S. writes from India:

I have a confession to make. I am a closet Christian. I know, I know, it doesn’t count. But the day is not far when like our dear Mr. Auster I shall join the good ol’ Church. I resisted Christianity for 30 years, starting from when I first participated in the compulsory mass at our old convent. My parents were understandably incensed that their ‘Hindu’ child was forced to cross herself twice a day and pray to a ‘God’ they knew not, but they could do nothing. It was either be a part-time Catholic or find another school. Our intolerant convent gave us no choice.

Last year, a Zoroastrian co-worker finally pulled me into the fold full time when I told him I had been feeling like ‘baptism’ ever since I started praying to Jesus. He is a closet Christian who no longer practises his faith. He couldn’t go official because of his family and neither can I, such is the cross of filial piety in Asia. But we both devoured the NIV, prayed together to our Saviour and my life, my mind and personality are unrecognizable from six months ago.

I don’t know if this is what fundie Islam or Buddhism also give their faithful but I don’t care. Combined with my new found faith the unravelling of Europe(my lifelong love) had driven me into despair until today. I read this fabulous piece by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

What stands out is

All Islam did was out-stubborn Christianity, which won thanks to its stubbornness. For, before Islam, the original spread of Christianity in the Roman empire can be largely seen due to… the blinding intolerance of Christians, their unconditional, aggressive and proselyting recalcitrance. Roman pagans were initially tolerant of Christians, as the tradition was to share gods with other members of the empire. But they wondered why these Nazarenes didn’t want to give and take gods and offer that Jesus fellow to the Roman pantheon in exchange for some other gods.

I fell silent after reading this rather deep piece and prayed for understanding because my darkness and hopelessness were beginning to get to me. I cannot imagine a world overrun with Kosher and Halal! And it then came to me, maybe this is a pruning. A weeding out so that only the fundamental remain in the church. Those who are not intolerant will be childless or their lines end in a generation or so. The intolerant in the churches will remain and inherit the world?

I sound contrite or grandiose sure, but the essay above sure sounds a knell. S. writes from India:

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