In so many conflicts, religion is used as the pretext for conflict, and tribes are divided along religious lines. All too often those in other parts of the World rally to the side of those who appear to share the same religion. Frankly this is muddleheaded. What on earth does a Catholic in Boston have in common with a Catholic in Belfast, or a Jew in Kansas have with a Jew in Tel Aviv. The simple response might be that they share a fundamental belief. But so often, were these people to meet, they would realise just how far apart they really are, both culturally, and in their political and religious views.
In the UK at the moment there is a frequently articulated fear of Islam taking over from Christianity as the dominant religion. Often the reaction by Christians is to re-double their efforts to strengthen the hold that Christianity enjoys in this country, and to discourgae multi-culturalism. The thinking is presumably that by opposing it in this way, the spread of Islam can be halted.
Surely fighting the spread of Islam in this way is like fighting fire with fire. Wouldn't it be wiser to break the cycle of defending one religion aganst another by instead promoting a fully secular society, where religion itself is marginalised and removed from mainstream decision-making?
Its time we stopped pitching one skygod against another skygod, and instead encouraged human beings to behave towards other human beings just as fellow humans, and not as alien creatures under the influence of a fictitious supernatural being in conflict with our currently resident supernatural being.
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