http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2005/12/what-did-spiritual-progressives-learn.html A modern Pagan perspective Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:46:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2005/12/what-did-spiritual-progressives-learn.html#comment-331 Spirit Blooms Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:06:00 +0000 http://patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2005/12/949.html#comment-331 I would go a little further than Morgaine and say the religious right lives in fear of the rest of us not being on the right side of their chosen religious authority, and that's the most frustrating source of intolerance we face. People who aren't just content with being and letting others be, but insist on turning the rest of the world their way---or else. This form of intolerance, which we like to think of as extremist, can become widespread too easily (think Nazi Germany), so must be fought wherever it arises. Intolerance begets intolerance and can lead to violence. Tolerance begets peace.Barbara I would go a little further than Morgaine and say the religious right lives in fear of the rest of us not being on the right side of their chosen religious authority, and that’s the most frustrating source of intolerance we face. People who aren’t just content with being and letting others be, but insist on turning the rest of the world their way—or else. This form of intolerance, which we like to think of as extremist, can become widespread too easily (think Nazi Germany), so must be fought wherever it arises. Intolerance begets intolerance and can lead to violence. Tolerance begets peace.Barbara

]]> http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2005/12/what-did-spiritual-progressives-learn.html#comment-330 Morgaine Fri, 30 Dec 2005 07:59:00 +0000 http://patheos.com/blogs/wildhunt/2005/12/949.html#comment-330 The issue is not values. The issue is varying levels of moral and ethical development. The religious right is stuck at an adolescent level of development, which accepts external authority without question, sees the world as black and while, and lives in fear of not being on the right side of whatever authority, be it the Law. the rules or "God." I don't know how we are going to deal with people who are incapable of grasping the abstract concept that they might be wrong. Fundamentalism doesn't occur in people able to understand abstract concepts - this is why they ridicule intellectuals and abhor "moral relativism." It's over their heads and it scares them. They need certainty, even if it means believing in nonsense about lakes of fire. The issue is not values. The issue is varying levels of moral and ethical development. The religious right is stuck at an adolescent level of development, which accepts external authority without question, sees the world as black and while, and lives in fear of not being on the right side of whatever authority, be it the Law. the rules or “God.” I don’t know how we are going to deal with people who are incapable of grasping the abstract concept that they might be wrong. Fundamentalism doesn’t occur in people able to understand abstract concepts – this is why they ridicule intellectuals and abhor “moral relativism.” It’s over their heads and it scares them. They need certainty, even if it means believing in nonsense about lakes of fire.

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