Quoting Tor Hundloe, "From Buddha to Bono."

"Not to be too optimistic ...
we should recall that there are social, racial and
religious antagonisms even in the most easy-going
and friendly countries (such as Denmark and the
Netherlands). Many thinkers would argue that ignorance
is the major course of unpleasant, or criminal disconnects
between people. In extreme cases, terrorism aimed at
killing fellow humans exists and has to be explained.
The lack of exposure to other cultures leads to
narrow-mindedness and, worse, to an "us-them" divide."

"By definition, education is secular. Without knowledge of
what leading thinkers are doing and saying, supernatural
beliefs will remain unchallenged and an us-them divide
will destroy any vestiges of a common ground. A poor
understanding of one's own religion, let alone that of other
religions can lead to disputes that are avoidable."

"Most people, of all religious beliefs, have only a very
general comprehension of their religion as they are likely
to relate to those aspects which best suit their particular
personal philosophies. When culture and religion coalesce,
cultural practices get the benefit of religious
sanction regardless of the morality of the
cultural practice."

"If one finds peace and love in one's creed,
that is a positive result not just for the person in
question but also for society. But it is just as likely
that one will find war and hate in the same religion, and
cultural practices that diminish the role of women, to point
to a common situation."

"Of course ignorance (whether a result of narrow religious
teaching or cultural learning) is one determinant of
behaviour. It does not account for every aspect of human
behaviour. It does not account for self-interest. It is
important to recognise that -in every population of
people there is likely to be a proportion of very self-
interested people, as well as a majority of people who
are most capable of seeing the wisdom of living by a
golden-rule of co-operation and reciprocity. It is
necessary to recognise that there are people for whom
greed comes to supplant other human attributes and
aspirations."

cont'd ...

cont'd ...

Continuing from Tor Hundloe's book:

"It is one thing to rob if one is desperately poor,
another thing when material goods are abundant. To settle
this point consider the following -
The country of Australia was settled by so-called
"criminals" who might not have done anything more than
steal a loaf of bread for their desperate, hungry family.
On the other hand we are only too aware of the truly
titanic business frauds of the 20th century (as with
Enron) and the fact that many "white collar" criminals
escape the law."

"We would if we read Charles Dickens, understand that the
so-called crimes of the desperately poor would have been
sanctioned by Jesus Christ.
The conventional wisdom is always open to
question."

What a load of rubbish.

Second that!

Yes. There has been a paucity of important, sensible topics here lately; but save us from this garbage, which appears to be copied straight from some weirdo publication. There is even a "But lo" in it!

The "Man has to become a human being" points to the lunacy that follows. We are human beings, you fool.

Well put Foxy, I understand where you are coming from. Social injustice has always been one of the greatest crimes perpetrated against humanity.
Are property right predominant over human rights?