\n\tThe twenty-first century will be more religious than the twentieth for several reasons. First is that, in many ways, religion is better adapted to a world
\n\tof global instantaneous communication than are nation states and existing political institutions.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tSecond is the failure of Western societies after World War II to address the most fundamental of human needs: the search for identity. The world\u2019s great
\n\tfaiths offer meaning, direction, a code of conduct, and a set of rules for the moral and spiritual life in ways that the free-market, liberal democratic
\n\tWest does not.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tThe third reason has to do with demography. Worldwide the most religious groups have the highest birthrates. Over the next half century, as Eric Kaufmann \n\tThis leaves us little choice but to reexamine the theology that leads to violent conflict in the first place. If we don\u2019t do the theological work, we will \n\tThe challenge is not only to Islam but also to Judaism and self-knowledge: \u201cOur hands never shed innocent blood.\u201d\n\t<\/p>\n \n\tAs Jews, Christians, and Muslims, we have to be prepared to ask the most uncomfortable questions. Does the God of Abraham want His disciples to kill for \n\tAs one who values market economics and liberal democratic politics, I fear that the West doesn\u2019t fully understand the power of the forces that oppose it. \n\tToday Jews, Christians, and Muslims must stand together in defense of humanity, the sanctity of life, religious freedom, and honor of God Himself. The real \n\tWhat then should we do? We must put the same long-term planning into strengthening religious freedom as was put into the spread of religious extremism. The \n\tIt has been a strategy remarkable for its long time horizon, precision, patience, and dedication. If moderation and religious freedom are to prevail, they \n\tThere must be an international campaign against the teaching and preaching of hate. Education in many Islamic countries remains a disgrace. If children \n\tWe need to recover the absolute values that make Abrahamic monotheism the humanizing force it has been at its best: the sanctity of life, the dignity of \n\tThese are the ideals on which Jews, Christians, and Muslims can converge, widening their embrace to include those of other faiths and none. This does not The twenty-first century will be more religious than the twentieth for several reasons. First is that, in many ways, religion is better adapted to a world of global instantaneous communication than are nation states and existing political institutions. Second is the failure of Western societies after World War II to address the most fundamental of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[310],"tags":[142],"class_list":["post-6335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-january-february-2016","tag-january-february-2016"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6335"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6335\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.charming-bohr.160-238-31-172.plesk.page\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\thas documented in his book Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth?<\/em> there will be a massive transformation in the religious makeup of much of the
\n\tworld, with Europe leading the way. With the sole exception of the United States, the West is failing to heed the Darwinian imperative of passing on its
\n\tgenes to the next generation.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tface a continuation of the terror that has marked our century thus far, for it has no other natural end.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tHis sake? Does He rejoice in holy war? Does He want us to hate our enemies and terrorize unbelievers? Have we read our sacred texts correctly? What is God
\n\tsaying to us, here, now? We are not prophets, but we are their heirs, and we are not bereft of guidance on these fateful issues.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tPassions are at play that run deeper and stronger than any calculation of interests. Reason alone will not win this battle. Nor will invocations of such
\n\twords as \u201cfreedom\u201d and \u201cdemocracy.\u201d To some they sound like compelling ideals, but to others they are the problem against which they are fighting, not the
\n\tsolution they embrace.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tclash of the 21st century will not be between civilizations or religions but within them. It will be between those who accept and those who reject the
\n\tseparation of religion and power.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tproponents of radical Islam have worked for decades to marginalize the more open, gracious, intellectual, and mystical traditions that in the past were the
\n\tsource of Islam\u2019s greatness.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\twill require no less. We must train a generation of religious leaders and educators who embrace the world in its diversity and sacred texts in their
\n\tmaximal generosity.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tcontinue to be taught that nonbelievers are destined for hell and that Christians and Jews are the greater and lesser Satan, if radio, television, Web
\n\tsites, and social media pour out a nonstop stream of paranoia and incitement, then Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with its
\n\tcommitment to religious freedom, will mean nothing. All the military interventions in the world will not stop the violence.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tthe individual, the twin imperatives of justice and compassion, the insistence on peaceful modes of resolving conflicts, forgiveness for the injuries of
\n\tthe past, and devotion to a future in which all the children of the world can live together in grace and peace.\n\t<\/p>\n
\n\tmean that human nature will change, or that politics will cease to be an arena of conflict. All it means is that politics will remain politics and not
\n\tbecome religion.\n\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"