgilead]

Us vs. Them describes it perfectly. And it seems particularly sad that religion fostered something like that.

I'm not entirely sure how I see things now, but I'm glad I don't see them as I used to :)

[wlotus]

I'm not convinced religion fostered it. I think people used and twisted religion to justify their desire to feel superior to others. The fostering came from people's own insecurities and arrogance.