#1107 Tolerating Necessity

I read this interesting article the other day about a positive consequence of religious toleration. It got me thinking about how convenient it is for all of us that there is religious diversity.
You’ve probably seen photos of traffic in India being blocked by cows meandering along. But the sacred cows don’t block the road forever. Hindu Indians themselves may not feel it is religiously appropriate to move the cow from its divinely ordained wanderings. But they have no exception to a Muslim wandering up and shooing the cow off the road.
Likewise, Muslims and Jews have no problem with a Christian arriving to remove an unclean pig that’s got into one of their gardens. Or handling pig DNA to find a vaccine for the Swine Flu.
In these instances, religious toleration works quite well. Have some heathen stain his or her soul with an action you yourself are loathe to commit.
This is a rich tradition. As in making some people rich. Early Christians were forbidden from lending money at interest. It was the sin of usury. In the Dark Ages, there was no such thing as a Christian-owned express check-cashing place. Nor were there overdraft fees.
Which kept things dark, because there wasn’t much capital loaned out for start-up businesses and construction projects and stuff. Because no one would lend money without getting interest.
Except Jews.
So the Christians let Jews soil their souls. The Jews were cool with that cultural payback. They were persecuted, with interest, in so many other ways.
So this story I read was kind of funny. Seems this group of atheists, who bill themselves as atheists, are offering a pet service to Christians who believe in the rapture. The form of rapture where they are taken bodily to heaven.
Tragically, at that point little Fluffy will be left behind to starve. So pet-loving rapture believers are paying these definitely-to-be-left-behind soul-soiled atheists an upfront fee of $110 to take care of their stranded pets when the rapture comes.
Is this a great country or what? Sometimes we can all get along.
The rich tradition continues...
America, ya gotta love it.