World's three great faiths face unprecedented crises

Mpls (red)Star Tribune / New York Times News Service ^ | 6/8/02 | Laurie Goodstein

[Valin]

The past eight months have not been easy for believers.

Roman Catholics learned that some of the princes of their church protected priests who sexually abused children. Muslims have seen their scholars condemned and their scriptures deconstructed for signs that Islam encourages terrorism. Jews in Europe have suffered a wave of anti-Semitic attacks as world opinion hardened toward Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians.

[remaininlight]

I fail to see a crisis in Islam. Islamic is untroubled since Islam is just doing what it's done for thousands of years. Islam is not interested in self examination. Hence no crisis.

[anniegetyourgun]

"We've been undergoing our own sort of axial age, economically and technologically," she said. "But we've not begun to meet this challenge in religious terms. We could use this suffering to create wonderful new religious systems, as the Buddha did, or we could retreat into the spiritual barbarism of hatred."

Ah yes, one world religion....that will be so convenient.

[ValerieUSA]

This idjit ought to actually study history for a few moments before declaring this to be a rare moment in history.

[Valin]

For the most part I agree. But there are some Islamic scholars(granted, not many) that really do think that Islam does need to reexamine its self, that the problems with Islam is not the west, Christianity, the Jews, Hindus,
or the fact that it's hard to find good pita bread in Grand Forks ND.
Unfortunatly they are forced to keep a low profile as many of them are under death threats.

[Valin]

But , But she writes for The NY Times and that means she's really really smart and know all kinds of stuff!

[johniegrad]

I've known for years that I couldn't be paid enough to live down there in "Lesser Minnesota" but if the author of this article is a reflection of the urbanites views then I'm not sure I can be paid enough to visit either. This poor lady is so confused.

a harsh spotlight on the faith's hierarchy and its celibate male priesthood -- the very attributes that distinguish Catholicism from other Christian denominations

Huh?

The 19 Muslims who crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and rural Pennsylvania on Sept. 11 set off the ideological equivalent of a house-to-house search for militants in Islamic schools, mosques and media

Now I get it. If she would have only told us earlier that 19 wayward youth have generated all this hysteria about the religion of peace we could have all forgotten about it and slept more easily. Geesh, I feel much better now.

For Jews, the anguish is over a central part of their identity: their state and homeland of Israel

Sorry but the anguish is about criminals murdering their citizens and, as much as this lady would like to suggest that world journalistic opinion will threaten the integrity of Israel, the real issue is law enforcement against organized crime.

What an awful article. Is this really reflective of Lesser Minnesota's views of religion?

[OK]

I won't consider Islam a "great" religion until the majority of mullahs renounce violence and intimidation as a way to gain converts.

[Squawk 8888]

The problems in the Catholic church are an institutional crisis, not a crisis of faith. The problems faced by the Jews have little to do with faith and a lot to do with Muslim and Eurpean tribalism.

[Valin]

a harsh spotlight on the faith's hierarchy and its celibate male priesthood -- the very attributes that distinguish Catholicism from other Christian denominations

Huh?

Why didn't you know these are really the only differences between Catholics and say Southern Baptist. Oh there MAY be one or two others but really they're just minor ones.

[Valin]

They are considered a "great religion" if forr no other reason than number.
No flame intended.

[McGavin999]

The only "crisis" I see is that Islam is ready for a reformation. Somehow, the Muslims of this world must get together and define what the precepts of their faith will be instead of allowing them to be defined by any ignorant moron who chooses to call himself an Imam. Their religion has been hijacked and if they don't take it back it is doomed to be discarded into the ash heap of history.

The simple fact is, we can't do it for them.

As to the Catholic priest problem, yes, it's a problem but not as big a problem as the media would have us believe. IMHO it is the direct result of the age of "diversity" and "tolerance". It's a result of the expansion of the grey area that lies between black and white, right and wrong.

This is the same cause as what the Jews face with anti-semitism. For too long we have allowed people to make their own rules, not judging other peoples "feelings", and face it we can't live like that. There HAS to be rules by which society lives. There has to be examples of what to strive toward and what to try to avoid. Without those guidelines people wander all over the place making up their own rules as they go along and the result is chaos.

