the Balance in the World of Religions

The Balance in the world of religions				impotent and only fit for cultural
				improvement.
Each religion including that of Christianity,
Buddhism and Islam had its particular impact				On the other hand, the role of force in Islam
on the very essence of the word, shaping its				could be down-played. From the middle of the
culture, politics, science, social life				seventeenth century there had been those who
according to the main prerogatives of the				decried it as a vulgar opinion that Muhammad
religions mentioned. Moreover, religions had,				spread the faith by the sword. [Tailor.T,
I would say, the most important influence on				1868].
history. It is due the conflict between
Christianity and Islam the progress of				To cover Islam from the perspective of
Western society turned out to be so extensive				cultural, artistic, political and social
and deep. It is due to Buddhism people try to				perspective I would like to propose you the
bring profound changes to their lives making				following brief analysis of Islam.
an effort to free themselves from negative
influence of the society they live in.				Cultural tradition: religious enthusiasm,
				argument concerning the relative truth of
Buddhism				Islam

As the religion of more than 90 per cent of				Artistic traditions: dominance of religious
Thailand's population, Buddhism became one of				contest in all kinds of artistic traditions
the three pillars of the national ideology,
alongside the monarchy and the nation. Since				Political system: justified use of force,
the very beginnings of Buddhism in Thailand				mission of spreading the faith, imperial
in the thirteenth century, it has always been				confidence in the virtue of Islamic culture,
closely linked with the state, and				radical political and social implications,
specifically with the king in the form of the				the image of Islam as a religion of force,
dhammaraja (Dharma ruler or just ruler).				the political decrepitude and moral and
				social evils
Buddhists stress the personal choice of the
individual or family when it comes to				Social system: secular and religious
religion. No religion is superior to another:				patronage, the moral degradation of women,
the goal of all religions is identical--to				slavery, the physical and mental debilities
lead a moral life--and converting others to				of men, envy, violence and cruelty, the
Buddhism is not given much prominence.				disquiet and misery of private life, the
				continual agitations, commotions, and
Buddhism in the age of Asoka had made				revolutions of public life.
universal claims to the allegiance of man.
Eventually, allegiance or commitment would				According to Smith Islam and scientific and
become the major feature of other religions				political progress are incompatible.
such as Christianity and Islam
				Thus, Islam was often seen as the source of
Christianity unjustified use of force. The				all the evils which, in the western
Christians are convinced that theirs is the				imagination at least, had afflicted Islamic
way of ultimate truth. For Protestants even				societies. It was Islam, extravagant but not
more than for Catholics, Christianity is seen				progressive, that had relieved the eastern
as superior to all other religions.				mind from the discipline of improving itself,
				and had left it in its preferred state of
Christianity has become the religion of				untamed wildness. Islam and scientific and
dogmas. However, divided by heresy and				political progress are incompatible, as
factionalism, and permeated by impiety,				Christianity and scientific and political
inequity, iniquity and idolatry Christianity				progress are not incompatible". [Smith B.,
was near to lose its humanistic nature.				1995]
Still, the image Christianity as a vibrant,
active, progressive was a good contrast to a				Consequently, Islamic religion can be
passive inert Islam. This was one of the				characterized by
factors that enabled religious and political
hegemony of Western culture.				1.Blind devotion to Muhammad

These were common definitions of differences				2.The presence of Islamic fatalism.
between these two religions. Edward Freeman,
for example, defined the west as progressive,				3.religious intolerance
legal, monogamous and Christian, and the East
as arbitrary, stationary, polygamous and				4.political despotism
Mahometan. To William Muir, Islam may have
been suitable to the Arabia of the time of				Despotism.
Muhammad, but quite unsuited to other times
and places: "it binds society hand and foot",				The perceived relationship between Islam and
he declared. [Smith B, 1995]. So, my				despotism has always been the landmark of
evaluation of Christianity as a religion				many disputes. However, I would again refer
would look as follows.				to Bosworth Smith, who considered that it to
				be wrong to judge Islam in terms of despotism
Cultural tradition: no religious enthusiasm,				as well as Christianity in terms of
argument concerning the relative truth				Anabaptists, Pillar Saints, or Shakers.
Christianity				Consequently, a strong tendency to evaluate
				Islam as the source of all evil is a mistake.
Artistic traditions: partial religious
contest in all kinds of artistic traditions,				It is quite visible that there are
the prevalence of secular traditions over				significant differences in the cultures of
religious ones				different religious societies. However, my
				reading the book by Herb Ziegler Traditions
Political system: Legal basis				& Encounters: A Global Perspective on the
				Past has helped me to shape my perception of
Social system: secular and religious				history as connection of "complex
patronage, the moral value of women, slavery,				societies"[Ziegler H.,2005] that eventually
, violence and cruelty, revolutions of public				is an inevitable process for coexistence of
life.				different worlds and ways of life. However,
				the most controversial issue in this aspect
Islam as religion of enthusiasm				is religion.

In the later part of the eighteenth and into				6
the nineteenth century, religious enthusiasm
no longer carried the radical political and				Conclusion.
social implications it had held during
Commonwealth and Restoration times. It was				The world religions (Buddhism, Christianity,
more often viewed as potentially				Islam) created the history and shaped it in
self-deceptive than socially disruptive. As				the way of continuous contest the outcome of
Nathan Alcock put it in 1796: "Enthusiasm may				which is the society we are having now as it
cause a man to deceive himself, and take his				has been stated in my paper. My research
own fancies and conceptions for divine				also proved that each religion is unique in
suggestions. This probably was the case with				its own way, and is build upon long-term
Mahomet and the success of his enterprises				traditions. In fact, all religions has both
[sic] might still further persuade him that				positive and negative sides. Eventually,
his cause was the cause of God." [Thomas				neither of religions could be defined as
Alcock T.,, 1796]				right or wrong. That is why everyone must be
				aware f other civilization's presence and its
In the Victorian period, the cultural				cultural, social and political values.
hegemony of west over east allowed for				Consequently, the rivalry between this West
modifications to the image of Islam as a				and that East--between the West and Islam--is
religion of force. On the one hand it could				natural rivalry of two different systems each
be argued that, while an aggressive Islam				of which has strong demand for world
needed to be opposed, a peaceful Islam was				dominance.

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the Balance in the World of Religions