Religious Freedom

My wife and I have recently returned from trip to Greece and Turkey.  All travelers know that any time you leave the familiar you can learn much.  Personal experiences with foreign customs, cultures, geography, governments and religion can teach a person much more than simply learning from books, photographs or videos, although these can have great value in introducing one to places, peoples, or concepts. 

  

Such was our recent experience in Greece and Turkey.

  

Although I have for years studied and taught religion courses, including the great world religions, and have traveled in non-Christian countries, I have not sensed the day-to-day impact (somewhat stifling) upon those who embrace faiths other than my own as much as I did in these two countries.  The two faiths represented were, of course, Christian Greek Orthodox in Greece, and non-Christian Islam in Turkey. 

In Greece, as was to be expected, was found a strong secular feeling.  Perhaps this was because of its ancient historical antecedents of Greek philosophy and government—the ruins of which we specifically went to see.   But perhaps it is also because of its EU status as a European country with the pan-European secularization and lessening influence of Christianity, especially Catholicism—whether Roman or Orthodox. 

I got the feeling that religion had been seriously marginalized in Greece—not nearly as badly as in San Francisco, but nevertheless marginalized.  Although a large majority of its citizens claim Greek Orthodox membership, and it has a government status as the state religion (the clergy’s salaries and pensions are paid for by the state and school children receive Greek Orthodox instruction) the religiosity of the people is not at all apparent.  Other faiths exist but are an extreme minority and exist in an inhospitable environment.  Proselytism by other churches is prohibited.  Greece seems to be, like its tumbled and jumbled blocks of marble and granite remnants of once stately buildings and temples, a country without, any longer (if it ever had one) a substantial moral or religious foundation.

  

Turkey, the sixth largest population-wise Islamic country in the world, has a population made up of 99% Sunni Muslims but a government which claims it has ‘no official religion nor promotes any.’  (Muslims make up 23.2% of the world’s population and are growing as Christianity which claim 31.5% is declining.)

We found the claim of religious neutrality to be hard to believe.  For example, the imams (muezzin) who blasted us from bed each morning between 5:15 a. m. and 5:45 a. m. for official prayer in a ‘non-official’ state are all government-appointed employees on the state payroll.  All mosques are also state-funded.  And most interesting is that this ‘secular’ national government has an office of ‘Religious Affairs Directorate.’  Hmmm.

On the positive side, whereas many of the larger Muslim governments (Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Persian Gulf States) still forcibly suppress other religious beliefs, Turkey ostensibly does not.  In the other Muslim countries mentioned, conversion to Islam is a supported tenet, but conversion from Islam is considered the sin of apostasy and is often strongly punished and is threatened by death in Sharia law.  We did not proselytize. 

Now, here is the rub.  In neither country was real religious freedom available.  In both countries untold thousands of little businesses and vendors vied for our business, the foreign dollar—even aggressively.  Why not allow the same capitalistic atmosphere in the religious marketplace?  Why the lockdown on freedom of conscience?  In my faith we actively invite people to investigate our beliefs.  We ‘put it on the table’ and invite young and old to look, ask, read, listen, respond, convert.  We do not rely upon tradition, enforced lack of alternatives, threat, or historically forced compliance.  We are confident that truth can cut its own way—if people are exposed to truth.  That is our purpose.  And that is the difference.  

 

We enjoyed our trip and felt safe in both countries.  Of course we gave the Turkish-Syrian boarder a wide margin. We respected their customs and represented our country as all Americans should.   Outside of the huge cities of Athens and Istanbul (population 15 million) we found the two countries beautiful and geographically very similar to many places in the U.S.A. 

By contrast to the two countries visited and pertaining to religious freedom in our country, we appreciate the great wisdom of our founding fathers in providing for freedom of worship, speech, and assembly—also for the historic separation of Church and state (though not as it is now being interpreted).  The rich pluralistic landscape of religion in America has enriched our country and has given an evidence-based (not fear-based or intolerance-based) hope, at least in my faith, to millions of people. 

I’m glad to be home.

A Request that Begs for a Response

A hurricane had hit the West Indies, and a bricklayer was sent to repair the damage. He wrote to the home office as follows: 

Respected Sirs:
When I got to the building I found that the hurricane had knocked some bricks off the top. So I rigged up a beam with a pulley at the top of the building and hoisted up a couple of barrels full of bricks. When I had fixed the building, there was a lot of bricks left over. I hoisted the barrel back up again and secured the line at the bottom, and then went up and filled the barrel with the extra bricks. Then I went to the bottom and cast off the line. Unfortunately the barrel of bricks was heavier than I was, and before I knew what was happening the barrel started down, jerking me off the ground. I decided to hang on, and halfway up I met the barrel coming down and received a severe blow on the shoulder. I then continued to the top, banging my head against the beam and getting my finger jammed in the pulley. When the barrel hit the ground it bursted its bottom, allowing all the bricks to spill out. I was now heavier than the barrel and so started down again at high speed. Halfway down, I met the barrel coming up and received severe injuries to my shins. When I hit the ground I landed on the bricks, getting several painful cuts from the sharp edges. At this point I must have lost my presence of mind because I let go of the line. The barrel then came down, giving me another heavy blow on the head and putting me in the hospital. I respectfully request sick leave.
 
