Sat, 20 Jun 2009

Combative Clerics?

While listening to an NPR report on the situation in Iraq, I heard mention of a group called the Association of Combative Clerics. The combination of combative and clerics in the same group name seems like a bit of an oxymoron, so, being a modern kind of guy, I went to the source of all truth, the internet and various search engines to find the truth of the matter.

There were actually very few references found for "combative clerics" on the search engines. This is apparently a group of hard-line conservative radical clerics. That's about it. It's sad to me that such a group even exists. It seems that it would be an insult to whatever religion spawned it just because of it's name, let alone being combative as a philosophy.

posted 09:45 [/Moderates] permanent link

Thu, 04 Jun 2009

Obama Speaks in Eqypt

For 54 minutes, U.S. President Obama spoke to the (Arab) world from Cairo, Egypt. He covered a number of topics. He spoke about the similarities rather than the differences. This is quite in line with my own thinking about moderation:

So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. This cycle of suspicion and discord must end.

I think this is true of most relationships -- especially the relationships between people on the radical ends of any relationship.

posted 06:38 [/Moderates] permanent link

Wed, 03 Jun 2009

The California Budget - Need for Compromise

The budget crisis in California is a perfect example of a situation screaming for compromise. Radical thinking on both sides of the political spectrum has gotten us into the Sacramento stalemate which caused the crisis, but it will not get us out! As long as California's elected officials take positions at the opposite ends of the spectrum for their own political gain, nothing will be done. These selfish, self-centered politicians are the cause of the problem and can't be the solution. What can we do?

We need to convince the California legislature that radical positions on either side of the issues is no longer acceptable. We need to put down our own self-interests and move more toward the center as a society. I'm afraid if we do not, our society as we know it will crumble.

posted 06:40 [/Moderates] permanent link

Thu, 09 Jun 2005

The U.S. DemoTheocracy

Is the conservative Christian right driving the U.S. to a theocracy?

I sure hope not. Our country was founded on religious tollerance. The founding fathers took great care to keep religion out of the government and government out of religion. Yet more and more, I see religion--and more specifically Christianity--intertwined with government and politics. I am a Christian--specifically a Catholic--and practice my religion in my daily life. I believe that I should approach my life with the values of that religion. But, I stop short of imposing my views on everyone. The trend of involving a specific religion--and more specifically, a radical element of that religion as practiced by many of the religious right--with government bothers me greatly.

I believe that this also bothers much of the rest of the world, especially those parts of the world which do not practice Christianity. Tollerance and understanding are the keys to living with these parts of the world. And, I believe that we must live with these parts of the world. There is no choice to isolate the U.S. from the rest of the world or attempt to impose a religion on the rest of the world. Even the thought that we might be trying to do this could cause problems.

posted 14:12 [/Moderates] permanent link