<<Everyone has their own way to cope with
traumatic events. If faith and
religious belief ,
whether Christian, Jewish, Islamic, or otherwise, is the
best
way, the surest way, or the only way that some or
even many of us can cope
with this immense tragedy
and its implications, I don't begrudge them
that.>> &c. &c.
But surely there is more to
religion than an individual therapeutic device? It's a way
of looking at the whole world and how and why things
happen. And again, calls for God to wreak vengeance are
not the only, nor indeed the most common, religious
response that Americans have come up with in the past
week.
Many religious leaders have encouraged their
co-religionists to look for the messages of tolerance and love of
mankind inherent in the doctrines of their various
faiths. For many people, prayer and spiritual reflection
can amplify and deepen those messages. Exhortation by
leaders and mutual support by believers are a proven way
to increase such prayer and reflection. Where is the
sinister plot or agenda behind all
this?
Cheers,
Kemezis