Xanthippa's Chamberpot

This is indeed the threat facing us today:  radicalization of religions.

And any set of prescribed ‘truths’ which are ‘unquestionable’ by its adherents is a religion.  In keeping with the original meaning of the word ‘religios’, it is a belief system which ties effects to specific causes.  These causes need not be supernatural, but they may be.

We are used to thinking of ‘religion‘ as ‘worship’ of ‘supernatural god/creator/force/consciousness’, but this is only one face or ‘religion’.  Rather, it is the fact that there exist some certain ‘tennets’ or ‘beliefs’ or ‘principles’ that are seen as powerful, influential or important enough to be singled out for ‘special attention/worship’ and which may not be questioned that turns a simple ‘belief system’ or philosophy into a religion.

So, it really does not matter WHAT the particular religion teaches.  It does not matter whether this religion is Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Secular Humanism, or Global Warming Alarmism.  The  teachings/beliefs themselves are really not the point…

It is the RADICALIZATION bit that is the problem.  It is the WAY in which the ‘radicalized believer’ truly and honestly believes that unless they impose their own beliefs on others, regardless of the cost, the whole society will come to an end/be punished/destroyed.  It is their depth of conviction that they are the only ones who are right and that it is their duty to institutionalize their beliefs which poses the real danger.   

THAT is radicalization, and THAT is the problem.  We need to stop confusing ‘symptoms’ with ’causes’….