In Poul Anderson's "A Message in Secret," Altaians profess a Moslem-Buddhist synthesis. When visiting a large, Cathedral-sized, Mosque in London, it occurred to me that Muslims and Buddhists would be able to practice in a single chamber simultaneously, Muslims standing, kneeling and prostrating on the floor towards the centre of the room whilst Buddhists sat around the sides of the room facing the wall. But this would be simultaneous practice, not theoretical synthesis. It could be done to economize on space. Unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future.
4 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And that scenario is totally implausible, given the hostility Islam has for all other faiths, esp. for those Muslims call "idolators." It was Muslims who disgracefully destroyed the monumental Buddha statues in Afghanistan not that many years ago. And Muslims and Hindus still periodically slaughter each other in India over the sites of temples/mosques they claim rightfully belongs to one or the other.
While perhaps not theoretically impossible, I've more than once thought that Muslim/Buddhist synthesis on Altai a strain to accept. Also, given the part Russian background of the Altaians, shouldn't Russian Orthodox Christianity been prominent there? Roughly half of Altaians could have been Christians and the remainder Buddhists.
Even so, here we see Anderson taking religious beliefs in the future more seriously than too many other SF writers.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
During the occupation of a public square in the Arab Spring, Christians guarded Muslims praying and vice versa. Everything depends on context. Beliefs and practices do not exist as abstractions.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Of course, but there are not enough Muslims like that. Christians are still persecuted and oppressed in countries like Egypt.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
That is one reason why revolutionary change is necessary in Egypt as in a lot of other places.
Paul.
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