It’s not the words that cause hatred, but the person interpreting them
The European Jewish Congress wants new translations of the New Testament and Koran to have annotations highlighting their anti‑semitic passages and cross‑referencing other, more positive passages about Jews in the texts. Religious readers, it surmises, can be prevented from embracing anti‑semitism if only the bad stuff they read is balanced out with nice messages.
Many religious texts are full of hatred, as well as love and wisdom. The Torah has its share of all three. But modern religious hatred isn’t simply a function of the text or the quotes that justify it. It’s a feature of the way the reader reacts to a text.
If any reader or a sect adopts a literal, fundamentalist outlook, then a few margin notes aren’t going to make one iota’s difference to the message they take from a religious text. If instead we recognise that these ancient tomes are historical documents, part of a heritage passed down to us by many authors over many years, then we begin to appreciate the whole, complex reality of the world and religious hatred becomes rather harder to sustain.
In other words, radicalisation isn’t something that lies in a book and neither does its cure. It’s a disease of the brain. You should start with the person, and not the book. It’s a clear sign that investment banking just isn’t what it used to be. Goldman Sachs is now offering to find last‑ minute elderly or child care for its employees when they are stuck. “It’s important we recognise the challenges that can come from balancing [care] commitments,” said the compassionate Sally Boyle, head of human resources at the bank.
You see, the days are long gone when desperate Russell Group graduates would claw their way over their peers’ dead bodies for a mere sniff of an internship at the mega‑bank. Instead, cut down to size by regulation, Goldman offers a much lower chance of progressing to a multimillion‑pound‑ paying job at the top and has to compete fiercely for the best staff. So it’s discovered the concept of work‑life balance. It’s annoying, but cheaper.