(Apparently first reprinted in the Manchester, England Guardian and later in the Salt Lake City, Utah  Deseret News)
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If the incident happened in our time, and the home office was sympathetic to the poor man’s request, and the hospital prescribed medication for man’s woes he might have read the following—which is copied directly from a drug information sheet for a common medication (doxycycline) prescribed for a sty in my wife’s eyelid: 

Very common (10% or more): Headache (up to 26%)
Frequency not reported: Sinus headache, dizziness, drowsiness, amnesia, paresthesias of body areas exposed to sunlight, phrenic nerve paralysis after sclerotherapy
Postmarketing reports: Pseudotumor cerebri (benign intracranial hypertension), headache

Frequency not reported: Bulging fontanels in infants, benign intracranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri) in adults

Benign intracranial hypertension resulting in significant loss of vision has been reported.

A 70-year-old female patient with no significant medical history suddenly developed a severe headache followed by vomiting about 15 minutes after the initial dose of doxycycline. The patient also experienced memory dysfunction; she could not remember the events of the afternoon prior to the doxycycline dose and could not retain the information after she was reminded. The incident lasted about 30 minutes and she was transported to the hospital for further evaluation. No further cause, such as intoxication or trauma, could be elicited. Once at the hospital, the patient was able to remember the events of the afternoon and could retain new information, but amnesia regarding the events of the 30 minutes following the onset of the headache persisted. The patient's laboratory results, CT scan, MRI scan, cerebrospinal fluid, and EEG showed no pathology. When the patient was discharged 2 days later, the amnesia for the 30 minutes continued. After elimination of other symptomatic causes, the amnesia was concluded to be due to the doxycycline because of the close relation of the doxycycline dose and the onset of symptoms.

Gastrointestinal

Very common (10% or more): Nausea (up to 13.4%)

Common (1% to 10%): Vomiting (8.1%), toothache (7%), tooth disorder (6%), dyspepsia (6%), diarrhea (up to 6%), periodontal abscess (4%), acid indigestion (4%), upper abdominal pain (2%), abdominal distention (1%), abdominal pain (1%), stomach discomfort (1%), dry mouth (1%)

Frequency not reported: Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea, esophageal irritation, ulceration, epigastric burning, black hairy tongue: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, glossitis, dysphagia, enterocolitis, inflammatory lesions (with monilial overgrowth) in the anogenital region, esophagitis, esophageal ulcerations

Numerous cases of esophageal ulceration have been reported. In most of the cases the patients had taken their medication at bedtime, usually without enough liquid. Patients often present with severe retrosternal pain and difficulty swallowing. Ulcerations generally resolve within a week after discontinuation of the medication. One case report describes severe hiccups of 4-day duration associated with esophagitis following the first dose of doxycycline.Esophagitis

Other

Very common (10% or more): Common cold (22%), influenza symptoms (11%)
Common (1% to 10%): Injury (5%), pain (up to 4%), back pain (up to 3%), back ache (2%), infection (2%), fungal infection (2%), influenza (2%)
Frequency not reported: Possible overgrowth of nonsusceptible organisms (superinfection)

Microscopic brown-black discoloration of the thyroid gland

Musculoskeletal

Common (1% to 10%): Joint pain (6%), muscle pain (1%)

Respiratory

Common (1% to 10%): Nasopharyngitis (5%), sore throat (5%), sinus congestion (5%), coughing (4%), sinus headache (up to 4%), sinusitis (3%), bronchitis (3%), nasal congestion (2%), pharyngolaryngeal pain (1%)

Dermatologic

Common (1% to 10%): Rash (4%)
Frequency not reported: Nail discoloration, phototoxicity, photoallergic reaction, photo-onycholysis, photosensitivity, maculopapular and erythematous rashes, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, exfoliative dermatitis, hyperpigmentation Paresthesias of the body areas exposed to sunlight may be early signs of sunburn reactions. Photoallergic reaction describes scaly erythema and vesicles on the face and neck associated with doxycycline administration. Upon rechallenge, a flare with erythema, itching and burning occurred in the same area.

Genitourinary

Common (1% to 10%): Menstrual cramp (4%), bacterial vaginitis (3.3%), vulvovaginal mycotic infection (2%)
Frequency not reported: Vaginal itch,vaginal candidiasis

Cardiovascular

Common (1% to 10%): Hypertension (3%), increased blood pressure (2%)

Hepatic

Common (1% to 10%): Increased aspartate aminotransferase (2%)
Frequency not reported: Acute hepatocellular injury, cholestatic reactions, hepatotoxicity

Metabolic

Common (1% to 10%): Increased blood lactate dehydrogenase (2%), increased blood glucose (1%)
Frequency not reported: Hypoglycemia, anorexia

Psychiatric

Common (1% to 10%): Anxiety (2%)

Hypersensitivity

Frequency not reported: Hypersensitivity reactions (including urticaria, angioneurotic edema, anaphylaxis, anaphylactoid purpura, serum sickness, pericarditis, exacerbation of systemic lupus erythematosus, drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms [DRESS])

Hematologic

Hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, eosinophilia

Ocular

Frequency not reported: Diplopia, papilledema, loss of vision (associated with doxycycline-induced benign intracranial hypertension)

Renal

Frequency not reported: Dose-related rise in BUN

Immunologic

Frequency not reported: Autoimmune syndromes

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I think if I had the mandatory choice of suffering the brick bucket incident or taking doxycycline I would take the former and rejoice that I was so lucky.