GlocalNet

While I was in Madrid one of the statements I made was that we are living in a time when all religions are growing in all places.  There is growth of Islam in the U.S. and there is growth of Christianity all over the Middle-East.  What’s happening and why?  I believe there are two reasons.  First, it is happening because of migration.  Second, it is happening because the traditional historical existing religions are not providing answers for the problems of humanity which leads people to look to new religions for new answers.  Freedom of Religion - or whatever some may want to call it - will not be viewed as a “western invention” but as a necessity for living together globally.  For the most part, we in the West are being shaped by the East and learning from the other side of the world.  The concept of freedom of religion could be the greatest offering that Americans can make to the rest of the world.  No doubt, it can’t be a “western view” because anything that smacks of “America” is sadly rejected out of hand.  What we are talking about in reality isn’t freedom of religion, but freedom of thought.  Religion answers the question:  What is a man’s highest authority that determines his view and behavior?  If a man can’t own his own mind then he is the worst slave of all.  Do any of us want converts that have no choice?  Ultimately that undoes any faith.  I was with a very influential government leader of a very influential nation yesterday.  Our entire conversation centered on this issue.  His goal is to determine how to communicate this in his cultural context because all religions are now all over the place in his country and he has to deal with it.  I don’t think this is bad.  I think it’s good.  It’s good for Americans, because we have to think about our faith deeply and not merely what was handed down to us.  Ultimately, it will be a “purifier” and “cleanser” as to what we really believe and how we practice it and how we treat others that we disagree with that are our brothers and sisters in humanity, as one of my Muslim friends refer to all of us.  If the key to keeping America “Christian” is keeping Americans isolated and separated from other religions - then I would question is it really Christian.  I would say the same is true with regards to Islam in “Islamic” countries.  If a man does not possess his mind, does he really have one? 

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200904/globalization-religion