There's an article in The Guardian from 18 December about the requirement in Egypt that one's religion be announced on an individual's national identity card. The options in play right now in the country are: Muslim, Christian, and Jewish. [Note to Egyptian government: there are more than three religions going in this world of ours.]
Apparently, a Baha'i couple sued to add, well, "Baha'i" or perhaps even "other" to the computerized system. In court, scary, scary people, who make Jerry Falwell seem inclusive in comparison, went berzerker.
A sad day in Egypt.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Welcome
I've had a fascination with religion - religions really, pretty much all of them - for as long as I can remember. I have a master of divinity degree (Christian), but have worked in the Middle East with Western and Eastern Christians, Jews, Muslims (of many varieties), Zoarastrians, and have close relationships with some Pagans (of various sorts), Witches, Wiccas, Athiests, Agnostics, Buddhists, and even a few Hindus.
So I finally decided to bring all of this together in a single place . . . this blog. I hope to post thoughts of my own, but also news tidbits as I find them, and perhaps someday guests who are as opinionated as I tend to be.
Religion, faith, whatever you call what you believe in (and EVERYONE believes in something . . . yes, "nothing" IS something) is central to personal identity, human culture, and is pretty much unavoidable. So instead of using it to divide and conquer, why not talk to one another, find the points of synergy, agree to disagree on the points of dissonance and move forward together. The world is too small a place for pissing matches over whose belief is "right." Get over yourselves and let's talk.
So I finally decided to bring all of this together in a single place . . . this blog. I hope to post thoughts of my own, but also news tidbits as I find them, and perhaps someday guests who are as opinionated as I tend to be.
Religion, faith, whatever you call what you believe in (and EVERYONE believes in something . . . yes, "nothing" IS something) is central to personal identity, human culture, and is pretty much unavoidable. So instead of using it to divide and conquer, why not talk to one another, find the points of synergy, agree to disagree on the points of dissonance and move forward together. The world is too small a place for pissing matches over whose belief is "right." Get over yourselves and let's talk.
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