"Words" have power, emotion, and consequences, depending on how they are interpreted by those hearing or reading them. In his latest statement on the Muslim massacre in France, Pope Francis, for whatever reason, avoids pointing the finger at Muslims and attacks "fundamentalists." He basically says the only purpose of fundamentalism is to control people. That IS the purpose, and always has been, of Islam. But there is no reason to paint fundamentalist Christians or others with the same bloody brush.
Different dictionaries pretty much agree the definition of "fundamentalism" is "strict adherence to the basic principles of any subject or discipline." Where a religion is concerned, that could also mean simply staying as close to the truth as possible. That is not a bad thing. Violence in that adherence is the bad thing.
When dealing with violence of any sort, plain speaking and truth are important. The Chinese warlord Sun Tzu, writing on warfare, listed as one of the basic precepts, "Know your enemy." That is a primary building block for strategy.
Fundamentalism is not the enemy.
People who murder people are the enemy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/12/pope-francis-religious-fundamentalism-terror-attacks_n_6454708.html
No comments:
Post a Comment