Friday, June 23, 2006
Two Sons of Abraham
“We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point—that is the Almighty God.”
Religious zeal just like communism or slavery was thought to be extinguished inevitably by the spread of democracy, modernization, globalization and capitalism. Greater political freedom around the world breeds more secular societies. In the reality this is not true.
Not only has modernization in technology and communication enhanced the reach of prophetic political movements, democracy has become a tool for religious faction to legitimately seize control of the government. If democracy is giving people a voice, people want to talk about God. When Hamas caught State off guard by winning the Palestinian parliament election, they proclaimed in green banner, “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is His Prophet.” Such surge of religious victories are not uncommon in recent decades by both sons of Isaac and sons of Ishmael.
Iranian Revolution in 1979, the rise of Taliban in Afghanistan, the Shia revival and religious strife in Iraq, Sudan’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Hindu nationalist nuclear weapon test in 1998, and even American foreign policies on sex trafficking, Sudan, AIDS, religious freedom have been the work of religious lobbyists, pioneers or factionist. The strongest predictor for the 2004 Presidential election was not gender, age or class, but religion.
In recent 30 years people have become increasingly religious. From 20th century to the 21st, world population belonged to the four major faiths grew from 50 to 64 percent. (Though Christian faith declines in America, Christian religion as a whole is booming in Africa, Asia and South America where countries have more Christians than America. Now think twice to say America is the Christian nation.) While Western countries attemp to separate religions from their governments, the marriage of religion with politics is often welcomed, if not demanded, by people around the world. 91% of Nigerians and 76% of Bangladeshis agreed that religious leaders should be more involved in politics. Most Arabs polled in June 2004 said that they they wanted the clergy to play a bigger role in politics. In the same survey, majorities in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and UAE cited Islam as their primary identity, trumping nationality. (We can't understand the war we are fighting until we get this, this is as religious as it gets.)
As religions have growing influence over people and thus the democratic governments, religions are shaping the future of the world in political movements, wars and responsibilities. Perhaps the most efficient way for a person to make an impact in the global politics is no longer getting his JD degree, but becoming a clergy. Peace for the war between two sons of Abraham begun at Genesis 16:12 is never going to come until the end of time.
“We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point—that is the Almighty God,” Mahmound Ahmadinejad, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a letter to George W. Bush, President of the United States.
Bibliography: Timothy Samuel Shab, Monica Duffy Toft, “Why God is Winning,” Foreign Policy Jul/Aug06, Washington, DC.
Religious zeal just like communism or slavery was thought to be extinguished inevitably by the spread of democracy, modernization, globalization and capitalism. Greater political freedom around the world breeds more secular societies. In the reality this is not true.
Not only has modernization in technology and communication enhanced the reach of prophetic political movements, democracy has become a tool for religious faction to legitimately seize control of the government. If democracy is giving people a voice, people want to talk about God. When Hamas caught State off guard by winning the Palestinian parliament election, they proclaimed in green banner, “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is His Prophet.” Such surge of religious victories are not uncommon in recent decades by both sons of Isaac and sons of Ishmael.
Iranian Revolution in 1979, the rise of Taliban in Afghanistan, the Shia revival and religious strife in Iraq, Sudan’s Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Hindu nationalist nuclear weapon test in 1998, and even American foreign policies on sex trafficking, Sudan, AIDS, religious freedom have been the work of religious lobbyists, pioneers or factionist. The strongest predictor for the 2004 Presidential election was not gender, age or class, but religion.
In recent 30 years people have become increasingly religious. From 20th century to the 21st, world population belonged to the four major faiths grew from 50 to 64 percent. (Though Christian faith declines in America, Christian religion as a whole is booming in Africa, Asia and South America where countries have more Christians than America. Now think twice to say America is the Christian nation.) While Western countries attemp to separate religions from their governments, the marriage of religion with politics is often welcomed, if not demanded, by people around the world. 91% of Nigerians and 76% of Bangladeshis agreed that religious leaders should be more involved in politics. Most Arabs polled in June 2004 said that they they wanted the clergy to play a bigger role in politics. In the same survey, majorities in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and UAE cited Islam as their primary identity, trumping nationality. (We can't understand the war we are fighting until we get this, this is as religious as it gets.)
As religions have growing influence over people and thus the democratic governments, religions are shaping the future of the world in political movements, wars and responsibilities. Perhaps the most efficient way for a person to make an impact in the global politics is no longer getting his JD degree, but becoming a clergy. Peace for the war between two sons of Abraham begun at Genesis 16:12 is never going to come until the end of time.
“We increasingly see that people around the world are flocking towards a main focal point—that is the Almighty God,” Mahmound Ahmadinejad, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a letter to George W. Bush, President of the United States.
Bibliography: Timothy Samuel Shab, Monica Duffy Toft, “Why God is Winning,” Foreign Policy Jul/Aug06, Washington, DC.
# posted by Gary Chou @ 2:22 PM 
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Peace be upon you,
did you right this thing or did you just copy/paste it from Why god is winning?
Either way it was a very nice piece.
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did you right this thing or did you just copy/paste it from Why god is winning?
Either way it was a very nice piece.
# posted by 
: 5:56 AM
: 5:56 AM 
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