Religion seems to be at its most appealing when it’s at its least powerful. The biography of Jesus and the beginning of Christianity offer telling illustrations. A contemporary example is the Dalai Lama. His recent stay in Toronto was a wholesome reminder of how much the testimony of this simple Buddhist monk, as he likes to describe himself, really matters in the world.
But can his lofty objectives be achieved without political clout, even though power corrupts and distorts religion?
