User:Gordon Gray

SUBJECT: REDUCING INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS. The main source of today's military conflicts is religious warfare, very little different than that of the past several thousand years. The core cause is the miss-use of religious doctrines by radical self-centered politically-oriented religious fundamentalists seeking individual personal power. This truth is exhibited by Judaism (Zionists), Christians (President Bush claims he was "Saved" by religious TV evangelist/fondamentalist Jerry Falwell),and Islam (Mohamed was an accomplished military man as well as a religious prophet). Nonetheless it is ironic that these three faiths have more in common as far as fundamental religious beliefs are concerned than they have differences. All this leads to the obvious question: Why are these three major faiths not held jointly accountable for a major cause in the worlds current conflicts? I am not advocating that these faiths merge into a new joint religious enterprise. I am suggesting that they join hands and sit down at a common table and iron out foolish differences and that all three publically agree to stamp out any form of terrorist activity by renegades within their respective faiths. I personally believe in separation of church from state. However, I see no reason why religious leaders can not cooperate with the present leaders of the various political states to signifantly reduce these religious wars.

The very worst form of terrorism is war itself because so many purely innocent people are killed and injured. Pope John Paul warned President Bush that terrorism can not be defeated by warfare because one is merely proliferating a more widespread form of terror.