The Hidden Religious Focus of the Wars in the Middle East Sets the Tone

[MineralMan]

If you've been around for a long time, you'll recognize that the Middle East has been in the midst of a war since the end of WWII. Why that is, and why religion plays an enormous role in it explains a lot. Let's check it out.

1.Israel Believes God Gave It Authority over the Entire Region.
2. The Islamic States Believe that Judaism and Christianity Are Evil Forces of Infidels.
3. The West Believes That Christianity Is the Only True Religion and That God Favors Christianity above All.

Further, the most extreme Christian Nationalists believe that Jesus will not return until the second temple is built. At that time, only Christianity will survive. That is a basic premise of Fundamentalist Christianity.

War is not an optional thing to any of the three religions - at least in their most fundamental thinking.

So, for everyone involved, peace can only come when only their religion survives. War is inevitable. If you are a religious extremist, believing that is fundamental to your faith.

And that's the bottom line. It always has been. No amount of diplomacy or bargaining will alter the opinions of any of the hard-core religionists in the region.

[leftstreet]

1. Indoctrinating children should be considered abuse

for ANY religious doctrine

[MineralMan]

3. But, that is at the core of religious education.

Whichever religion you mention, all start with children being indoctrinated. That is the core of their strength. While some do, not all people throw off that indoctrination as they become adults. Worse, most don't even know that they've been indoctrinated.

[ananda]

7. I think it depends on what you're exposed to afterwards.

If you only associate with people like you... well,
you get the drift.

That's how my Magat relatives are, serious bible
thumpers...

and they live in mostly white communities with
people like them.

[Bettie]

2. And it isn't hidden

most of us can see it.

The weird thing is that the people who believe the three religious points you listed are the ones who think they are being subtle.

I do not understand them.

[walkingman]

4. Religion causes war and suffering. History shows us this.

[FakeNoose]

5. That about sums it up

There's another factor though ... there's no one authority that speaks for "Christianity."

I mean, 500 years ago we could have said the Pope and the Roman Catholics are in charge, but not any more. Nowadays Christianity is split into 100 different factions, each with its own interpretation of the Bible and the sacred word. There are a lot of weird tangents....

[MineralMan]

6. That's true, of course.

It's true for all three of the major religions I mentioned. All have multiple divisions and sects.

Power shifts around from time to time. The basic principle remains the same, though. Each believes is is the only true religion.

[Hope22]

8. Our troops were fed the do it for god line in Iraq!

Our psycho babble has not changed a bit. They have been stoking the faux Christian’s since 911or longer. When the prince of darkness is telling us what is right and wrong we are in serious trouble!

[Lonestarblue]

9. Religious wars is exactly why our Founders wrote the First Amendment.

Such wars have rarely, if ever, accomplished anything, and most of them have the subtext of using religious freedom as an excuse to plunder the riches of other religious groups. The templars are an excellent example.

[MineralMan]

10. Yes. That was the idea.

The Right has rejected that, though. It thinks that Protestant Christianity is the only religion that should be practiced in this country. That spoils everything, really. Worship with them or you're the enemy.

[keep_left]

16. Interesting that you specify "Protestant Christianity"...

...(I agree, BTW). Your assertion reminds me of something I heard a long time ago; it might have been on PBS. The historical claim was that "in the USA, even the Catholics are Protestant". If you look at the way that conservative Catholicism has allied itself with institutional power in this country, particularly in the revolving door think-tank-to-government system, it becomes self-evident. Many of those conservative and far-right voices dump on the poor and marginalized just as much (if not more) than the traditional WASP American business caste. They completely ignore their Church's own teachings about the Social Gospel, which cannot simply be hand-waved away as irrelevant by any serious disciple. Here I am especially thinking of organizations like the Heritage Foundation and the Acton Institute, which in recent years have taken on an explicitly Catholic tone.

As for liberal Catholicism, it is largely marginalized, particularly in the leadership of the Church. There is also a disconnect--a huge gulf, in fact--between the laity and the clergy in Catholicism these days. It doesn't help matters that the laity is often more educated and accomplished than the clergy. Gone are the days when the latter were the "princes of the Church".

[MineralMan]

17. Well, traditionally, the Christian Right

doesn't much like Catholicism. It likes the RCC's anti-abortion message, but that's about it. If you're familiar with fundamentalist Christianity, you know that many think the RCC and the Pope are the literal anti-Christ. The Wisconsin Synod of the Lutheran Church even has that very statement written in its doctrine.

So, while there is some lip service given to the RCC by the fundamentalist Christians, it's pretty shallow, really. Most of the fundamentalist denominations derive from Calvinism, but have splintered off even further.

There's history of dislike not just for Catholics, but for Judaism and especially Islam. It's sometimes said directly, but usually is kept out of public view.

In the end, it's scary as can be. But, in all of the religions, the fundamentalists tend to hold the most hatred for everyone who is not part of their worship community. Islam has its fundamentalists. Judaism has it's ultra conservative sector, and Christianity has a whole flock of sects and denominations that take a very, very narrow view of most things.

That's why keeping religion out of government and government out of religion is so important. If that principle gets lost, there's real trouble ahead.

[Another Jackalope]

11. It's a three cornered holy war.

Previous ones like the Crusades only had two sides. Adding a third makes the calculus extremely complex, and the likelihood that things will go sideways approaches 100%. As we are already seeing.

America is going to lose another one. Even, or especially, if it goes nuclear.

[carpetbagger]

12. Third temple

The First Temple was build under Solomon and destroyed by the Babylonians. The Second Temple was built under the Persians and destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E.

Agree in general with what you say, but it could have been otherwise if decent people combined with self-interested residents of the region came together, which almost happened.

[MineralMan]

15. Thanks. My count was off.

[Coventina]

19. Where is the Third Temple? (Jewish joke)

The British Museum!

(Because of all the Levant artifacts gathered there).

[bluestarone]

13. I see this as we are witnessing the NUMBER ONE reason for the

Separation of church and state, bur HEY they know what's best for America. I say BULLSHIT!

[MineralMan]

14. Yes. The reasons for that separation were very good ones.

Religion has caused more wars and misery than any other human activity.

[Lancero]

18. And point 4, the Sunni/Shia schism.

Iraq and Lebanon are the two exceptions here, but otherwise Iran has been bombing every non-Shia nation in proximity.

Lebanon gets left out on religious lines - They're not 'technically' a Shia nation, nor do they have a Shia majority, but Hezbollah is Shia aligned and they have outsized control over the nation.

Iraq is purely political, given how much control the US has over the nation.

Not a perfect fit given the outliers, but military action is falling more along Sunni/Shia lines than Christian/Muslim ones.