Ditto, Byte's a good guy. We can't all agree on everything. Don't make ASSumptions.
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And just on a side note, I believe I have gone on record with the A Bomb thing.
and just so its clear.
They started it, we finished it. We owe them nothing.
I draw the conclusion from the comments, I dont like making assumptions and thats why I added the survey so I will know where you stand and I wont have to make any assumptions.
Friendly conversation please if you dont mind.
spell check huh, they make one of those [Tooth]
Of course it's relevant. Your angle seemed to be "look what happens if we get all pc and wishy-washy" so the fact that a government that a lot of you would consider to be hard-core Stalinists because they're left of centre actually took the decidedly un-PC and anti First Amendment step of saying "this organization is now illegal and if you're a member, you're a criminal" renders your point moot.
If you were trying to demonstrate how Britain is slowly turning into an Islamic state because they're too soft on Muslims, you couldn't have chosen a worse example than an organization that hardly anyone was a member of, that did absolutely nothing other than release a few statements designed to garner attention, that everyone spoke out against (including other Muslims) and that was banned by the government.
It's like Elhuero pointed out earlier in the thread. (Some) Liberals use the red-herring that if you're against the 'Ground Zero Mosque' you're a bigot as a way of controlling the conversation.
Similarly, some people try and control other conversations by suggesting that if your opinion doesn't correspond with theirs, you're anti-Semitic, anti-American, anti-Religious, anti-A-Bomb, pro-illegal immigrant, pro-reparations, pro-Sharia law, etc etc ad nauseum.
For some people everything is black and white. All Muslims are evil, all liberals are anti-gun, and all percentages they pull out of their asses are completely accurate.
It IS absurd that people believe this- None of the above is supported by the word of Christ.. that's not to say there aren't Christians who believe it... I have no problem discussing religion, I am not personally offended by anyone making blanket statements about any particular religion.
Think of it this way: Every different Christian (or Muslim, or any religious) denomination represents a disagreement between alleged "men of God"... Religion is a man-made institution, and therefore flawed... if everyone interpreted the bible (or whichever book their religion is based on) the same way, then there would only be the one denomination.
In my theology (also man-made, and therefore subject to imperfection- I'm only posting mine because I cannot completely articulate somone else's), the above Quote from Mr. Stryke is explained that God is not the only being that is trying to influence us humans... There is an enemy in our story, and he comes like a thief to steal, kill & destroy. There is Evil in the world- whether you think it comes from a Being, or it just exists, the Evil is undoubtedly present.
Why does God allow Evil to exist? Free will.
My inner geek sometimes wonders if this is just a "model" to represent how Evil is propagated, rather than a literal "Satan" sitting on a throne issuing orders to Demons (who were the 1/3 of the Angels that were cast down with him)... either way, this makes sense to me- I was Agnostic, and many things in life, religion & theology just didn't pass the logical "mustard" until this was factored in...
Happy Friday Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !
My latest comment on this topic,
1. STOP BRINGING IN CHRISTIAN VS MUSLIM. BOSNIA war etc etc etc at the end US and NATO helped the muslim. This is about ISLAM VS FREE WORLD! Not muslims, not christian, the theology and hard core belief of ISLAM itself are DANGEROUS. I have not been convinced otherwise!
2. Qu'Ran vs Bible: Again, Bible is a collection of writings that span years. Some of its content contradict itself. Qu-Ran on the other hand is written by Nabi Muhammad, who wrote it as set of commands and rules in which devout Muslims must follow. In the beginning of Qu'Ran there are phrases that the muslim should respect the Christians etc, however the 2nd half of it commands pretty much the destruction of all Kafirs. This part scares the shit out of me personally. How would one believe in this? Oh yeah perhaps those cartoons I watched about killing the jews and christian in order to go to 'heaven.' And this happened in supposedly very moderate muslim country, a US ally.
3. Play nice, enjoy your friday! :D
did you mean to say LAST?
