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The Politics of Pseudo-Tolerance
We supposedly live in a secular age, in which religious
intolerance has been banished at least from the political sphere in
the major nations of the developed world. Western democracies claim
to afford the same legal rights to members of all religions, and
many Asian nations, including India, have tried to follow this
model. Eastern religious groups in Western countries have gained a
legal recognition similar to that of Western religions.
This has allowed them to build temples and schools and to promote
their religions in the West, which would have been unheard of only a
few decades ago. All the
religions of the world today claim to be tolerant. Christians claim
that they are tolerant, following the model of Christian compassion
and love for all. Christian groups, particularly Catholics have
recently reached out to Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus, recognizing
at least some value in their different beliefs.
Muslims claim that Islam has always
been a tolerant religion, a religion of peace, brotherhood and
social equality. Yet in spite of such tolerance we do not see
any diminishing of religious conversion efforts throughout the
world. Christian and Muslim conversion activities, if anything more
pronounced. There are massive organizations and great plans designed
to convert the world to such missionary beliefs as much so today as
in previous times.
Author : David Frawley
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