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Old 06-02-2010, 11:05 AM   #21
Michael Hackett
Dojo: Kenshinkan Dojo (Aikido of North County) Vista, CA
Location: Oceanside, California
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,253
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Re: more religious issues

Dear Anonymous:

In your original post you raised two issues. You stated that you wanted to know if your instructors were truly discriminatory and said that you didn't want to belong to, or support an organization that is discriminatory. That's commendable and I salute you for that. The solution is simple; open your eyes and ears and see for yourself. Do you see any specific actions that disadvantage or harm any particular group? By that I mean specifically, does your dojo have a policy or practice of refusing to accept students because of their race, their religion, their sex, their sexual orientation, or any other human quality? Or do they set rules and practices that some may not wish to abide by? If it is the former, then your school is probably discriminatory. If it is the latter, then it is not. That part of the equation seems easy to me.

The second issue is more troubling to me. If the school doesn't exclude others on the basis of their religious beliefs, then on what basis does this group chose to attack this school? What then is the problem? Granted, I'm just an Ugly American and don't fully understand the nuances of other cultures around the world, but I do show respect and courtesy to those whose beliefs I don't share. I don't have any problem with the leaders of the "local places of worship" telling their flock that the practices of the dojo are antithetical to their beliefs and they should not train there. That seems to be the role of religious leaders of any faith.

Maybe I read more into your original post, but I am concerned at the level of anger suggested. Religious or cultural zealots of any stripe worry me, and worry me greatly.

Michael
"Leave the gun. Bring the cannoli."
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