The Red Brick Times

The recent reference to Lions and Roman spectacles echoed historical religious conflicts, including those between and among both Muslim and Christian extremists. In general spectacle refers to an event that is memorable for the appearance it creates (the link goes to an article about the most recent Bush coronation). So too, were the Crusades between 1095 and 1291 largely based on appearance and political motivation. So, are we embarked on a new crusade in the full historical sense? A book by Rahul Mahajan, titled "New Crusade: The U.S. War on Terrorism" and published in March 2002 (six months after 9/11/2001) precurses the events of the past 5 years in terms and illustrations similar to the historical spectacles of Roman and Christian Crusader spectacle. After correcting for the viewpoint bias due to US cultural isolation from the ROW (rest of the world), it is not surprising that political interests (read to include overt religious interests in many countries) pursue opposition to US policy and practice. The United States enforces "separation of church and state" while founding the government on religion, coining "in God we trust" and pledging to remain "one nation under God" symbolized by a striped cloth banner. There is a certain delusional dualism in the practice that smacks of sleight-of-mind.
Posted 6:02 AM by Andy (0) comments

       Comments:

Post a Comment


---