I would be unable to convince you (or anyone) otherwise- I'll jump on the bandwagon that any religion contradicting free will by imposing their beliefs on anyone does not have my support (more on that later).
Because the bible is a collection of writings (or books), that span many years, contradictions are going to occur, as circumstances change (i.e. OLD vs NEW testament) I have not read the Qu'Ran, but regardless of what any book says, man (under the influence of Evil) will pervert it (either intentionally or unintentionally) to suit their agenda/cause/needs/wants. If they want to peacefully believe whatever they want to believe, that is their right- as soon as they force it upon someone else, I'll take issue with it...
It again comes down to free will: Why would God want an involuntary subject? He desires the love & admiration of his followers- someone who is forced to practice a religion has no such love or admiration, they're simply going through the motions to prevent harm from coming to themselves or those that they do love... so anybody that is forcing a religion on someone is serving their own purposes, not those of God...
This is where religious wars come from- not from the will of God, but from the will of men using God's name in an attempt to justify their actions. Whether it was Muhammad who commands the evil, or other men's interpretation of the Qu'Ran that commands the evil is irrelevant- Muhammad was a man, a Prophet according to the Qu'Ran, but he is NOT God- so anything he "commands" in his writings would be subject to the flaws of man, and could be influenced by evil... as could the writings of anyone who wrote, translated, or quotes the bible (especially out of context) Many Christian denominations believe that the bible is the irrefutable word of God- to which I would ask: Which translation? Even the original text does not have the same meaning to anyone today, as language is a creation of Man, and is therefore fallible.
I'm not sure anyone wants to play with this topic anymore.. [NoEvil]
It is about the twisting and corruption of faith.
"For those who believe, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible."
The entirety of my point was trying to explain that the points of argument made against Islam and the quotes therein also exist in many other theologies and doctrines, to include "Orthodox Christian" (Thats why I Quoted the verses.)Quote:
2. Qu'Ran vs Bible: Again, Bible is a collection of writings that span years. Some of its content contradict itself. Qu-Ran on the other hand is written by Nabi Muhammad, who wrote it as set of commands and rules in which devout Muslims must follow. In the beginning of Qu'Ran there are phrases that the muslim should respect the Christians etc, however the 2nd half of it commands pretty much the destruction of all Kafirs. This part scares the shit out of me personally. How would one believe in this? Oh yeah perhaps those cartoons I watched about killing the jews and christian in order to go to 'heaven.' And this happened in supposedly very moderate muslim country, a US ally.
I remember as a kid watching a "cartoon" in Sunday school about Stoning Prostitutes and Witches to death.
I'm not saying one is better or worse than the other, I am trying to point out exactly the opposite. Churches of ALL Disciplines have been corrupted at one time or another and to varying degrees of evil.
Nothing to do if I think 9/11 was perpetrated by the CIA or Masaad or Al-Qaeda ;)
If I could sell the stuff I have up for sale, I could afford ammo and I wouldn't be in the forums. I would be enjoying my Friday on a range! :)Quote:
3. Play nice, enjoy your friday! :D
The Qur'an, by the way, DOES NOT contradict itself. For people unfamiliar with Islam it seems to, because much of the beginning is about peace and love, while much of the later text is about killing the infidels. However, in Islam, the later writings abrogate the earlier ones where they conflict. This means that all the peace and happiness surahs are there only for reference, it has been abrogated by the later surahs.
Fighting is obligatory for you, much as you dislike it. - 2:216
But if they turn renegades, seize them and slay them wherever you find them. - 4:89
O believers, take not Jews and Christians as friends; they are friends of each other. Those of you who make them his friends is one of them. God does not guide an unjust people. - 5:54
Make war on them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme - 8:39
Proclaim a woeful punishment to the unbelievers. - 9:3
When the sacred months are over, slay the idolaters wherever you find them. Arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them. - 9:5
O Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites. Be harsh with them. Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey's end. - 9:73
Unbelievers are enemies of Allah and they will roast in hell. - 41:14
Muslims are harsh against the unbelievers, merciful to one another. - 48:25
The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the pagans shall burn forever in the fire of hell. They are the vilest of all creatures. - 98:51
That's a whole other thread. The one that bothers me the most however is Exodus 15:3 and Roman 15:33. Bible however is series of stories - I understand how some contradict due to out of context.
