The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #71855   Message #1232133
Posted By: Amos
23-Jul-04 - 09:08 AM
Thread Name: BS: secular vs. non-secular
Subject: RE: BS: secular vs. non-secular
An interesting study can be made of this in Thailand which is unusual among nations in that it has not had a religion forced down its throat through conquest, and has always been Buddhist. Although it is certainly non-secular, in the sense that the government is not based on religious doctrine, it is a nation where an air of spirituality, not religiosity, permeates the daily existence, and informs ordinary behavior to a much higher degree than in the U.S. IMHO.

Another interesting example of study is Malaysia, which is rich with secular trappings but from a number of different religions simultaneously -- Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, etc. -- all practiced with energy and tolerance.

I don't know of any problems wither of these countries have with religious extremism. They are both highly tolerant environments.

Neither one is officially non-secular, but both are better balanced than AFganistan or Iran on what is actually a spectrum, I suppose.

A