2011 began with some bleak news for Muslim-Christian relations around the world.
Recent attacks against churches in Iraq, Nigeria andEgypt have killed dozens of Christian worshippers. Meanwhile, the Pakistani government is standing by thecountry’s controversial blasphemy law which critics say threatens religious minorities.
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How should political and religious leaders deal with these challenges to interfaith relations?
Religious exclusivity and violence begin and end with our own beliefs. Preachers and politicians feed off a feedback loop that originates with us. If we insist on living in a world based on mutual respect and appreciation, our leaders will reinforce these values. Conversely, if we believe that other people are inferior because they do not share our faith, or that religious beliefs should be immune from critical scrutiny and revision, then we contribute to the problem.
One of the most offensive aspects of many religious traditions (or interpretations thereof) is an insistence on religious exclusivity–the belief that if you belong to some other religion, or none at all, you are inferior or immoral (and, in any case, going to Hell), regardless of the actual content of your character. What makes this belief troublesome is its enormous popularity among people of multiple religious traditions in America and abroad. Although many such believers are perfectly content to relegate infidels to Hell in the comfort of their own imaginations, this attitude gives ideological cover or license to religious fanatics, who often kill, hurt, or oppress others in the name of the very same beliefs. My-way-or-the-highway is, by its own terms, a zero-sum game, and an especially dangerous one in the context of religion.
So what should we do? How can we convince people en masse that religious pluralism is a more sustainable approach to faith in the modern world? What I propose, at a minimum, is for public schools in America and elsewhere to teach critical thinking and philosophy to our children, with a view toward making our future generations more reasonable, self-reflective, and open-minded in their approaches to the world.
Tags: attacks on christians, faith in reason, religious exclusivity, religious freedom, religious pluralism
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