By your admission Islam is a false religion then? Everything in Qu-Ran is written by Muhammad and noone else.Quote:
This is where religious wars come from- not from the will of God, but from the will of men using God's name in an attempt to justify their actions. Whether it was Muhammad who commands the evil, or other men's interpretation of the Qu'Ran that commands the evil is irrelevant- Muhammad was a man, a Prophet according to the Qu'Ran, but he is NOT God- so anything he "commands" in his writings would be subject to the flaws of man, and could be influenced by evil
To watch the current events in cartoon with the evil/satan being potrayed by the US and Israeli constantly is a method of brainwashing the young IMHO.
I know I know.. we should end this topic.
Your understanding of having freedoms is flawed. Yes, we are "free" to choose and practice our religions as we see fit - insofar as the government can do or say nothing to effect those choices. But, having those freedoms does NOT mean that every othger U.S. citizen has to tolerate your choice.
This is just like your right to freedom of speech. The government isn't supposed to be able to stop you from saying your piece, but that doesn't mean that, if your words disturb someone else that they won't come bust you in the chops for it.
ETA:
I fully agree with the first statement and wish to add that with every expression of freedom also comes responsibility. The responsibility of ensuring that exercising your freedoms don't infringe upon the rights of others to exercise their rights. The Muslim religion DOES promote such infringement, even if not every Muslim chooses to express their faith in that manner.
Regarding the second statement, * I * understand this very well, and with the direction things are going, I am afraid!
If you'd like me to explain via PM so we don't drag out this thread any longer, I'd love to talk to you. I promise I won't prothelylize, just want to make sure you understand how in MY opinion, the Bible does NOT contradict itself... And I might be able to throw some interesting Biblical/archaelogical history your way too.
[Beer]
Bear, I believe what MB888 is saying is that the Bible can appear to contradict itself if you only take a verse from here and there and not entire passages. That can lead to the appearance of biblical contradictions. However, if you use entire passages and in some cases entire books of the Bible, there are no contradictions.
At least, I believe that is what MB888 was trying to say.
you know you and i have had discussions similar to this before, and that is my point to some extent. the fact that you do not see the importance in every event is the problem.the fact is that these small tolerances keep happening over and over in the name of PCness and as they do our beliefs, our safety and our freedoms are being compromised by the attitudes that you seem to be infatuated with.
the irrelevance of any one act, event or incident can be waived off as being insignificant. taken as a whole they are dangerous and to simply waive them off as unimportant is again naive to a fault.
you are voluntarily burying your head in the sand which is exactly what they are counting on.
all of us (those that oppose the proliferation of islam within our borders) have already conceded that not every muslim is dangerous, but that doesn't seem to have hit home with you. no one is arguing that every muslim is a terrorist, but whenever someone shows even one of the ten thousand acts they have perpetrated as an example of how they are a threat you have some touchy feely reason why it should be ignored.
this discussion is moot as you have made up your mind to be overly tolerant. trying to be everyone's friend just doesn't work. they (again not every muslim) don't want to be your friend they ( the extremists) would just as soon see you and you family dead than speak to you. if you think that this is not true then you are already defeated.
Perhaps you can explain what should have been done then? If banning the organization and criminalizing all of its members is too tolerant and PC for you, what would you suggest? Cutting off their hands? Stoning them? Offering them the choice of conversion or death?
And when did I suggest that the event was unimportant? Clearly it's a very important event as it demonstrates that a wishy-washy, PC government of a country that (according to some here) is a generation away from being an Islamic state took a stand against Islamic extremists and said "we will not accept this happening within our own borders."
