On Violence in Religion

"If we want to get rid of violence we have to get rid of human beings. It has nothing to do with religion, it has to do with us." ~Tariq Ramadan~

Tariq Ramadan speaking on the future of Islam in a pluralistic society. I know this video is a bit dated but I believe these are the types of conversations we should be having in regards to religion. He doesn't go as far as stating that religions and scriptures are man-made creations but that when sacred text mention elements of violence they are touching about aspects of our humanity. Essentially he states that the problem is not the source (the text) but the reader. I would personally go a bit further and state there is a problem with the source, but I believe mankind is the source. I applaud moderates like Tariq Ramadan because they struggle with the text and their faith while remaining faithful to their religion in an attempt to understand our neighbor, The Other.



On a similar note my favorite Tennessean rabbi, Rabbi Rami Shapiro, recently wrote on ending violence in religion and his hopes on interfaith dialogue.