Something to think about:
There are two driving forces in the world: Christianity and Islam. The two religions claim more adherents individually than any other religion: both over 1 billion strong, thus both accounting for at least 1/6th of the world population.
Indonesia is to Islam what Europe is to Christianity: both have the most liberal attitude toward their respective, culturally-dominant religions, and have actually been somewhat receptive to other religions, like Buddhism and Hinduism. And for the most conservative-outlooking nations, just replace “Indonesia” and “Europe” with “Persian Gulf” and “United States” in the previous sentence.
In fact, I think a rundown of comparisons is necessary in this case:
- Indonesia/Malaysia = Europe
- Persian Gulf = United States
- North Africa = South America
- Central Asia = Australasia/Oceania
And of course, there are two areas of the world that hang in the balance between the two feuding religions: sub-Saharan (Black) Africa and Far East Asia. And what it seems like is that Africa is the one that “needs” the religion while Asia is the one that takes the most indifferent attitude toward religion, period.
I mean, why is it that more missionaries mention the jungles of Africa when they have a target for their converting adventures? “Oh, it is soooo poor and helpless! They need food and water and Christianity and Westernization!” And the Africans are probably the most receptive toward any and all spiritualities of ANY people.
And why is it that you dont hear that much about East Asia needing neither Christianity nor Islam becoming established on a large scale in their respective nations, and do not taking their so-called religions within the same stride as even Indonesians or Europeans?
So possibly, if that is the case, then if there’s such a thing as a secret, informal war between Christianity and Islam, then the REAL battleground is NOT America, NOT Europe, NOT Indonesia, NOT Saudi Arabia, but actually sub-Saharan Africa.
And if that is the case, then East Asia (Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Ryukyu, Mongolia) is the area that will remain outside of the war, retaining a sort of neutrality in the Christio-Muslim War.
I sincerely believe that this war has been brewing for the past 2000 years, and that it will only escalate with increasing frequency over the next couple of years. I mean, how is it that everything that we (both us Westerners and those who reside in the Muslim world) are historically familiar with, such as our calendar and standard chronological system (the BC/AD thing), is based on either Christianity or Islam, or pre-Christian or pre-Islamic stuff that has been incorporated into the two religions?
So I guess, based on this, I can make these suggestions: if youre a religious pacifist, move to East Asia. If you are a religious reformer/activist, move to sub-Saharan Africa.
Just a couple of ideas that developed upon each other to create a monolith for my mental dissection. I need to go to sleep now….*purrrrr* X-3
I like the diplomacy of “religious reformer/activist” instead of “religious indoctrinater/murderer” (which I would have used, being the jaded self that I am).
It’s an interesting concept, I have to give you that. My question is why there is such harassment of sub-Saharan Africa, as opposed to the greater majority of South America. I guess it could be attributed to the Catholocism introduced by the Spaniards and the Portugese, but that doesn’t seem like enough of an answer for me for some reason.
What would kick up my appreciation for irony, is that if Shintoism or something suddenly kicked up and joined in the fight. But I’m demented, so ignore that last sentence. >_>
Rather, if you look at the civil war in the Sudan (the longest civil war in Africa’s modern history), what you see is a struggle of the Muslim Arabs to destroy the Black Africans who have resisted Islamization and Asianization (that is, the Middle East part of Asia) over the past couple of millenia or more. I mean, either destroy the Black African’s way of life or destroy them along with it.
Furthermore, religious strife has nearly torn apart Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and other parts of Black Africa. Nigeria’s northern area has tried out the imposition of Sharia (Islamic) law, the same kind of law that has been imposed in the Persian Gulf countries (especially Saudi Arabia and Iran), with the just as similar result of gross violations of human rights.
Of course, this didn’t go down without the provocation of the violent chagrin of non-Muslims who resided in predominantly-Muslim northern Nigeria, resulting in thousands of deaths. And obviously, if it happens in Nigeria, it happens throughout the Sahel that marks the geographic border between Black Africa and Arab Africa (stretching under the southern border of the Sahara from Senegal and Gambia to Sudan and Eritrea/Ethiopia).
So to the most conservative Muslims and Christians, sub-Saharan Africans (also known as “blacks”) are expendable and utilizable lunchmeat, so to speak.
and yeah, that term that you used “religious indoctrinator/murderer” also makes sense, as the “reforming” an “activism” also involves indoctrination and, yes, murder.
no surprise there, but its kinda ironic when you think about it.
Sudan
Sudan makes the perfect battleground, but I should think that it’s being fought over in different ways. Christian zealots, especially American, Pentecostal Christians (Like myself), see Sudan as perhaps one of the greatest, and most dangerous mission field in the world, simply because it has such a humanitarian need. Humanitarian services and missionary work tend to always go hand in hand.
However, Islam tends to work a different path. Seeing that Sudan is so decrepit, and such a viable target, their local believers would go with weapons to fight in a Jihaad for their doctrine. The only thing keeping the two battlegrounds, one on the private funding sector, and the other funded and controlled by battling warlords, is part of the Sudanese desert, where people who do not succumb to either violence or torture are discarded, and often treated by the aforementioned Christian missionaries.
Personally, I feel that Sudan is the only serious fire going on, when it comes to mass deaths, and certainly being ignored by the secular humanitarian services of the world, and despite the fact that the theatric, soap-box toting preachers like Rod Parsley are out pimping their own breed of missionary funding outside of AOG (Assemblies of God) work, I feel a great need in Sudan that will linger in my prayers.