Norberg B. Eye for eye! Rondel 2001; 9:Health (www.rondellen.net, Oct-Dec 2001)

Eye for eye!

Wolf, you have a talent for casting pearls in your sermons! I did not know – or maybe remember? – that "eye for eye, and tooth for tooth" in fact is a restriction rule for minimizing revenge of blood; otherwise, man is inclined to demand a head for an eye.

No, I do not think that religious fanaticism can be minimized by ignorance, from dusk to dark. "Religion is opium for the people." When you are starving for your daily opium, you may come down mad.

From a historical point of view, Christianity and Islam may be regarded as sects within the Jewry. Christianity has replaced circumcision by baptism and believes that Jesus from Nazareth is the Messiah expected by the Jews. Islam has kept the circumcision, regards Jesus as a prophet among prophets, and leaves the preferential right of interpretation to Mohammed, much like the preferential right of interpretation for the pope in the Roman Catholic Church.

Wolf, I am trying to design a working hypothesis for the formation of violent religious fanaticism. A sect starts out from the central traditions (Bible and Koran), directly or indirectly - the longer the distance to the core of the tradition, the thinner the message. When the message becomes too meager to satisfy the archetype within us - in the first stages of abstinence - some come down mad around a charismatic leader. That is the violent religious fanaticism.

The electronic revolution has made it possible to distribute the Wisdom of the Proverbs and the Word of the Prologue of John, spoken and written, to all languages. In fact, the central traditions provide a simple and wonderful tool for the language training of the People of the Books.

My working hypothesis, Wolf, is that insight into the central traditions inhibits the development of violent religious fanaticism and promotes the development of knowledge, prudence, and understanding. This hypothesis is compatible with the thesis of Marx. "Religion is opium for the people."

Some observations support the hypothesis of peace by insight into the central traditions. The people of the covenant, the Jews, are distinguished by success in business, science and arts more than by religious fanaticism.

My hypothesis, Wolf, is that when the last terrorist has abandoned arms and the USA has developed Afghanistan as formerly Germany and Japan, then it is essential to immunize against new eruptions of violent religious fanaticism by making Bible and Koran a basis of religion education and language training.

No, this vision provides no educational problem. Abraham, Mose and other characters apply to our archetypes. Had Goliath any chance? Did Batsheba seduce David?

The post-industrial countries, USA included, have not exploited the developing countries. The population of the globe has expanded 5-10 times in two centuries. The main part of the population explosion has occurred in developing countries.

The population explosion is the biological testimony that developing countries have not been exploited. Instead, the developing countries have converted their production increase to a population increase.

In spite of mutual collaboration, there is a remaining problem of free and fair distribution of goods, services, education, health care and land. It is reasonable to assume that free and fair distribution requires the development of welfare states with legislation rooted in the ethics of the central traditions. Hereditary privileges belong to the past.

Background literature

The Holy Bible. New International Version (1984).

Berne E. Games people play (1964).

Harris T. I´m OK, you´re OK (1969).

Maccoby M. The gamesman. The new corporate leaders. (1976).

Norberg B. Bequest for better and worse. Rondel 2001; 7:Health (www.rondellen.net)

Popper KR. Conjectures and refutations. The growth of scientific knowledge. Ed. 4 (1972).

Veblen T.The theory of the leisure class (1899).

Published November 13, 2001