Hello. I am an atheist, and I am trying to understand the interaction between religion, culture & politics.
It is tempting to blame religion for some of the modern world's problems. The violence in Northern Ireland was caused by catholics killing protestants (and vice versa). The attacks of 9/11 were carried out by religious fundamentalists seeking the violent conversion of the world to Islamic law.
Or,.. The problems in Northern Ireland were due to cultural and political differences dating back to William of Orange, and 9/11 has its origins in western hegemony in the Middle East and the politics of the Israel/Palestine problem.
The answer is probably that religion, culture, and politics combine together to form an explosive mix, in which case it is unfair simply to blame religion for these problems (as do some well-known people whom I respect greatly).
I hope to start a thread here which will help me to clarify these issues.
Thanks
KK
It is tempting to blame religion for some of the modern world's problems. The violence in Northern Ireland was caused by catholics killing protestants (and vice versa). The attacks of 9/11 were carried out by religious fundamentalists seeking the violent conversion of the world to Islamic law.
Or,.. The problems in Northern Ireland were due to cultural and political differences dating back to William of Orange, and 9/11 has its origins in western hegemony in the Middle East and the politics of the Israel/Palestine problem.
The answer is probably that religion, culture, and politics combine together to form an explosive mix, in which case it is unfair simply to blame religion for these problems (as do some well-known people whom I respect greatly).
I hope to start a thread here which will help me to clarify these issues.
Thanks
KK
