Beefy Boxes and Bandwidth Generously Provided by pair Networks
Come for the quick hacks, stay for the epiphanies.
 
PerlMonks  

Re^2: All I want for Solstice is ... Tolerance

by NamfFohyr (Scribe)
on Dec 12, 2005 at 20:01 UTC ( [id://516132]=note: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??


in reply to Re: All I want for Christmas is:
in thread All I want for Christmas is:

OK, TedPride. I'm a little peeved with your characterization of Islam as fundamentally violent, in contrast with Christianity(I'm not Christian or Muslim, for the record). Basically, your argument is motivated from the literal reading and interpretation of scripture, which is exactly the behavior we all ought to discourage.

Look here .

What about the Crusades? The Spanish Inquisition? What about Pro-Lifers bombing/attacking abortion doctors?

A philosophy that damns people to eternal torment only after death isn't exactly diametrically opposed to Islam's message in 76:4. For example,

"And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)

"They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:42)

"This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:49-50)

I caution against polarizing your message of "Christian love" against "Muslim hate." Fanaticism and ethnocentricism are dangerous to people of all faiths. For exammple, American fascism (I'm American and Canadian) is a clearly emerging form of fanatic ethnocentricism. To me, Muslims represent a foil used by the American government to scare its population into war. As a scientist (and thinking equally stereotypically), Christians represent the decay of scientific education and research. As a Jew/Buddhist, Muslims and Christians both seem overly fixated on literal interpretation of the Bible, and manipuating their bretheren towards political ends. (How Jews manipulate their bretheren is of substantial relevance, but notably, fundamentalist readings of the 'Old Testament' are sortof impossible because the language is dead.)

We, the Perlish, are 'doers' and 'collaborators'; stifling intercultural exchange is contrary to our overall agenda.

After all, TMTOWTDI!

"I'm not afraid of Al Quaeda. I'm afraid of Al Cracker." -Chris Rock
  • Comment on Re^2: All I want for Solstice is ... Tolerance

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re^3: All I want for Christmas...
by Roy Johnson (Monsignor) on Dec 12, 2005 at 20:15 UTC
    To me, Muslims represent a foil used by the American government to scare its population into war.
    Huh? Are you saying that our government engineered 9/11? Or that Iraq was attacked on the basis of its being Muslim? It seems to me that you're responding to one simplistic view (Muslims are evil!) with another (the government is evil!).

    Now, what I'd like for Christmas is to hold a big rally for Iran: people carrying signs and chanting "Sense to Iran!" (The whole "death to..." thing has been way overdone, and it's better to improve than to destroy, anyway.)


    Caution: Contents may have been coded under pressure.
      That's definately not what I'm saying. I don't need BS 9/11 conspiracy theories to make my point. I'm saying the government's becoming fascist. Give a definition of fascism, and I'll show you that America is increasingly fitting the description.

      Actually Roy, it's funny you should bring up Iraq. Why DID the US invade Iraq? They are not an Islamic republic, nor have they threatened the US as Iran has. The answer: the population was motivated by fascist rhetoric.

      But I totally agree with your battle cry!

      Sense to the infidels! Sense to the neoconservatives!

      (Let the Iranians work on Iran, at least until we've separated oil-motives from improve-the-world-with-our-concept-of-democracy-motives).

      update: corrected "oil-motives from improve-the-world-with-our-concept-of-demoncracy-motives" to "oil-motives from improve-the-world-with-our-concept-of-democracy-motives"

      "I'm not afraid of Al Quaeda. I'm afraid of Al Cracker." -Chris Rock
        Give a definition of fascism, and I'll show you that America is increasingly fitting the description.
        But it will have nothing to do with your claim that the government is using the Muslims as a foil to get us into war. BTW, "fascism" is another overused, emotionally-charged buzzword that impedes meaningful discussion.

        Sense to the infidels!
        Yeah, you sound like a real level-headed guy. Thanks for your insight.

        Caution: Contents may have been coded under pressure.

Log In?
Username:
Password:

What's my password?
Create A New User
Domain Nodelet?
Node Status?
node history
Node Type: note [id://516132]
help
Chatterbox?
and the web crawler heard nothing...

How do I use this?Last hourOther CB clients
Other Users?
Others lurking in the Monastery: (4)
As of 2024-04-19 12:04 GMT
Sections?
Information?
Find Nodes?
Leftovers?
    Voting Booth?

    No recent polls found