[Buddha-l] Buddhist Intolerance?

[curt]

Jim Peavler wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> The second point is that this pattern of systemic religious violence 
>> does not exist outside of Christendom (with the notable exceptions of 
>> Islam & Communism). Violent persecution has been the exception rather 
>> than the rule in places like, for example, the continent of Asia 
>> (again, except for those portions that have fallen under the sway of 
>> Christianity, Islam or Communism.)
>
>
> I agreed with your first point. I disagreed with your second point, 
> and you have already mentioned a couple of exceptions. However, I 
> think things got pretty rough in China during periods of religious 
> "debate".
>
>
This would be an excellent area of research for people with the language 
and other skills to really dig in and dig up whatever "dirt" there might 
be in places like China and India with respect to active religious 
persecution. But in addition to simply gathering evidence there has to 
be some methodology for drawing meaningful and comparative conclusions.

There are legitimate cases of religious discrimination in the United 
States today - but most of us would agree that this doesn't place us in 
the same category as the early Calvinists (who had a fondness for 
burning heretics alive). Merely citing individual cases of 
discrimination doesn't amount to having proved the existence of 
intolerance beyond those specific cases. For example - following 9/11 
there was at least one murder of a Sikh - and there were many acts of 
violence against people who merely looked like they might be Muslim - as 
well as acts of violence against Mosques. Another example: the US 
military allows literally hundreds of different religious emblems for 
different religions on graves in Arlington cemetery - but they refuse to 
allow any symbols for Wiccans or other Pagan religious groups. One must 
find some way to go beyond merely listing specific cases and actually 
determine what amounts to "intolerance" and "persecution" on a more 
widespread and systemic level.

- Curt