We are not going through a crisis of faith, we are reaping the harvest of "do your own thing".

[The_Expatriate]

Atheists say "I told you so"

I told you so.

[mercy]

Great religions my patoot! Islam is a belief of dirt, and dogs ... and death.

[hinckley buzzard]

The title should read, "Two great faiths and one malignant cultural disease."

[Almondjoy]

I think you have forgotten one thing here... you have failed to apply the apporiate context to her message.. I agree her message about the celebate male priesthood is the very thing that distinguishes itself from other denomations of Christianity is surely making it over simplisitc but rather she should of pointed out that because Catholics are the only denomation that doesn't allow it's priests to have love/marriage/sex however youw ant to put it is the real problem here.

As for the Islam quote well all I can tell you is that the way it reads to me is that because it was Muslims that crashed into the tower it has forced a very harsh(and in my opinion necessary and I believe as she writes it is just an unopinioned aftereffect) come down on centers for the religion.

Your last comment about Israel is ridiculous because you fail to actually read the quote. The anguish is indeed about their homeland Israel.. and the troubles that the Arabs have put on her ever since her creation. It has forced other pressures such as in Europe on the Jews has not everyone agrees with their tactics against the palistians. It doesn't matter whether Israel is right in her fight or not.. the point is that they are in anguish over their RIGHT to be there. My lesson in context is now over.. thank you.

[southernnorthcarolina]

The New York provincialism of the Times is showing in the headline: "World's three great faiths..." If they are referring to the number of worldwide adherents, although it may not be apparent in their newsroom or on their Board, Judiasm isn't in the same league as Christianity and Islam. Naturally, estimates vary, but most authorities place Christians in the range of 25 to 33% of the world's population, with Islam trailing closely, and set to pass Christianity in the near future. Judiasm is generally estimated at less than one-half of 1%, trailing not only Christianity and Islam, but also Hinduism, Buddhism, agnosticism/atheism, Chinese folk religions, other Asian religions, and various tribal religions.

Now, trust me when I say I have no dog in this fight. But the New York Times, which fancies itself a paper of worldwide influence, ought to know better than to peg these three as the "World's three great faiths."

[aruanan]

World's three great faiths face unprecedented crises

A great example of a shifting definition of "great", well, and of "faith", too.

[KissOfTheSith]

>This idjit ought to actually study history for a few moments before declaring this to be a rare moment in history.

You said it!

Check out this obscure old thread: The Gunpowder Treason "Witches & Jesuits: Shakespeare's Macbeth" | 1995 | Garry Wills

It's a true story! In 1605 the king of England "discovered" that gunpowder (a new invention to Europeans back then) had been smuggled into a secret chamber under Parliament. "Terrorists" had planned and carried out a plot to destroy the government of England. (The King had been about to make a speech there.) It was foiled at the last minute. Royalists immediately blamed Catholics -- particularly the Jesuits (many confessed!) -- and a whole social schism developed for many years with many, many political and social and global repercussions.

Everything old is new again.

-- KotS

[madfly]

Sound familiar?

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b82a31334fb.htm
The UN Quietly Wages War On Religion

Snip

- Catholicism has been blamed for "reinforcing attitudes and values that make women subordinate to men and discriminate against women" in Nicaragua.

Calgarian Hermina Dykxhoorn, president of the Alberta Federation of Women United for Families, has seen the UN executive at work. Over the last decade, she has been a pro-family lobbyist at UN conferences in Beijing, Istanbul, Rome and other venues.

"At the 1996 Istanbul Conference, the director general of the World Health Organization (then Dr. Hiroshi Nakajima) told a press conference that 'the three great monotheistic religions are not compatible with the New World Order'," Dykxhoorn, a Christian Reformed Protestant, recalled.

"I heard him say it. And when you're a member of one of those monotheistic religions, it's rather chilling."

But the UN Secretariat isn't opposed to all religion, she said. "They don't mind Hindus and Buddhists, because they've got more flexible moral codes. And they love the Bahai's because Bahai's are big on world government. But they don't like Orthodox Judaism, Christianity or Islam -- any religion with an absolute moral code is an obstacle to them."