Tolerant, Yet Not Tolerated: The Paradox of Tolerance and the Tai Ji Men Case
Sometimes, tolerance is appreciated as a value and idea, but when it comes to practice it, it becomes less appealing. Some religious movements learned this the hard way.
A magazine on religious liberty and human rights
Karolina Maria Kotkowska is an Assistant Professor in the Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilizations, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland. She holds PhD in Philosophy and works on her PhD in Sociology. She specializes in New Religious Movements and Western Esotericism in Central and Eastern Europe.
Sometimes, tolerance is appreciated as a value and idea, but when it comes to practice it, it becomes less appealing. Some religious movements learned this the hard way.
Youth is a wellspring of energy. Education should give this energy a direction without repressing it. The Tai Ji Men dizi prove that this is possible.
Since the 19th century, Theosophy and other spiritual organizations have promoted universal brotherhood. So does today Tai Ji Men.
Tai Ji Men plays a crucial role in educating the world to peace, love, and conscience. It is time to educate the world about the injustice vested on it.
The reasons why the Tai Ji Men case was started on December 19, 1996, and continued for 26 years, are hard to understand rationally. But we all understand a solution is needed now.
An appeal that gathered significant support asks the authorities in Taiwan to find a political solution for the 22-year-long case.
Verbal violence prepares administrative violence. Physical violence is never far away.
We live in tragic days, which reminds us that discrimination can easily escalate to persecution and violence.