Islam....

[mental_traveller]

Originally posted by moimeme

There are a billion or so Muslims and there are large quantities of them who are gentle, kind, and who don't believe in violence. Just the way not all Christians are Bible-thumping proselytizers, not all Muslims are extremists.

 

Most people don't follow their religion though. Most "Buddhists" in SE Asia aren't non-materialistic enlightened egalitarians. Many Muslims smoke, drink, or fornicate. Most Christians lie and don't forgive, half get divorced and God knows how many commit adultery. The actions of "believers" have pretty much nothing to do with how one should assess the religion they profess to follow. Most "religious" people are ignorant sheep who know little about what they profess to believe, or if they do know, they don't practise it.

 

Nazism has some things we should emulate - such as having a capable and well-functioning military. That doesn't mean Nazism is a good thing. Same goes for Islam, Christianity, or anything else. The only way to judge these religions is to read the Bible, Koran etc and see for yourself. It's pretty hard to read the Koran and not view Islam as, at the very least, a rather distasteful belief system. Murdering women in cold blood because they mocked the "prophet"? Death for apostates? Do you really think these are acceptable views?

[moimeme]

Having said that, the original texts of each religion are public material - if the Koran says something objectionable, then Islam is objectionable, just like Christianity & the Old Testament. Mohammed basically went around killing lots of people, hardly noble behaviour.

 

So how's your Aramaic? Your Greek? Your Hebrew? Your Farsi? And ever heard about 'context'?

 

The actions of "believers" have pretty much nothing to do with how one should assess the religion they profess to follow.

 

I could not agree more.

 

Murdering women in cold blood because they mocked the "prophet"? Death for apostates? Do you really think these are acceptable views?

 

Again, context. The Christian Bible has a great section telling you that you should stone adulterers and disobedient children to death. Reading the texts without understanding of the context and the history behind them is as bad as judging religions based on the actions of the followers.

[Chris777]

Originally posted by BlockHead

 

So you don't think Martin Luther King was risking his life by being one of the leaders in the Civil Rights movement.

Joseph Smith died in a shootout after trying to marry an already married women. She was supposed to be wife #20 or #21.

 

I don't see a commandment to christians to go out and risk their lives for causes, and ideals, other than sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. think about it this way, you don't hear people speaking about Paul saying oh he was a great man, he made (fill in the blank) contribution to mankind. I am saying martin luther was side tracked from preaching the gospel, period, not trying to push an agenda.

 

 

Wow. You are arguing in support of laziness.

am I, look closer, i am saying martin luther poured his life into a goal, using any means nessesary, Jesus, never said to disobey governing authorities, to force change. That was a method he "borrowed" from Gandi, we as christians are to look to christ, and not men, as a source of inspiration, instrustion, or method.

i am arguing that as christians our goal is to share Christ period, we get side tracked too easily, into lesser matters.

that we were never instructed to do, over stepping our bounds if you will.

 

This sentence doesn't make sense.

because we are fallen we dont have the kind of clarity to make decisions that are pure, and just, and without having the bible, to guide us, to verify that we are going in the proper direction, we will end up, following the very people, that so many people distain, the elietist. i mentioned other beliefs, to demonstrate, that is isnt just the so called stuck up christians alone who do this.

 

The timing of the events are irrelevant. The events are a tradition like Passover.

passover was a commandment of God, like the communion.

Easter, or istar, astar is a pagan goddess, eggs, and bunnies are fertility rites,

pagan fornication had become infused into the miracle of the ressurection, and to top the satanic abomination off it is marketed to our children.

and christmas. trees, eggnog, mistletoe, yule logs, not to mention the troll santa clause, have nothing to do with the birth of our lord, it is a leavening of the truth, so that it becomes puffed up.

their have been court cases where christmas has been declared a secular holiday in that it doesn't have enough to do with christianity, to be considered a religious holiday.

 

Slaves don't have a choice, but somehow, we do. We are indebted to God, but we aren't his slaves.

sure slaves had and have a choice, they can disobey, and face the concequences. Christ is a just master,

and we are called slaves of Christ in the Bible. (I know i'm gonna open a can of worms with this one but) Its like the man being appointed the authority of the woman, the head of his family, subordinate to Christ, A loving husband is to cherish his wife, and even die to protect her, just as Christ died for us, yet the woman is still to obey the husband.

it may be "offencive" to modern sensibilities, but it is biblical, and a result of the fall of mankind.

[blind_otter]

Blockhead you crack me up! And keep prancing. It's entertaining. :snort:

 

I apologize for the generalization regarding fundies. On campus where I work I have to walk through the fundies that actually like to carry crosses around and preach the "word of God according to crazies".

 

Ironically SE asian buddhists tend to get real fervent about their faith when they get old. Like everyone in every other religion I suppose. But like in Vietnam, everyone has an altar in their home (buddhists at least, as Catholicism is quite popular). Don't usually see that with christians.

[moimeme]

I apologize for the generalization regarding fundies. On campus where I work I have to walk through the fundies that actually like to carry crosses around and preach the "word of God according to crazies".

 

We need good minds like yours to join my unofficial movement to keep the title of 'Christian' preserved for the sake of sane Christians.

 

[blind_otter]

Originally posted by moimeme

We need good minds like yours to join my unofficial movement to keep the title of 'Christian' preserved for the sake of sane Christians.

 

 

Dude, the other day one of them almost knocked me out with their cross. I'm short, you see, and he couldn't see me, and swung htat sucka around like it was a weapon. I swear to God! (pun intended )