(no subject)
Well, the followers of the Taliban of Afghanistan did it -- they blew up 2000 year old statues of Buddha carved into some cliffs.
There is a passage in the Quran:
[22:17]
Those who believe, those who are Jewish, the converts,
the Christians, the Zoroastrians, and the idol
worshipers, GOD is the One who will judge among them on
the Day of Resurrection. GOD witnesses all things.
Assuming that nothing much is lost in the translation (at least the fundamentalist Moslems, unlike fundamentalist Christians, are fundamentalists within the original language of their scriptures), how does one take this quote? Can people be agents of God, kind of a pre-Resurrection judgement? Or, should such things be left entirely to God, and man should not presume to know the mind of God?
Tricky thing, fundamentalism -- it is still open to interpretation.
Like any book of scripture, there is what could be called a counter-argument within the same Quran:
[109:0-6]
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Say, "O you disbelievers.
"I do not worship what you worship.
"Nor do you worship what I worship.
"Nor will I ever worship what you worship.
"Nor will you ever worship what I worship.
"To you is your religion, and to me is my religion."
This sounds like tolerance to me.
I am a disbeliever when it comes to Islam -- the Quran, though interesting, and even profound in places, is a bit too exclusive for my philisophical tastes. But then, what do I know? I am man, I know nothing of the ways beyond this life.
Cultural history has been lost in Afghanistan, but at least they were stone -- it is better to lose a statue of Buddha than a villiage of Buddhists. The Buddhas were destroyed because of politics, not religion. This situation is not very different from Napoleon's rhinoplasty on the Sphynx. The Taliban needed a publicity stunt, and knocking over a big object still gets the world's attention.
There is a passage in the Quran:
[22:17]
Those who believe, those who are Jewish, the converts,
the Christians, the Zoroastrians, and the idol
worshipers, GOD is the One who will judge among them on
the Day of Resurrection. GOD witnesses all things.
Assuming that nothing much is lost in the translation (at least the fundamentalist Moslems, unlike fundamentalist Christians, are fundamentalists within the original language of their scriptures), how does one take this quote? Can people be agents of God, kind of a pre-Resurrection judgement? Or, should such things be left entirely to God, and man should not presume to know the mind of God?
Tricky thing, fundamentalism -- it is still open to interpretation.
Like any book of scripture, there is what could be called a counter-argument within the same Quran:
[109:0-6]
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Say, "O you disbelievers.
"I do not worship what you worship.
"Nor do you worship what I worship.
"Nor will I ever worship what you worship.
"Nor will you ever worship what I worship.
"To you is your religion, and to me is my religion."
This sounds like tolerance to me.
I am a disbeliever when it comes to Islam -- the Quran, though interesting, and even profound in places, is a bit too exclusive for my philisophical tastes. But then, what do I know? I am man, I know nothing of the ways beyond this life.
Cultural history has been lost in Afghanistan, but at least they were stone -- it is better to lose a statue of Buddha than a villiage of Buddhists. The Buddhas were destroyed because of politics, not religion. This situation is not very different from Napoleon's rhinoplasty on the Sphynx. The Taliban needed a publicity stunt, and knocking over a big object still gets the world's attention.
