[extropy-chat] a frightfully difficult sacred problem

[Adrian Tymes]

--- Damien Broderick <thespike at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Their task is not easy because of an appalling
> contradiction - for Muslims,
> it is heretical to render the Koran in blood, an
> impurity that should be
> washed away. On the other hand, the Koran defines
> absolutely their religious
> beliefs and culture - it cannot be destroyed.

Pfft.  *The* Koran, yes.  *A* Koran, no.  To take a
quasi-secular equivalent, the USA has rules about when
and where one of its flags may be "respectfully"
destroyed, but it does allow instances of this
sacred-equivalent object to be destroyed when
necessary.  I could cite similar examples from various
religions.

Now, if this were the last remaining Koran in
existance, that might be another story - and hopefully
serve as a lesson about backing up one's content.  But
there are other copies, and apparently this instance
isn't even 15 years old.  To say it is beyond
destruction just because it's a copy of a religious
text, written in ways that everyone agrees was
sacreligious to said religion anyway, is just another
example of the sad state that results when people
confuse the embodiment of ideals for the ideals
themselves.  (Even certain religious *try* to address
this; witness a certain recent Ten Commandments issue,
which ignored one of said commandments.)