The problem is, you don't actually know what I think (other than that not every Muslim is an extremist, which you've just admitted you agree with) because it's easier for you to assume I think they're all misunderstood and we should just convert now to make it nice and painless.
I am not advocating anything of the sort. I do not wish to convert anyone I would have to have a religion to convert them to which I do not.
This discussion began on page one with Col. West defining or enemy pointedly and with eloquence. It then continued with persons who were defending the right of muslims in this country.
my point is and has always remained that their practices are dangerous. to continue to allow them to gain political and or cultural influence in our country is a serious problem.
these muslims that are pushing this mosque and spouting about rights seem to have conveniently forgotten the fact that they live in a country that interred the japanese during WWII.
they'd better convince their brother's sister's cousins twice removed to cool it with the terror planning.
if more americans die a la 9/11 they will be unhappy campers, constitution or no.
No, silly Jake. But we don't have to hug and embrace them as our brother and sister and welcome them into our home. We ID them as threat and treat them as such. Again... only MHO. Until today, the DHS cannot pin down a profile of future Islamic terror threat, why? Because they range from a US citizen - non devout, alcohol drinking, pork eating muslim to hard core fresh off the Al Qaeda training camp in the middle of no where. To me it's clear, ANY Islam followers could decide he/she could be the true Muslim and go out in a bang in desperate situation.
Thanks Ginsue. You hit the spot.
Anyone who's been to college can tell you that ANY college student could decide to become an ecoterrorist and burn down a ski resort.
I understand what you are saying, and how you are feeling, but treating everyone based on "could be's" can create more problems than it solves.
Wow, this went a lot longer than I thought it would. A lot of good discussion going on. And a lot of arguing. I do think MB888 has a point; look at Ft. Hood. An Army officer, Doctor for that matter, who happened to be muslim of Middle Eastern descent, who came to the conclusion that his religion took precedence over the laws of the country he was a citizen of and of the oath he took when he (voluntarily) joined. Not saying all would do what he did, but obviously it is a possibility that the same could happen again.
I do agree, one of the greatest thing about our Country is freedom of religion. I will make the observation that it is freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. We all have the freedom to choose our own, we don't have the right to prevent others from the free expression of theirs. If a child wants to pray in school, that's their business. It isn't someone's business to tell that child they can't. Even though some seem to think it is.
I think there are two main groups of people here in the U.S.I believe one group believes in the constitional rights of people here in the U.S.I think that the other group believes that if you are not a "Christian",you do not stand up to the "ideals"and "principles",of the United States of America. My question to you is, even though you may not agree with it :Do you believe the Muslims have the right to build a cultural center,with a prayer room,two blocks from "911 GROUND ZERO"?
First, I am not Christian. 2nd they have the right to build it on the ground zero for all I care, but as much as I do have the right to open gay bar, pork BBQ joint right next to it, or play the spangled banner outloud next to the mosque. But now it's back to the 'tolerance' part isnt it? It's within my right, but it's extremely unethical, intolerant, and a provocation for me to open something thats totally against Islam right next door.
Now, do you care to explain how the Israeli vs Palestinian, or being Christian or building mosque in the ground zero area have anything to do with my argument that ISLAM is dangerous to the free world? Middle East is not the largest Islamic region btw. Indonesia and China have the largest Islam followers in the world.
Stop changing the subject and put up a valid argument like many of these folks have done or give it a rest. :P
I have argued many times with Haj and imam locally here. So far they justify stoning, killing the kafirs (by not being against it), even as silly stuff as the women are lesser beings than men. Perhaps its my skin color, or where I come from -But I was approached to join the mosque congregation twice now in Aurora. Once it allowed me to discuss their belief openly in a group of 20 or so. It led me to believe that as moderate as they are, they will not condemn their fellow 'muslim extremists'. They support them financially and so on. The common answers when asked if they think 9/11 is a terrorist act - the first sentence out of their mouth typically starts with 'well it is US' fault....'
