Generalizations about monotheistic religions should not warrant blame

Monday, June 27, 2016
By Stanislaw Banach | Special to the Daily Cal

David Gayton’s article “Religion slaughters 49” demonstrates flawed reasoning. Nowhere within it does the author prove his bombastic claim that “the main culprit behind the massacre that took place in Orlando this weekend was the irrational thinking that all monotheistic religions inspire.” He clarifies by saying that “religious fundamentalism” bears responsibility for the recent tragedy. In this crude conflation, he has equated all monotheistic religions with religious fundamentalism. He spends the rest of the article condemning the fact that American conservatives’ legislation of Christian morality makes it acceptable “to impose any religious value on the private lives of individuals.”

We have a few problems: 1) the assumption that every member of any monotheistic faith is automatically a fundamentalist, 2) no mention of the multitude of monotheists who are neither conservative nor fundamentalist and 3) no indication that plenty of other powerful ideologies seek to impose their values heavy-handedly.

To say that all monotheistic religion seeks to to dictate the values of non-members is untrue. Even within a single branch of Christianity one can find numerous different approaches: many Catholics do indeed support legal restrictions on abortion, but very many oppose the act in principle while refraining from legally dictating morality for others. The late-modern phenomenon of fundamentalism represents but a slim segment of Christianity and can hardly be used to describe other religions.

Gayton’s exclusive focus on conservative politicians completely disregards the vast majority of practicing monotheists who are not fundamentalists and many of whom are not conservatives. Governor of California Jerry Brown and Vice President Joe Biden are both Catholic and liberal, nearly all Jewish members of Congress are Democrats and American Muslims overwhelmingly vote for the Democratic Party.

http://www.dailycal.org/2016/06/27/361124/