9/11

I know what you're thinking, and I sympathise ... but I'd like to share a thought with you that I've picked up in a column of my preferred daily today: 9/11 is as much about what happened in NYC 5 years ago as about Satyagraha, the philosophy of non-violent resistance founded by Mohandas Gandhi in Johannesburg a hundred years ago. The Indian independence movement could have gone down a violent path very easily, too, but where would it have left everybody involved? It's too terrible to think about, and fortunately, it is mere speculation. Today's hot headed "freedom" fighters might want to learn a lesson - or not.

But regular religion is not very much about learning, since it already knows the truth. The question is just how tolerant it is towards realities that are out of line with its own perception of reality. One man's cognitive dissonance is the next man's fundamentalism. Foreign Affairs has a remarkable article about the rôle of religion in US politics in general and foreign policy in particular. The material distinctions drawn between evangelicals and fundamentalists are quite enlightening, as are the explanations for the unwaivering US support for Israel. Essential reading!