[Buddha-l] Religious Persecution [was: NYTimes.com: Let Us Pray for Wealth]

[Franz Metcalf]

Dan et al.,

You wrote,

> The victors were not amused by role
> and arms the Catholics had introduced into what should have been an 
> internal
> struggle, not with their motives for doing so. So Catholics (NOT 
> Christians
> per se) were banned henceforth -- for strictly politico-military 
> reasons,
> not religious. This was sound policy, not persecution.

Be careful, Dan, you are on a slippery slope in seemingly advocating 
"sound policy" of banning religion, even when--perhaps particularly 
when--there are political reasons for doing so. It seems to me that 
identifying persons by religion and banning their practices is, by 
definition, religious persecution. It is, also, I'm pleased to point 
out, something neither the Americans in Iraq, nor the Israelis in 
Israel are doing. I know others may disagree with this observation, but 
I trust that you, at least, will appreciate it.

Franz