07-20-2003, 07:04 AM
... is the switchover.
Do you mean to suggest that this happen instantly, as of this moment? Of course things would be different. But it would be rather bizarre to see a religion that is scarcely 0.25% of the world's population, to suddenly occupy the space of nearly a quarter of the world's people? To envision historical events like the colonization of the middle east, or the holocaust, and then to have them suddenly switch sides?
On the other hand, what if Judaism had switched with Islam way back at the beginning, and the one had taken over the other, rather than the inverse? I think things would look fairly similar to how they do today. They aren't dissimilar religions, and I don't think the change of race would make a difference (Jew to Arab), me not being a racist. Similar situations, similar results, I figure.
So, really, the experiment is useless, as far as I can see. It would be like switching Australia and Mexico, or the USA and the Congo. The histories are so radically different there's no comparison.
If you wanted to stipulate a change point, then maybe it might be worth thinking about. Otherwise... the conclusion you want us to reach is built in to the question, which isn't an interesting thought experiment at all.
Jester
Do you mean to suggest that this happen instantly, as of this moment? Of course things would be different. But it would be rather bizarre to see a religion that is scarcely 0.25% of the world's population, to suddenly occupy the space of nearly a quarter of the world's people? To envision historical events like the colonization of the middle east, or the holocaust, and then to have them suddenly switch sides?
On the other hand, what if Judaism had switched with Islam way back at the beginning, and the one had taken over the other, rather than the inverse? I think things would look fairly similar to how they do today. They aren't dissimilar religions, and I don't think the change of race would make a difference (Jew to Arab), me not being a racist. Similar situations, similar results, I figure.
So, really, the experiment is useless, as far as I can see. It would be like switching Australia and Mexico, or the USA and the Congo. The histories are so radically different there's no comparison.
If you wanted to stipulate a change point, then maybe it might be worth thinking about. Otherwise... the conclusion you want us to reach is built in to the question, which isn't an interesting thought experiment at all.
Jester