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Democracy and Christianity

Reader comment on item: Answering Khaled Abou El Fadl
in response to reader comment: Future

Submitted by Frank Luke (United States), Feb 3, 2011 at 20:29

Amin Riaz writes: "Idea of democracy pre dates christianty to the ancient greek. The romans employed a system of republic - but the most interesting implementation of democracy was by independent republics of India during 6th century BC"

Ideas of democracy, autocracy, theocracy, socialism, communism......existed centuries before Jesus Christ came into the world, however, democracy in its present form did not come into existence till after the Reformation movement of Christianity. The Greeks practiced a direct-participation form of democracy, but the notion of "equality of men" and the present form of representatory government was the result of the Reformation movement in the church; with the Renaissance movement serving as a catalyst in the social cauldron.

Regarding India: Even today the common man in India addresses a policeman as "Sir" in order to show deference and the policeman does not address the common citizen as "Sir". On the other hand, in advanced nations like USA, the policeman addresses the common citizen as "Sir".

In Asian societies neither the policemen nor the ministers (elected leaders) show the same respect to the common man that the common man shows to those public servants. On the other hand, in USA, a Senator or a Congressman stands in the same line at a Dunkin Donuts or at any other store. A common man in USA will receive much greater respect than a common man will, in India. In USA everyone is referred to as "you", in India there are 3 tiers of respect: "tu", "tum", and "aap". The notion that all men are equal is only marginally emulated in Asian societies because of the democracy that they got as a result of Great Britain having ruled them for centuries.

India owes Great Britain a vote of thanks for making it one nation. Had it not been for Great Britain, "India" would not be one nation as we know it today. It existed as a land with several little kingdoms and kings before England made it one nation.

Indians slew their women on the funeral pyres of their husbands by burning them alive and they called it "Sati". Raja Ram Mohan Roy and others who spoke up against it could have had next to no effect on this horrendous practice had Great Britain not put an end to it in India. There was no democracy in India at any time before Great Britain taught Indians democracy and that is how India got her parliamentary system of government.

Riaz also says: "These days are the dying days of christianty - which has been reduced to nothing more than few ideas an rituals. Its hardly practised anywhere seriously".

One wonders where Riaz lives. There are millions of Christians who are practicing Christianity all over the world including India - and they are doing it seriously.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (20) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
An Interesting Injustice... [58 words]Amin RiazFeb 1, 2011 22:29182195
2Sharia [204 words]S.K.ShahDec 30, 2010 06:18181352
1Present day Hindu intellectuals and neo-historians, Bollywood, Congress government and media are working hard to destroy Hinduism and hand over India to Muslims once again!!! [178 words]JaladhiDec 31, 2010 17:33181352
1Hindu's [58 words]Sarah TaitJul 8, 2011 14:50181352
3More civil voices [101 words]Rebecca MouldsDec 27, 2010 13:43181297
2Owned [15 words]Will ScottDec 27, 2010 12:29181292
Pipes is a moderate and I prove it [185 words]kevin bjornsonDec 27, 2010 05:39181280
Not all faith is bad [206 words]Frank LukeDec 29, 2010 11:10181280
Future [145 words]Amin RiazFeb 2, 2011 21:08181280
Democracy and Christianity [467 words]Frank LukeFeb 3, 2011 20:29181280
2Answering Khaled Abou El Fadl [18 words]Steven LDec 26, 2010 17:34181269
2we do make a difference - reserved and more civil - anti-islamism-2.0 [132 words]mythDec 26, 2010 15:02181263
4Abu el-Fadl is really a professor at UCLA? This is really bizarre part deux [507 words]dhimmi no moreDec 26, 2010 10:34181259
2Abu el-Fadl is really a professor at UCLA? This is really bizarre [398 words]dhimmi no moreDec 26, 2010 08:08181258
Could be? [99 words]YnnatchkahDec 29, 2010 01:13181258
1Abu el-Fadl and the doctrine of al-Jihad [297 words]dhimmi no moreDec 29, 2010 13:54181258
1The future and the cost of education in the US [204 words]dhimmi no moreDec 30, 2010 07:16181258
Education in USA costs verses costs in Australia [516 words]Bishop Gabrielle CroftsJan 2, 2011 04:45181258
6The distortion of reality by Islamist pseudo Professor [752 words]Bishop Gabrielle Crofts (American Old Catholic Church faith movement, Australia)Dec 25, 2010 07:15181241
4Abiy El Fadl Representative of U of CA "scientific rigour"!!! [57 words]MollDec 24, 2010 15:50181229

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Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".

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