[Buddha-l] Hindu Fundamentalism

[jkirk]

> But (... altogether now: ...) it's not that simple. When you have people
> whose outlook and education is so narrow that they can claim that, for
> instance, the creation story in the Christian bible is literally,
> objectively and "scientifically" true, how can you exclude their 
> poppycock?
> *We* may know that it is religion (of a sort) strutting around it what it
> fancys to be scientific clothing, but how can you show that, simply and
> convincingly, to simple minds?
> AW
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Yes but---The obvious principle is that people with simple minds should not 
have control over public education. But that's not so simple either : 
although school boards tend to be staffed by elected people with good minds 
and educations, give or take, the fanatics among religious folk in the USA 
have even gone to the length of running campaigns as stealth candidates for 
school boards so that they can (try to) dominate public education in their 
bailiwicks. Those people are not "simple minds."
Even more astounding, there are a few so-called scientists who claim that 
the intelligent design theory is AS scientific as evolution theory. These 
people are not simple minds but deluded minds.
So in a democracy, it's not the simple minds who get elected to things (with 
one outstanding exception now occupying the highest house in the land) but 
often the deluded and fanatical minds. As usual in a "democracy," follow the 
money. Religious stealth candidates are usually much better funded than 
ordinary local humans.
I'm glad this situation does not reflect what Buddhists do about education. 
Sigh.

Joanna