God's Warriors

What did you think about CNN's documentary God's Warriors?

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/gods.warriors/

CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour traveled to six countries on four continents to examine religious fundamentalism in the three Abrahamic faiths Judiaism, Christianity, and Islam.

I thought the issues were fairly and exhaustively presented in the segments that I saw on Islam and Christianity. What I inferred from the documentary was that the fanaticism of Islam at present was the more virulent and potentially deadly than that of Christianity as it is inseparable with the militerism and nuclear ambitions of Middle Eastern nations that lack the philosophical secularism of western countries. Secondly, I think the emotions that are felt are real, deep-seated and metasizing and there are no clear or easy solution on how to neutralize them. Finally, it also seemed clear that the fanaticism of the faithful was more often than not a political rather than a religious expression, which may seem like a paradox if religion and politics are one and the same.

I would take a stronger postion that that. I would say that there is no way for the US Government to deal with this militant fundamentalism. But the fundamentalism exists within a broad world culture and it needs certain things to be able to flourish. It needs to be able to depict itself as oppressed by an outside enemy. We do not need to contribute to the fundametalist self image. We do not need to nurture that self image. And when we do choose to nurture and cultivate that self image, as we are doing in Iraq, we should not be surprised when the seeds we have planted and tended bear their bitter fruit.

I think you are right. Paticular tin-eared policies of the US has contributed to their myth of Moslem victimization. Surely, one step to reduce this would be to eliminate our dependence on Middle Eastern oil. However, I think it is also true that we are hated for values that we deem are essential, such as the separation of the clergy from state policy and law and the idea of democracy and independent thought generally. Perhaps part of the answer is to conduct a two-tier approach-- strong military deterrence-- not US boots on the ME ground, which actually has an anti-deterrence effect --combined with efforts for dialogue and co-existence, in which one finds the word existence.

And, to repeat your first statement, we need to eliminate on dependence on (I would say addiction to) middle eastern oil.

There's actually two ways to do that.

1. Add a tax of $x dollars per gallon or barrel to fund a national project to create a viable energy alternative.

2. Another solution may be just as effective. Start a war with Iran that would close the Straits of Hormuz increasing the cost of oil and decreasing supply so that other viable energy alternatives are created. Republican neo-cons call this the free market solution.