Most religions are defined by their rituals and by the regimenting the collective behaviour of its followers. That is what ultimately defines a “religious establishment”.During this process, things tend to get misunderstood and become issues for contestation despite starting out as rather rational and practical matters. That is how things work when mass culture and mass communication are involved. Apparently, the masses need huge simplifications in order to understand anything at all. We see that in politics all the time, now...
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is the Executive Director of Penang Institute. His latest book is Signals in the Noise: Notes on Penang, Malaysia and the World (Singapore: Faction Press) Homepage: wikibeng.com.