Many of us like to think that we are in a world that is in the post enlightenment era ....
..... that at the very least the world is a better place than it was in the 17th century ... an Age of Reason in fact.
Perhaps in the West, and one or two other countries we can reasonably make such a claim. But elsewhere in the world there is often little sign that the world is getting more enlightened.
For example, there are still many countries where being secular is still dangerous, because those countries still have Apostasy and Blasphemy laws. These laws mean that anyone can be accused (often with little or no evidence, but the claims of the accuser), of these offences, and the penalties are usually very harsh, with a good chance of being killed by the state, murdered by neighbours (or religious zealots), or held in prison for many years due to lack of will to release them.
A map of those countries where these backward laws and social conventions apply show that they are nearly all where one religion holds sway (except India) ..... yes the same religion that demands that its adherents be given full freedom to practise safely in countries where it isn't yet in the majority.
However if that was not bad and backward enough ..... then there is the attitude towards homosexuality and the gamut of LGBT behaviours.
Many of the same countries that feature in the list of apostasy and blasphemy punisher's, are also in the list of those that punish and persecute (to death in some countries), LGBT activities. But added to them, are countries such as Russia, where Russian Orthodox Church influence has encouraged much harsher laws against the LGBT community, and China, as well as many Sub Saharan African countries including Christian ones.
When you add in Women's rights, and Abortion rights, both of which are at best problematic in many areas of the world, then its hard to argue that the world is progressing in the manner which we in the West often like to delude ourselves with thinking, are world norms.
As the painter Goya imagined it, the sleep of reason produces monsters ..... we don't do enough to push the monsters back into the dark, and whilst we slumber, they come out again to threaten us.
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| The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters - After Goya |
..... that at the very least the world is a better place than it was in the 17th century ... an Age of Reason in fact.
Perhaps in the West, and one or two other countries we can reasonably make such a claim. But elsewhere in the world there is often little sign that the world is getting more enlightened.
For example, there are still many countries where being secular is still dangerous, because those countries still have Apostasy and Blasphemy laws. These laws mean that anyone can be accused (often with little or no evidence, but the claims of the accuser), of these offences, and the penalties are usually very harsh, with a good chance of being killed by the state, murdered by neighbours (or religious zealots), or held in prison for many years due to lack of will to release them.
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| Apostasy And Blasphemy Laws Enforced ..... |
A map of those countries where these backward laws and social conventions apply show that they are nearly all where one religion holds sway (except India) ..... yes the same religion that demands that its adherents be given full freedom to practise safely in countries where it isn't yet in the majority.
However if that was not bad and backward enough ..... then there is the attitude towards homosexuality and the gamut of LGBT behaviours.
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| World Views On Homosexuality .... Varied. |
Many of the same countries that feature in the list of apostasy and blasphemy punisher's, are also in the list of those that punish and persecute (to death in some countries), LGBT activities. But added to them, are countries such as Russia, where Russian Orthodox Church influence has encouraged much harsher laws against the LGBT community, and China, as well as many Sub Saharan African countries including Christian ones.
When you add in Women's rights, and Abortion rights, both of which are at best problematic in many areas of the world, then its hard to argue that the world is progressing in the manner which we in the West often like to delude ourselves with thinking, are world norms.
As the painter Goya imagined it, the sleep of reason produces monsters ..... we don't do enough to push the monsters back into the dark, and whilst we slumber, they come out again to threaten us.
Very thought provoking article. We often forget that western norms are often at best only parodied in other countries. For example the 'Democratic Republic' of North Korea and other decididly non democratic states e.g. China. Where elections are just rubber stamping of one party candidates.
ReplyDeleteWe are (as I have remarked before) overly keen to ascribe our social ideals to a world that doesn't necessarily agree with them. Thanks for the comment.
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