This entire op-ed could be summed up in one sentence: “If only we could get people to not take the Koran so darn literally, jihad would stop.” Note, however, how Christianity is constantly conflated with Islam in regards to violence and intolerance. “Can chimps stop suicide bombers?” by S. Aravindan Neelakandan for UPI Asia, August 29:
Nagercoil, India “” What does Wahabbi fundamentalism have in common with the worldview of Marvin Olasky — the “spiritual advisor” of U.S. President George W. Bush? Seemingly on either side of the famed “clash of civilizations,” they both find themselves shaking hands when it comes to fighting evolution. Darwinian evolution seems to be an object of hatred for all believers of expansionist Abrahamic religions.[…]
Unlike Islamic fundamentalism, which is throbbing with suicide bombers and Fiyadheen attacks throughout the world against the secular culture, Christian fundamentalism is essentially a spent force, at least in the West. One just has to watch that old movie “Inherit the Wind” to see the last deathblows that scientific humanism dealt to the Bible-thumping fundamentalism in the Bible belt of the United States.
Interesting observation, though based on a flawed correlation. First of all, so-called Christian “fundamentalism” has absolutely no connection to Islamic fundamentalism — even if they both believe in creationism. Christianity is not “throbbing with suicide bombers” simply because the concept of killing oneself to kill others is antithetical to Christian doctrine, whose central figure accepted death in order that others might live. So this concept that, Christian and Muslim literalists are both prone to violence and intolerance, and that the former have not been engaged in that sort of thing is evidence that Christianity is going the way of the dodo, is wrong.
But now, as a counter to Islamic fundamentalism, Christian fundamentalism is again raising its ugly head. There is again a pattern here. In the case of the Wahabbist jihad, the suicide cannon fodder is usually derived from those in Third World nations” Islamic populations who have been lured into being outsourced for the jihadi industry by Wahabbist preachers.[…]
I.e., jihadists are composed of poor, uneducated, mistreated youths, who have been brainwashed — you know, like multi-millionaire Bin Laden.
Let us just imagine: If every seminary, every madrassa were to teach its students evolution, how would their worldview change? If every student of theology of whatsoever religion were to undergo a course in cosmology with no theological strings attached, could such students ever live in a vision wrapped between the covers of their scriptures? When bathed thus in the immensity of the cosmos, where comes the need for proselytization, crusades, jihads and other holy wars?
In other words, if we could only convince people that evolution is a fact, the Bible and Koran could no longer be taken so seriously. Arguable. However, the need for crusades is the need for a people to defend itself, and annex its former lands from invaders. The need for jihad, on the other hand, is that Allah wills it. Get it right.