If you dont say no then you are saying yes. When it comes down to Muslims are crap subhumans. Look at how they treat each other.
well excuse me while I reel from your finely crafted retort.
Don't worry I won't hold my breath for you to refute anything with facts. truth and logic are like the battlefield. ya'll haven't had much success in those areas for centuries.
just be glad I'm not sharing my views on the origin and doctrines of islam. you'd wind up looking like like this guy:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...hmir-ap416.jpg
and as for your question "even though you may not agree with it:DDo you believe the Muslims have the right to build a cultural center,with a prayer room,two blocks from "911 GROUND ZERO"? "
my answer is hell no they don't. this isn't some poor, peaceful congregation that's being unfairly persecuted by christians, whites, or the government. these are terror apologists that are hiding behind what makes our country great and thumbing their nose at us, and those that perished in one of our worst tragedies. A tragedy that was done to honor the same god they want to honor now by building this thing.
we're supposed to play nice and be tolerant while at the same time comedy central has to censor themselves because they're getting death threats for having mohammed in a cartoon.
It seems to me this whole first amendment, freedom of expression, freedom of religion thing is a real one fucking way street with them.
so no, I don't think they have the right, and I don't give two dirty falafels for what they think they're entitled to.
They say freedom of religion is so important, well fine.
I'll support their lower manhattan mosque when they let christians and jews build churches and synagogues in mecca and medina.
have a great weekend.
A friend of mine just started his own business............
He’s manufacturing landmines that look like prayer mats.
It’s doing real well.
He says Prophets are going through the roof.
Agreed. You can't hear it, but I'm applauding you right now.
I'm with Elhuero on this. Maybe, just maybe they actually had a right to build their mosque on this site at one time, but their continued insensitivity is provocotive and the presence of a mosque on this site would create greater conflicts and carries with it an increased risk of retribution which means danger to many innocents who just happen to be in the area. To allow this project to go forward, knowing the risk of violence on both sides is irresponsible of the governments of NYC, New York state, and the fed's. No, they do not have that right.
Elhuero - I have rather enjoyed reading your posts on this matter (and others). Your passion and education are refreshing. Thank you.
Look folks, MB888 is right, Islam is dangerous. You tell me that I'm stereotyping - fine. Logic and common sense tell me I'm right on the mark with this.
When I was in High School I was the smallest kid in my class AND the class junior to me (yeah, I finally grew and filled out). I got picked on all of the time because I was an easy target. My dad had (he has since changed his views) a 100% NO FIGHTING policy - this included defending yourself. Because of this, I received more than my share of bumps, bruises, and split lips. To avoid as many bad situations as I could I learned how to read the nature of individuals and groups very well.
We lived out in the country and one day a bully who lived a mile away decided I was now his enemy. Because of my size and inability to defend myself, I always went out of my way to keep from offending others; it didn't matter. This bully used to get off of the school bus, get on his dirt bike and take a short-cut to beat the bus to my home. I would get beat at the end of my own driveway, often while the bus just sat there and everyone watched. I recall during those beating thinking "I hope my dad doesn't come home now and see me 'fighting'".
One day my dad learned about what was happening and insisted that somehow I was provoking the issue. I insisted that I was not. My dad told me that we were going to go to this bully's house to talk with him and his parents. I begged and pleaded to not do that. See, I knew that this kids behavior was a direct result of the attitudes and behaviors of his family - they were no better than he was. My dad relented and we never went over there, but he did call. The kids parents promised to handle it. The beatings got worse.
Several years later, a new neighbor kid (about 15 years old - the family moved in after I went off to college & the USAF) had his life and the lives of his parents threatened by several adults. While these adults were threatenting this kids life, they were also spitting on him and throwing rocks at him - all this for crossing the gravel road to get the mail. The kids parents came to my dad for help. My dad took a drive around the gravel road and ran into three of these adults who blocked the road with their ATV's and threatened my dads life.
