Comment

Overnight Open Thread

486
iossarian4/25/2011 12:18:48 pm PDT

re: #484 marjoriemoon

Muslims have mecca.

Catholics have the Vatican.

Buddhists have India.

Have a problem with any of that?

I do, in fact, “have a problem” with the fact that (some) Muslims are very exclusionary when it comes to their holy sites. I similarly have a problem with those Catholics and Protestants who refuse to offer communion to people they do not consider to be “in” their church. I think all of these uses of religion to exclude people are reprehensible. The practice of not allowing Catholics in the police force in Northern Ireland was one of the single biggest factors in prolonging the violence there.

The statement “Buddhists have India” I will not address as I don’t really see the point. India has a variety of problems, but monoculture is not one of them.