Monotheism and Intolerance

Is pluralism evil or undesirable to you? For many conservative American Christians, the answer is “Yes.”

When I was undergoing teacher’s training, I had to take a course in Multiculturalism. It was required for teacher’s certification. But I am well-aware that many people hate multiculturalism, pluralism and cultural diversity.

American televangelist, Pat Robertson, said, “After the Christian majority takes control, pluralism will be seen as immoral and evil and the state will not permit anybody to practice it.” That sounds very extreme. It is essentially Fascism. But is it really so extraordinary in the context of the history of monotheism? What is monotheism if not the suppression of other religions and belief systems.

Monotheism is the tyranny of one god and one value system. This is why the history of monotheism is so bloody and full of atrocities. When the evangelical Christians talk about religious freedom, they typically mean only their own religious freedom, not that of others. The US has a long history of religious intolerance that predates the founding of the country. The Puritans came to the New World in search for religious freedom. But, at the same time, they also persecuted other Christians and non-believers who did not share their religious beliefs and practices. They did not see the apparent contradiction. They did not find their religious intolerance to be at odds with Jesus’s teaching of love and compassion either. In fact, extreme intolerance and religious persecution are in the DNA of the monotheistic religions, of which Christianity is one. An article in the Smithsonian magazine said the following about early American religious history:

“The most famous dissidents within the Puritan community, Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson, were banished following disagreements over theology and policy. From Puritan Boston’s earliest days, Catholics (“Papists”) were anathema and were banned from the colonies, along with other non-Puritans. Four Quakers were hanged in Boston between 1659 and 1661 for persistently returning to the city to stand up for their beliefs.” (Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/americas-true-history-of-religious-tolerance-61312684/)

When will we learn that monotheism means intolerance and a evangelical Christian takeover of the US will be a return to our theocratic past? Please take a moment to reflect on the monstrosity of this situation.