Your Group Persecuted My Group, So Now My Group Is Going To Persecute You Back, and Persecute Some Other Groups....HUH?

I have never understood the desire to "do unto others as you have been done unto".  Ok, maybe I can sort of understand the whole payback thing, you know, you did something mean to me so now I'm going to do something mean to you.  No, that's not right, but I understand that part.  On an individual basis, of course.

So is it just human nature to generalize?  I mean, why do so many people in this world think its the right thing to be hateful to an entire group just because one or two people of that group have done something to them, or their group in the past?

I was reading an article that urges Christians to pray for the safety of other Christians who may be in Muslim-majority areas during the season of Ramadan.  Ok, I can get with the idea of being concerned for other people, I think that's great.  But that got me thinking about a lot of things.

First of all, although I may not personally agree with enforcing religion on people, I have to respect the idea that if I go to a different country where one religion is it, and that country has laws to uphold the observance of that religion, then I should be respectful of their practices, and also understand that if I were to blantantly disregard that country's laws, I would be punished.  No, it's not right, or humane, in my opinion.  That's why I stay right here, where my right to worship as I please is protected, for the time being that is (which will bring me to another point further down).

Point number two:  Many people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs since the beginning of time, whether they are Pagan, Christian, Muslim, Buddist, Jewish, etc.  So if Christians were fed to the Lions by the Romans, Christians burned witches at the stake and perpetrated "Holy Wars" against Muslims, Muslims perpetrate their own "Holy Wars", Jews were annihilated by the millions, and so on and so on, how exactly does it work to keep fighting each other?  I'm totally on board with the idea that we all need to protect ourselves, but at what point do these religious leaders take a minute and use the brains that their respective goddesses/gods gave them?  When do we all stop and say, hey, maybe I don't agree with what you believe in, but all this fighting and bickering for thousands of years has not gotten us anywhere?  Has any side of the religious debate truly been successful?  Do we all believe the same thing?  No, we don't.  And so what?  So why keep doing it?

My third point, how can a group be persecuted, then turn around and do it to other groups?  Its almost as if the mentality is "well since members of my group are being beaten, tortured and murdered, I'm just going to be hateful to other groups".  Where the hell is the logic in that?  Haven't they heard two wrongs don't make a right?  Somebody, somewhere in this world is going to disagree with you.  And you with them.  Not a problem.  But when you start shoving yourself into somebody else's life, that's crossing the line.  As an example, there is a group of people planning to wage "spriritual warfare" during the Samhain season this year, and they seem to think they can infiltrate the government and dictate how people of this country worship.  How is that any different than the way things work in the Middle East?  It's not, except the deity in question has a different name.

I realize that even though we generalize (as humans, we have some weird compulsion to group things and give them labels) not every single person believes exactly the same thing as someone else in the very same group.  And I truly think that's the way it should be.  So enjoy the fellowship with like-minded individuals, and identify with a group if you want.  But don't be a sheep.  Don't blindly follow along with hatred, just because that's what your group or leaders or whatever says that you should do.  Don't think in terms of "that's wrong", but in terms of "that's wrong because it will actually hurt another person".

Is this really so difficult?

That is all:)