There is nothing universal about a community of faith, whether the faith is religious or political. From the point of view of a real, thinking individual, his beliefs divide him from communities that call themselves universal as totally as his skin color or his citizenship divides him fom other races and nationalities.
What a group means when it says it is universal is that its MARKET is universal. A “universal” faith has the world to choose from. That is a huge advantage to have over non-universalist groups, but it’s not as inspiring as “unversalist” groups like to pretend it is.
Universalist groups are not only not inspiringly lovely, they tend to be vicious. Religious groups get into nastier wars than cnountries or races do.
There is never a real truce between universalists. Countries can set up borders and give other countries peace within their borders. But there can never be a single second when a liberal believes that a conservative does not need to be converted. The Communist must always believe that there is no room for a single Catholic on this planet, and no Moslem can be satisfied while there is a single Infidel on earth, no matter how “moderate” he is.
A moderate Moslem is one who does not believe in forcing others to his faith, but he has an obligation to want everyone to be a Moslem.
You are not supposed to say “the Roman Catholic Church”. You are supposed to say “the Catholic Church”.
Nobody worries about that nowadays because Catholics are fair game for anybody today just like white Southerners are.
Methodists and Presbyterians and Lutherans and Baptists call themselves “catholic,” with the small “c,” because they are open to all mankind.
Communists and liberals and conservatives claim to be catholic too.
Go to a Catholic or a Baptist or a Presbyterian Church and try to take communion. To take communion in a Catholic Church takes a year in catachmen classes.
Anybody can become a Baptist or a Presbyterian once they take the classes and prove to the preacher that they BELIEVE.
In the real world a person cannot change his real beliefs any more than he can change the color of his skin.
Universalists say that if everybody believed what they believe, human conflict would cease. Meanwhile in the world I live in, millions of people are slaughtered by one universalist faith like Communism because they adhere to another universalist faith like Christianity.
Meanwhile us provincials, us racists and nativists and nationalists, can live together in peace.
Us provincialists and racists and nationalists say awful things like. “Stay out of our country, stay away from intermarriage with us, and you can live in your own lands.”
But for univeralists, no one else has any lands of their own. By definition the universalist wants it all. For the universalist there is no “you,” there is no “us.”
So naturally Christians have always killed Christians without mercy. Naturally a true disciple of Allah has no mercy. No advocate of True Communism can afford to allow an enemy of his faith to live.
Every universalist says he comes to bring peace to everyone of every race and nation. And once everyone of every race and nation is a True Believer, there will be peace.
In the meantime, things will be a little rough. - Whitaker Online - Posted by Bob in Religion on 08/27/2004