The Power of Religion Seen Again

The Washington Post continues to have the best coverage of religion and things religious. There are two stories from today's edition that merit notice.

On Tuesday, a 23 year old Afgahni journalism student was sentenced to death for distributing a paper that he found on the internet. The crime? The paper violated the tenets of Islam by humiliating Islam. The young man's case will go to two appeals courts, but he may be have to hope for a pardon by President Hamid Karzai. The verdict was seen as being in line with Afghani Constitution that gives such power to courts in some special cases.

In India, the Dalits are still waiting for such basic rights as having potable water available. The Dalits, commonly referred to as "untouchables," have historically been discriminated against by the Hindu majority based on their theological understanding of the classes of society. The particular village referenced in the article indicated that the people now hope that the rain gods will help them because no one else has.

Any religion or religious expression that does not uphold the basic needs and rights of people does not fit my understanding of what the power of religion should be. Any one who uses the power of religion to condemn or to relegate classes of people to 3rd or 4th class status does not square with what I see taught in my Book of Holy Scripture. Someone said something about caring for the least of these, didn't he?

May we all use the power of our religious beliefs for the good of people.