Arbyte on the “Religion of Peace”

August 23, 2006

Cap’n Arbyte has an insightful piece about the “religion of peace,” by which he means “religion in general.”

Many people are comfortable blaming the violence on Islamic extremism or fundamentalism, carefully carving out space for moderate Muslims. Few people claim that the problem is inherent in Islam and that the “religion of peace” is, in fact, a religion of violence. I am one of those people. However, I’ll go one better: Violence is not only fundamental to Islam, it is fundamental to all religions. Violence is fundamental to religion as such.

Why? In a word: faith.

…

No religion can “back down” regarding its central tenets; to admit uncertainty about those things would jeopardize its very existence. With no appeal to objective evidence, and no ability to project divine revelations upon heretics, the only way to end the disagreement is through physical force. Heretics cannot be turned; they can only be silenced.

The historical record of religion is a testament to Arbyte’s proposition. I wish I had something truly unique or original to add to his commentary, but sadly, I do not. Check out his blog.


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