fact: there are more muslims in indonesia than in the entire middle east combined

[burnunit]

onlinepastor just said (paraphrasing), 'that liberal idea of religion as a private thing kinda isn't working because there's all these people who feel so passionately about God and religion' and I think she's right. I've come to disdain the knee-jerk reaction that religion must be a private thing. Not because I'm an asshole (though I am a bit of an asshole) but because an automatic reaction that "religion is private. religion should be private." is, among other things, insufficiently responsive to reality and to a degree quite parochial. Yea, verily, parochial... naive, even! I don't intend to or even desire to defend the behavior of various proselytizers and their agents. Their record is well-established and hardly needs comment: triumphal extremism in the name of religion damages the fabric of human society.

It is remarkable to me that a significant body of liberals is so dogmatic on the point that religion is or must be a private matter. Belief may or may not be private, actually; but religion qua religion is almost certainly not. The sooner the sacred cow of private religion is sacrificed (presumably to Baal, or perhaps Shub-Niggurath. I guess.), the sooner peace might break out. I believe.

In any case, I find it plainly irresponsible that so many otherwise-open-minded liberals--and I count myself among you!-- make "shut up" the first and final word on religion.

Comments

[lokey.livejournal.com]

What do you mean by "private matter"? Are you saying that religion should be brought into government? Or are you saying that people should feel free to openly discuss their religions in public venues?

I guess I don't see there being any big push towards people keeping their religions "private" outside of not having the government sanction religion. I see massive religious events, massive religious institutions, religious television and radio programming, and religious billboards. Doesn't sound all that private to me.

I do however disagree if you are talking about bringing religion into government. Blind faith is not a valid argument for legislation, particular when that blind faith varies from person to person, community to community. Just look at the uproar from people when a new MN member of the HoR decided he was going to take his vow with his hand upon a Koran rather than a Bible. It didn't matter to the complainants that the whole point is to swear upon something the swearer holds important. They were too busy being caught up in their own dogma.

[burnunit.livejournal.com]

uh, no, I don't mean that. In this case, closer to the latter. I'm using the received or simplified meaning of private-- like keeping it to yourself.

Also, not sure I said anything about a "big push." This post is much more concerned with the attitude of otherwise-friendly liberals whose behavior in non-public settings (including, I suppose, one-to-one conversations) is to say "keep it private" as in both "keep it out of the government" and "keep it out of all interactions outside of your home" and, to a somewhat lesser but annoying extent "if I am in your home, find a way to keep it more private if you can. Fuck, just keep it to yourself God boy. Shut the fuck up and keep it to yourselllllllf!" The last actually happens rarely.