George Farquhar Quotes

Peter van der Kun

This quotation illustrates that a narrow orthodox view of Islam is not the only one in Arab nations. Khaled is not an obscure cleric, but a popular television personality. While his views are considered heresy by many orthodox Muslims, the narrow view is by no means universal. Orthodox Islamists believe that God has commanded that all mankind be Muslims and the ones who are not are either ignorant so need to be “educated”, or evil and therefore should be killed. However, Muhammad ordained that an exception should be made for “Children of the Book”—Jews and Christians who revere the Old Testament. This was at a time when Christians would not allow any other form of worship but Christianity. Christianity, Judaism and most other religions have become tolerant of other religions and allow open alternative worship. Islam which early on led the way to tolerance, has in many countries gone back to the intolerance that existed amongst many Christians at the time of Muhammad.

His intolerance and bigotry not only is of Muslims and Hindus, but extends to some Protestant denominations as well. See {643060} for additional examples of bias on the part of this erstwhile Presidential aspirant. To him, religions, unless they agree with his religious beliefs, are evil and dangerous to society.

Everett was to become the President of Harvard. Private universities had been established by a single religion and typically had professorships of clergy of their religion, but when public universities were contemplated, new thinking was needed in the light of the American Constitution. Madison’s suggested solution is the one that America pursued. Separate the theological seminaries from the public universities.

This historical quote is important because it shows that there was great dissention about the celebrating of Christmas even among different Christian sects. Traditionally, the celebration of Christmas in a government building or school would have offended half the Christian population. In early America, Christmas celebration was legally prohibited in some states and required in others. This was one of the reasons that the Founding Fathers wrote the First Amendment into the Constitution. In modern times, some critics accuse the requirements that Christmas celebration in public facilities as being anti-Christian. But the problem has been with America since before the Constitution.

This was a common view of Southern leaders. Society had to be monolithic culturally. In the North, the constant immigration from the world over made pluralism much more normative. However, the vast majority of the North opposed slavery and believed that slavery and free labor could not coexist. So the Southern argument on that point was turned on them, and the monolithic views of the South has constantly eroded and become more tolerant and pluralistic and by the 21st century, there were parts of the South that were more tolerant and pluralistic than some parts of the North. Change, reform and liberalism was slow to take hold but it was inexorable.

The following year India was partitioned and millions of Hindus were slaughtered by Muslims and vice-a-versa.

He was too ill to read the speech himself and it was read by James Wilson for him.

At the time there was an issue of religious freedom that is in public discourse: It emanated from the Obama Care law which required employers to provide health insurance that does not discriminate against women by refusing to disallow coverage for birth control (pills, diaphragms, etc.) This legislation covered the employees of general institutions run by religions such as schools, hospitals, and retirement communities. Roman Catholics and other religions which viewed birth control as a sin were put in a position where they had to pay for something that they regarded as sinful. So the church did not have complete religious freedom. However, if these institutions would deny to their employees a basic right that the law says belongs to all institutions. If an exception would be made for birth control what about blood transfusions. The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that autologous blood transfusions are contrary to the world of God. So what if institutions they run decided to not cover these transfusions in their insurance policies? Or a Jewish University or a Muslim cultural center decided not to cover medical procedures in hospitals that serve pork? There have been many examples where one religion’s freedom has been curtailed slightly when they conflict with individual rights or other rights. Plural marriage for Mormons and Muslims are against the law. Christian Scientists have been forced to provide medical care for some members even though their religion prohibits it. There is no solution that will not curtail someone’s rights under some circumstances.

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910

The amazing thing about this quotation of 1913 is that at the end of the 20th century the Christians were again at the Muslims throats and Bosnian Muslims were being murdered and ethnically cleansed by the Roman Catholics of Croatia and the Eastern Orthodox Christians of Serbia. The hatred had persisted—the legacy of 1000 years before.