Who were these adults? They were none other than the father and two uncles of the bully I had problems with several years earlier. While they had claimed they were good people and they condemned their sons behavior, they just hadn't felt the time was right to let their true colors show. Their sons behavoir was a direct representation of their beliefs and attitudes. The family shared the same propensity for doing harm to others. It was their very nature.
Folks, Islam is just like this family. I, for one, will not turn my back on them nor be lulled into believing that they mean us no harm. You see, I've already lived this scenario once in my life and I will not fall for it any more now than I did before - because my lip has been split one too many times already. I have just one thing to say to those of you who fail to see this - don't expect me to come to your aid later when I'm proven right because I'm sure to be too busy protecting myself from the bully and his family.
The beautiful thing about our country (unlike many others, to include many in the middle east) is that we're free to voice our opinions.
Considering how many Islamic Extremists there are, and the fact that a U.S Army Officer who happened to be Muslim and a citizen of this country decided to join in, I believe we have reason to watch them. And while people in this country do enjoy many freedoms (and yes, those people have the technical right to build their mosque near ground zero) it's in extreme bad taste at best to do it. And they know it. I don't hear anyone railing that the Greek Orthodox church, which had a Church that was destroyed in the 9/11 attack and is now being treated poorly by the NYC Port Authority, should be treated better. But oh boy, we better be nice to the folks who want to build a shrine to the very people who destroyed the Twin Towers and killed hundreds (In the attempt to kill thousands) in its VERY SHADOW because they're just misunderstood. It's OK to bash Christians, and Jews, while we talk about how misunderstood the muslims are. Do I think all muslims are bad? No. But you certainly don't hear about Christian Homicide Bombers, do you? People say something that someone thinks is bad about muslims, and people leap to decry it. People say something bad about Christians, and it's just freedom of speech. There's a term for that, and it's called hypocrisy. Now before you begin to lynch me in effigy, I don't think that everyone who calls themselves a Christian is good, either.
The Westboro Baptist Church is a great example of this. They do so many things that contradict Christ's teachings, in my opinion, that I couldn't count them all. Do I like what they say, and do I agree with them? NO! Do they have the right to? Within the limits of the law, yes. I heartily disagree with what they like to do in certain cases. But they don't send out people equipped with explosive vests to blow up women and children in crowded marketplaces, either. But Islamic Extremists do!
Something I've noticed that a lot of people in our part of the world like to do is assign our values to others. These folks think that other peoples couldn't possibly think or do something because they themselves wouldn't, or couldn't. Well, it doesn't work that way. They do what they do, and think what they think, in spite of how we would like them to or choose to believe they do. Period.
Ginsue, El Huero, MB888, I'm with you.
Christian homicide bombers: the Irish Republican movement certainly had/have their fair share of those.
Christian (and Hindu) suicide bombers: the Black Tigers, trying to force Muslims out of their ethnic homeland.
Note: this post is not meant to imply that all Muslims are harmless, express support for the Park51 mosque, suggest that the Bible contradicts itself, propose that Barack Obama is a natural born US citizen, declare that I'm anti-Semitic, or advocate for the rights of illegal immigrants. Did that cover everything?
Black Tigers or LTTE rebellion were ethnic war - much like PPK's suicide terror campaign against the The Turkish.
The Irish Republican Army vs The British Army is political much like the FARC rebels against the Columbian Army.
These are suicide bombers who happened to be Buddist/Hindu/Christian/Muslim with different political goals. They did not do it in the name of Religion. Suicide bombing in the name of Islam is targeting non-believers. I cannot think of Christian suicide bomber who does it in the name of Jesus Christ. Obviously I hope all of these folks rot in hell for whatever reason they did it.
You are nitpicking, Jake! [Tooth]