I understand what you are saying. Especially about the statue. We do go through that here, but it is more low key, and usually involves separation of church and state, not people tearing things up. (Reminder...to protect the state, not the church.) It involves placing the 10 commandments at government buildings, stem cell research bans because the stem cells come from aborted fetus', etc. You are also dead on about our mix of religion. We tend to be very tolerant of other religions, even though everyone thinks everyone else is going to hell but their religion.
I agree this would affect my comprehension on the matter.
The analogy toward our African American community is sound, but just a little generalized. The word itself is not taboo in the United States, African Americans use it among themselves as almost a blasted endearment. It's just whites have lost their priviledge of saying it, due to our blatant abuse of the word in decades past. I won't even type the word myself, because I feel the African American community is dead right. We lost any rights to that word long ago. But the word itself is not taboo. Most African Americans...and whites look at a person saying it as low class white trash...if they are white, and get uncomfortable when blacks use it among themselves because we don't know how to respond. But very few break out AK-47's. I'll definitely agree on that.
This extreme violence is brought on through agitation from the leadership. Someone or maybe some people spread the word of this foul act around the statue and agitated the community.. somebody rallied the troops...even though the bible clearly states the position they have on worshipping idols and statues.
I know it sounds offensive, and I truly don't want to be, but religion isn't a good thing. Regardless, it causes more death, and terror in our world more than any other factor. And this includes so called "evil dictators" that my country seems bent on "fixing". Funny, this too is being caused by an extreme "right wing" religious mindset that has control of our country at this time. (But not for much longer.
, they are so corrupt, they are getting themselves thrown out.)
Just remember, when the Israeli's came marching into Beirut back in the early 80's, that wasn't religion. The Israeli's claim was the continuous guerrilla attacks across their border by Muslim extremists. But.... The Muslims were doing it out of "religion"... or so they say.
Canaan included all the land around the penisula, which included where Israel/Palestine is now and also present day Lebanon. Actually, it was quite larger than that, and went beyond both borders. You were all Canaanites prior to Moses and David. It was a huge plot of land at the time. The areas around Lebanon were never conquered by the Israelites. But they sure as heck tried..... for almost a century.
The Canaanites were big with carriages back then with a driver and bow equiped sharp shooters. They were EXTREMELY effective with them. But the Israelites would lure them up in the higher elevations, get the carriages stuck in mud, then pick them off. The Canaanites in the Lebanon area had learned from the mistakes by the Canaanites down south, and didn't usually fall in the same traps.
The Isrealites were also one of the first societies to start using "embargos" against cities. Surrounding a city, starving them out, and during this time, planting "helpers" within the city walls. They would then attack when the city became weak. And they were extremely vicious attacks that followed a plan of complete anniliation of every man, woman, and child in the city..trying to wipe the race out. If you study the history during the periods of Moses, and his successor David, you immediately pick up on just how bloody things were. They were both pretty ruthless for being "God fearing men". They say God gave him the 10 commandments, but he obviously felt above these laws.