Destroying religious sites because your faith considers them bad

[kengr]

I'm sure you recall akll the stuff in the news about members of various sects destroying altars, desecrating temples, and so forth.

That sort of thing always makes the news....

Or does it?

Yeah, the Taliban going after Buddhist temples made the news. So has ISIS destroying archeological stuff.

And, of course folks setting fires or vandalizing Christian Churches and Jewish ones makes the news (though usually local.

But does *this* make the news?

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Jehovahs-Witnesses-Destroy-Ancient-Indigenous-Temple-in-Mexico-20160628-0009.html

http://www.criteriohidalgo.com/noticias/hidalgo-ujul/limitan-indigenas-acceso-a-santuario-en-san-bartolo

"Oh, but that was in another country" I hear you say.

How about mosques getting defaced in the US, that barely makes the news.

And then there are things like the Wiccan site on a US military base, properly cleared with command, etc that got majorly vandalized a few years back. They could barely get the MPs to take a look at the damage, much less investigate. They had to file suit.

It's like terrorism. If it's a muslim, he must have been radilcalized, yadda, yadda. If it's a Christian he must be mentally ill.

Guuys, it's long past time to quit avoiding it. Christians *can* be terrorists, or vandalize things belong to other faith. And do so *because* they are "Christians".

I don't care *what* your religion is. But there are rules you should have to follow if you want to be part of Western Civilization:

1. do not try to force others to live according to your faith. This includes trying to pass laws that impose your religion's morality on the rest of us.

2. Treat members of other religions the way you'd want them to treat you. That means don't try to "push" your beliefs on them unless you'd approve of them pushing *their* beliefs on *you* them same way. Among other things, this means taking "No, I'm not interested" as the signal to quit talking and go find someone else to "testify" to.

These are the biggies, but there are various others that follow from them if you give it even a little thought.

One corrolary of sorts I'll note. If you live in a place that's predominantly of one faith (or set of related faiths) it's utterly *stupid* to think that should be trying to convey the basic (shared) tenets to your fellow countrymen to get them to convert. They've grown up surroiunded by it. You aren't special snowflake who will miraclulously make them convert *this* time.

If you feel the need to do *that* sort of preaching, become a missionary.

Oh yeah, do remember to check the laws of the country you plan to be a missionary in. There are a number of countries where acting the way you do *here* while *there* will get you thrown in jail or worse.

As an example, converting from Islam to anything else is a major heresy, and (as I recall) carries the death penalty (according to the Koran?) So can you guess what sort of reception you'll get trying to convert Muslims to Christianity will get?

If you want to be free to follow your religion, you have to let others follow theirs. Claims of "but we're right and they're *wrrong*" don't cut it, because they can say the exact same thing.

God knows. people don't.

Comments

[robby.livejournal.com]

Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christian. They don't believe in an immortal soul or the divinity of Christ.

[robby.livejournal.com]

And I did see a denial by the Jehovah's Witness Organization. Some of the local indigenous people that used to worship at the ancient site may have done the damage, as ome have recently converted as JW's. There are truly horrors inflicted on in the world today by religious fanatics, but these things that you present are not even close to being Christian equivalents.