Thank you for visiting my page at Angelfire. This is formated for a term paper (cover pages, references etc.) so please continue to scroll down to get to the next pages. Please feel free to comment on my writing on the topic of "poligion".Patricia
?Poligion? and the Call to Dialogue
by Patricia Plantamura
e-mail: pplantam@hotmail.com
Spring Semester 2003
One should judge religion on doctrinal principle, not on how faithfully the principles are applied.
(Paraphrased in part from The Complete Idiot?s Guide to Understanding Islam, pp. 213)
THESIS STATEMENT: The purpose of this paper is to call into question the goal of secularization of government. It focuses on the positive aspects which religions bring to the political table. It challenges fear and suspicion which people have toward other faiths, and calls attention to the many commonalities from one religion to the next. This common ground can create an interfaith dialog, based upon the precepts of the actual holy books, not on religion understood culturally or in common practice. Religious ideology, studied in context, and in conjunction with history, can shed great light on past and present day political situations, isolating religious from ?poligious? activity. Religious guidelines which have served humanity for centuries are vital to the human psychology which may aid in bringing positive political change about. Religious guidelines provide a valuable reference point and a source of accountability in human political behaviour. As a potential powerful unifying force, religious ideology must not only be valued, but embraced, in future political considerations.The month is July and the year is 1099. An army of Crusaders has arrived in Jerusalem. They breach Jerusalem?s walls and enter into the city in victory. Once inside Jerusalem the Crusaders massacre virtually every person they find, Muslim and Jew. Nor do the Crusaders behave any better toward their fellow Christians. They expel all non-Latin priests from their churches, and torture orthodox Christians to reveal the location of the true cross of Jesus. Blood runs in the streets, ankle deep. (Armour pp. 73)
Armour, Rollin Sr. 2002. Islam, Christianity, and the West, A Troubled History, Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books
As soon as the slaugher ends, and while the streets are still clogged with bodies of the slain, the knights gather in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for High Mass to give thanks to God for their victory. (Armour pp. 73)
Fast forward to the the month of September in the year of 2001. The city is New York. Two commercial airplanes, filled with travelors, are taken over by men who speak Arabic. They soon crash into two prominent buildings in New York City. The hijackers and the travelors are killed, and in the ensuing minutes, several thousand people who are working in the buildings are killed as well. If you were to take the blood of the 3,000 plus victims, that blood would run in the streets of buildings One and Two, World Trade Center, also, perhaps, ankle deep.
In the aftermath of this event there is horror for some, but for others, jubilation, in the belief that God is great, and somehow He had a hand in the matter.
I call your attention to the parallels of what one might perceive as religious fervor in both instances. We look at the Crusades now, and the WTC tragedy, and find it difficult to believe that either action was justified by the religious doctrine of Christianity or Islam. Although acts have been done in the name of religion, under analysis, it is doubtful that many of these actions would be upheld as following actual religious doctrine.
In this paper I note the significance of the inconsistency between political activity done only in the name of religion, and actual religious doctrine. What I propose is the coining of a new word, the root words of this new word being ?politics? and ?religion?; in combination, the new word would be called ?poligion?. Thus, poligion is political or social action taken in the name of a religion, although the action may not be sanctioned by that religion.
Emotions and feelings often play a part in poligion. One may feel patriotism, nationalism, or ?assabiya?, an Arabic work meaning an irrational solidarity, an almost blind loyalty toward a group. Although these feelings may be deep, they are often confused with religion. It is important to distinguish between these feelings.
Poligion works as follows. Poligion takes a specific religious principle, infuses it with patriotic, nationalistic or other personal or group related ideas, thereby perverting the religious principle, then attributes an ensuing self-serving action or attitude to the religious principle. Through this process poligion insinuates that the action was done in the name of that religion.
If one tries to justify actions in the name of religion, without a correct understanding of what the religion professes, understand that you are witnessing the practice of poligion, not religion.
