Religious Toleration: "The Variety of Rites" from Cyrus to Defoe, ed. by John Christian Laursen (POSC212)
Hey! The idea of tolerating people who have different religions and belief systems isn't new and modern!
The chapters in this bookbegin with Cyrus II of Persia (who ruled 559-530 BC) went against traditions of the time and allowed a wide range of beliefs in his kingdom - even helping to rebuild destroyed temples for worship he personally did not believe in. (He's mentioned in the Old Testament in the Second Chronicles, Ezra, Isaiah, and Daniel). Then a Chinese scholar writes of the culture of toleration in China, describing Jews who settled there long before 1000 AD and maintained their own culture while not being persecuted for their differentness.
The next interesting chapter is on Bartolome de Las Casas who was an outspoken opponent of the raping and pillaging Spaniards were doing in "The New World." He gave up in encomienda in order to be a priest of Chiapas, though much of his time was spent in Spain trying to raise consciousness about the atrocities and how they go against Christianity.
Other chapters discuss Muslims in Renaissance England, economics and toleration (Defoe), different denominational struggles, and humor and toleration in the early 1600's in England.
An interesting book, particularly the introduction chapters by Laursen (the professor of the course) which help clarify concepts and terms (toleration is his big study focus). Toleration has long existed and not just because of our "modern" concept that there is no one single "right" way of being. Most religions, including Christianity and Islam, call for their followers to attempt to convert, but that leads to horrific injustices such as the Inquisition. Tolerating diverse beliefs - not necessarily agreeing with, but not persecuting - is a key to peace.
The chapters in this bookbegin with Cyrus II of Persia (who ruled 559-530 BC) went against traditions of the time and allowed a wide range of beliefs in his kingdom - even helping to rebuild destroyed temples for worship he personally did not believe in. (He's mentioned in the Old Testament in the Second Chronicles, Ezra, Isaiah, and Daniel). Then a Chinese scholar writes of the culture of toleration in China, describing Jews who settled there long before 1000 AD and maintained their own culture while not being persecuted for their differentness.
The next interesting chapter is on Bartolome de Las Casas who was an outspoken opponent of the raping and pillaging Spaniards were doing in "The New World." He gave up in encomienda in order to be a priest of Chiapas, though much of his time was spent in Spain trying to raise consciousness about the atrocities and how they go against Christianity.
Other chapters discuss Muslims in Renaissance England, economics and toleration (Defoe), different denominational struggles, and humor and toleration in the early 1600's in England.
An interesting book, particularly the introduction chapters by Laursen (the professor of the course) which help clarify concepts and terms (toleration is his big study focus). Toleration has long existed and not just because of our "modern" concept that there is no one single "right" way of being. Most religions, including Christianity and Islam, call for their followers to attempt to convert, but that leads to horrific injustices such as the Inquisition. Tolerating diverse beliefs - not necessarily agreeing with, but not persecuting - is a key to peace.
posted by NOLA at 9:27 AM
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