[Buddha-l] religious pluralism in Asia

[G. McLoughlin]

Maybe the history of violent intolerance is shorter 
in Asia but at least they are trying. The Yi dynasty
in Korea did try to suppress Christians, using
horrific means, for at least two, possibly three
centuries. The earlier Choson dynasty did raze many
Buddhist temples. In both cases, Confucians wanted to
ensure "monolithic conformity and crush all
manifestations of "heresy". Of course, they would have
phrased it differently.  Of course, everything pales
in comparison to what happened to believers of all
kinds in North Korea in our own time.

 
--- curt <curt at cola.iges.org> wrote:

> Now if the Japanese had just applied the same
> measures across the board 
> to all religions save one, and if they had persisted
> in this practice 
> for 15 consecutive centuries, then we could begin to
> draw parallels with 
> Christianity. There would also have to be equally
> sadistic measures 
> applied within the one allowed religion in order to
> enforce a monolithic 
> conformity and crush all manifestations of "heresy".
> And the single 
> allowed religion would also have to articulate an
> explicit theory of 
> persecution based directly on its own religious
> teachings. These are not 
> rhetorical jabs at Christianity, nor are they in any
> way exaggerations - 
> they are the factual parameters for any genuine
> comparative approach to 
> the phenomenon of religious intolerance. I point out
> these unpleasant 
> facts because I think there is a tendency to view
> any and every specific 
> instance of religious intolerance as somehow rising
> to the same level as 
> the systemic intolerance characteristic of
> Christianity. That bar is 
> pretty danged high - and Ieyasu didn't come close.
> 
> One of the secondary themes of Zagorin's book is the
> "theory of 
> persecution" that Christianity developed (the second
> chapter is entitled 
> "The Christian Theory of Persecution"). That theory
> began to be 
> developed even before the reign of Constantine - and
> was first applied 
> by Christians to each other well before they had any
> power to go after 
> Jews and Pagans - for example, Ireneus' "Against All
> Heresies" dates 
> from 180. The primary theme of the rest of the book
> is the slow process 
> by which a critique of the Christian Theory of
> Persecution developed - 
> starting in the 16th century and continuing at least
> into the 18th 
> century. Zagorin points out that the Catholic Church
> only articulated an 
> explicit affirmation of the principle of religious
> tolerance in 1965!
> 
> Any investigation of religious tolerance and
> intolerance in Asia would 
> have to include Christianity which has been part of
> the religious scene 
> in Asia for over 400 years. For instance, the
> Inquisition infamously set 
> up a branch office in Goa in 1560. Not to mention
> the fact that 
> Christianity actually started in Asia in the first
> place!
> 
> - Curt
> 
> jkirk wrote:
> 
> > However, there was the banning and crucifixion of
> Christians in Japan 
> > under Ieyasu Tokugawa.
> > Joanna
> > ==============
> >
> >
> >> Perez Zagorin's "How The Idea of Religious
> Toleration Came To The 
> >> West" offers a sobering overview of what any
> other Religion would 
> >> have to stoop to before they could ever hope to
> play in 
> >> Christianity's league intolerance-wise.
> >>
> >> On the other hand, the little volume "Buddhism in
> the Early Choson: 
> >> Suppression and Transformation" gives some idea
> of what passes for 
> >> Religious persecution outside of Christianity.
> Buddhism was 
> >> suppressed for five centuries in Korea during the
> Choson dynasty, but 
> >> as far as I can tell not one Buddhist every had
> molten lead poured 
> >> into his or her mouth or was burned at the stake
> or had their skin 
> >> removed from their body while they were still
> alive. Sissies.
> >>
> ====================================================
> - Curt
> >>
> >> John Whalen-Bridge wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hello all. One often hears discussion of the
> pluralism and tolerance 
> >>> of Asian religions (Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism,
> say) as compared to 
> >>> Religions of the Book.  Can anyone recommend a
> good historical 
> >>> overview of this idea, whether affirming,
> challenging, or something 
> >>> in between? And where is Richard Hayes?  He
> can't be THAT busy.  
> >>> Richard, come home!
> >>> Allbest,  JWB
> >>>
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