We can see an early example of the recognition of poligion in the post massacre environment in 1099 Jerusalem. As news of the massacre during this Crusade spread, both Christians and Muslims were horrified at what they heard had happened. (Armour, pp. 73) Likewise, post 9-11 Muslims and Christians were horrified by the WTC events. In both instances we see that Muslims and Christians recognized that religio-political behaviour does not necessarily follow the teachings of the faith from which it takes its supposed authority. Because of this, it is vitally important to note that one can not project behaviour done by a few people in the name of a religion, on the entire religious populace or, even onto a specific religion.
With this paper I propose an analysis of religious doctrinal authority for political action, as opposed to actions done only in the name of religion. I propose a critical analysis of religion from a scriptural perspective, in context, rather than an analysis from a contemporary cultural perspective. Religious ideology, studied in conjunction with history, and in context, can shed great light on past and present day political situations, isolating religious from poligious activity.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
In a time when many governments are aiming for a more secular orientation, one might ask: What does religion have to do with politics? In answer, religious principles have provided humane guidance and direction for hundreds of years. Most of us today inherited some values from our family faiths, our parents, or our past. The practice of religion provides the basis for conscience-building, compassion and values. Whatever your beliefs, one must appreciate what societal direction religion has provided to humanity.If not for religious ideas passed down, we would perhaps experience Darwin?s survival of the fittest, and the law of the jungle in the human community. This would undoubtedly be chaotic. Because religious faith provides for social order, it is highly political.
Religion is a notable point of contention in Samuel P. Huntington?s writing The Clash of Civilizations?. Huntington sees civilization as ?the highest cultural grouping of people and the broadest level of cultural identity people have? as human beings (Huntington pp 24). In this work Huntington hypothesizes that sources of conflict in the future political world will not be primarily ideological or economic, rath ern world, we, who have access to potable water, adequate food, medical care, and who do not live in daily fear of war in our own neighborhoods, have a responsibility to assess this situation and to work toward understanding. We cannot simply marvel at the level we have reached, and revel in our God-given Rights to the present situation. With an historical perspective in mind, we must understand that the political arena is changing, so we must seek out sources of unity. Religion can provide such a source.
We must come to the understanding that with Rights comes responsibility. Religious guidelines which have served humanity for centuries are vital to the human psychology, indeed they are a unifying force, which will aid in bringing positive change about. As such, religious guidelines must be valued and used wisely in political considerations.
In the study of religio-political matters, one must be mindful that actions done with personal religious zeal actually may be outside of the principles a faith espouses. One may insist that his or her religion is correct on some point, but in disrespecting another person with a different religious conviction, you may not, in fact, be practicing your own faith.
We must remember that, as members of a larger religious community, we will be measured by the precepts of that community, not our own personal beliefs and actions. For this reason one must recognize past poligious activity and then be open to the possibility that what we choose to do ourselves may be part of this deviant poligious behavior.
Samuel Huntington?s prediction that there will be conflict among civilizations, especially along religious fault lines, does not need to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. ?Fault lines? exist between tectonic plates where land masses meet and are rearranged with great force. In this process majestic mountains are pushed out of the waters and new life appears on that land. The same can be said of the fault lines which presently exist from one religion to another. There is no reason to believe that the globalization of the world will slow, thus different cultures and religions will come together. Like the tectonic plates, this ?clash? of religions can reconfigure understanding, respect and unity, something no less majestic than a mountain, where new life can begin and thrive.
Religion is not so much what we say we are, rather how we behave and who we are.
If someone accused you of being a Christian, or a Muslim (or whatever faith you profess) what evidence would they find against you? Would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Bibliography
Armour, Rollin Sr. 2002. Islam, Christianity, and the West, A Troubled History, Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books
Emerick, Yahiya 2002. The Complete Idiot?s Guide to Understanding Islam, Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books
Zebiri, Kate 1997. Muslims and Christians Face to Face, Oxford, England: Oneworld Publications
Huntington, Samuel P. Summer 1993. Foreign Affairs, Article: "The Clash of Civilizations?", Volume 72 No.3, , Summer 1993
Kimball, Charles 1991. Striving Together, A Way Forward in Christian-Muslim Relations, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books