[Buddha-l] anti

[curt]

Richard Hayes wrote:
> On Fri, 22 Sep 2006 02:58:41 -0700 (PDT)
>  Elihu Smith <elihusmith at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Being "anti-Israel" is indeed anti-Semitic - unless your anti-Israel 
>> is accompanied by anti-Egypt,
>> anti-Germany, anti-Cuba, anti-Iran and anti every
>> other state. 
>
> I can't quite follow your reasoning here, but never mind. The stance 
> that makes most sense to me is to be neither pro- nor anti-Israel, at 
> least not without qualifications. In general I cannot endorse any 
> state anywhere that is based on religious claims. The very idea of an 
> Islamic republic, a Christian nation, a Jewish state, a Hindu state or 
> a Buddhist state strikes me as backwards in the extreme, so I cannot 
> endorse any of them. But so what. Such entities pretend to exist. And 
> as long as they exist I can see no course of action that makes sense, 
> from a Buddhist point of view, than to show discernment, criticizing 
> some policies and endorsing (or remaining neutral about) others.
>
>
An interesting case of "faith based" states is that of the various 
"Christian" states of Europe. Historically it is undeniable that every 
nation-state of Europe was originally a "Christian State" - and quite 
explicitly and proudly so. While these states have gradually embraced 
religious pluralism to various degrees (Greece, for example, is still 
dragging it's feet well into the 21st century!) - the only European 
States that have made a "clean break" with their theocratic pasts were 
those that embraced soviet style "marxism". Of course, these States have 
since recanted their Marxism, and many of them are once again smoking 
the opium of the masses.

A good example of a modern Christian state in Europe would be Denmark. 
The Danish flag is a flagrantly religious symbol - the Christian cross. 
Denmark has it's own state Church which about 90% of the population 
belongs to (higher than the percentage of Jews in Israel!).

The Dutch, the Scotch and the English not only have their own "national" 
religions, but they actively engage in attempting to eradicate the 
indigenous religions of other peoples in the name of "spreading" their 
own religion outside their own borders.

- Curt