Oryx
CoquettishCat
- 13,184
- Posts
- 13
- Years
- Age 31
- Seen Jan 30, 2015
Further proof that no religion is safe from its extremists; after an altercation between a Buddhist monk and a group of Muslims in Sri Lanka, the Bodu Bala Sena sect of Buddhism allegedly rioted, attacking and killing 4 people and injuring over a dozen more, and burning down over 80 houses.
Link. This raises a lot of questions in my mind about the place of religion as a whole in our world - can a religion become large and still remain harmless? Or are they all doomed to splinter into violent sects that attack other groups as they grow? In many of the Buddhist attacks (this is merely one example of a trend), the government in that area is majority Buddhist and seems to be passively approving the actions of the majority.
Is it possible for the idea of a religion to survive and grow without parts of it descending into violence?
Addressing the crowd of thousands Sunday, the BBS's leader, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara, gave an inflammatory speech.
Video footage from the event shows the orange-robed monk using derogatory terms for Muslims and, to approving roars from the crowd, vowing that if any Muslim laid a hand on a member of the Sinhalese majority -- let alone a monk -- that would "be the end" of them.
After the rally, Buddhist mobs marched through Muslim neighborhoods, torching and destroying dozens of homes and shops, witnesses told CNN.
Following consecutive nights of violence, in which local medical staff say at least four people were killed and sixteen seriously injured, those made homeless by the rioting were sheltering in the town's main mosque Tuesday, shell-shocked and fearful of what may come next.
Link. This raises a lot of questions in my mind about the place of religion as a whole in our world - can a religion become large and still remain harmless? Or are they all doomed to splinter into violent sects that attack other groups as they grow? In many of the Buddhist attacks (this is merely one example of a trend), the government in that area is majority Buddhist and seems to be passively approving the actions of the majority.
Is it possible for the idea of a religion to survive and grow without parts of it descending into violence?