"Another of life's insulting ironies. He had once been quite the fiery atheist. Now he was Protector of the Faiths. All fifty-seven flavors of them.
"Well, most of them."
-SM Stirling, The Golden Princess (New York, 2015), Chapter Four, p. 82.
No irony there. An atheist cannot be "Defender of the Faith" (see the British coin in the image) but he can and should be "Protector of the Faiths." In fact, it should be easy for him to be impartial in such a role:
every group of Catholics has a right to hear a priest say Mass and administer the other sacraments;
every group of Evangelicals has a right to meet to study the Bible;
every group of twelve male Jews above the age of twelve has a right to form a synagogue;
every group of Muslims has a right to attend a mosque;
every group of Buddhists has a right to rent a quiet room for meditation and to complain (politely) if there is loud music from another room in the same building!
There is a Buddhist prayer in which the Queen or the President is thanked, i.e., the prayer acknowledges that the British or American state does not hinder the practice of Buddhism.
Poul Anderson's Terran Empire is a future civilization in which all human and non-human faiths are equally free. Thus, Wodenites practise Buddhism or Catholicism whereas some human beings adopt the Ythrian Old Faith.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
The problem being, of course, is that not all Muslims are willing to get along with non-Muslims. The threat and danger posed by jihadism will always remain latent in Islam. Because that is what the most authoritative Muslim doctrinal sources teach.
Sean
Kaor, Paul!
Dang! I forgot again to add another thought! I like your idea that the Terran Emperors could have included among their titles "Defender of the Faiths." That is, guaranteeing freedom of worship to all faiths.
Again, Islam is a problem. It teaches the right and duty of Muslims to conquer all non Muslims. And that the ideal form of gov't is a theocracy merging mosque and state. IS Islam a religion or an ideology with religious ideas?
Sean
Sean,
Yes, we need a Protector of Faiths who authorizes the construction of mosques - and churches, mandirs, gurdwaras etc: a legal framework that protects everyone.
Paul.
Correction, you meant PROTECTOR, not Defender of the Faiths. Drat!
Sean
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, something like the US First Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting Congress to hinder the right of people to practice their faith. But I have some doubts if that will always be possible with Islam.
Sean
Post a Comment