Religious tolerance - (but my god is better than yours!)

Wow! Can you believe the world-level turmoil stirred up by one crazy minister and a small band of faithful Christians? "Let's burn copies of the Quran." What a great idea! And, as part of our actions, we can incite an entire culture of brain washed, overzealous Muslin believers. Why not?

He is crazy. Right?

Or, is he the only Christian, Jew, or whatever, with balls behind his belief. How can the Pope stand there (sit there?), for example, declaring the glory of his God, Christ, and the Catholic hierarchy, and preaching a modicum of religious tolerance; while winking at the idea that anyone else's god is as good as his God and that women should be priests? The same goes for other religious institutions and their various leaders. Either yours is the best or it isn't God. And, if is the best, then by definition, the rest, including the god of the Quran or (fill in the blank____) simply isn't God.

Reverend Terry Jones puts his actions where his mouth and assumedly his beliefs are. But, why stop there? Burn a few Torahs too? Maybe some Bibles, the Book of Mormon, and countless others texts could be added to the bonfire mix. Surely anyone with complete faith will gladly defend that faith and remove the competition by ceremoniously burning its books. (Do we really think that these other groups would go "off the deep end??" What makes this so different?)

And herein is the point - those people who react with vehemence and venom, are "believers." This includes Rev. Jones. Most of the rest, the "doubters," have moved to a different plane. This is the place where the uncertain possibilities of their own religions can be examined. It is a place where the existence of other religions can be recognized as also being in a constant state of self-examination and growth; growth over time, toward some future fruition, possibly to a common cosmic understanding and, dare I say, belief. Or, perhaps lack thereof.

It seems to me that here is an example of a pre and post religious development which is seemingly based upon the corresponding historic development of man. Those groups who are only now emerging from the intellectual dark ages have no way of relating to the uncertainties of life including such uncertainties in their religions. Their world is colored by their narrow perceptions. These fanatical Muslins and Rev. Jones are not alone or new. Think of the cultural, a.k.a. "religious," wars that still ravage such places as Africa, Pakistan, and Iraq. Add to it the past (present?) mix of the the atheistic fanatics of Communism, etc. and you see that the problem is not just religious. It is, among other things, generational, cultural, and both religious and anti-religious. (It seems to me that collectively, we have better things on which to concentrate our efforts.)