Money trumps religious convictions and religious lip service? (churches, Islamic, Muslims)
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Yesterday I came across something I had not paid attention to before here in New York City. I went to buy a can of Iced Tea from a store around the corner from my job. It is owned by a rather pleasant Muslim family. I am not quite sure where they are from, but some hints seem to suggest Pakistan.
In any event, I turned around while waiting for my change and noticed that on the adjacent wall from their register there were all the men magazines such as Maxim and others of that nature, complete with covers showing curvaceous women, scantily clad, exuding sex, sex and more sex.
Now, I think it is safe to say that Islamic countries such as Pakistan, and Islam itself, discourages such overt displays of sexuality, but while I am not saying I see these guys in there getting all moist over the magazines, there seems to be a hint of hypocrisy here where dollars trump religious convictions. The convictions of many in Islam when it comes to women showing too much body parts borders on hostile and is actually met with severe hostility in some places. Just the idea of women not being covered from head to toe drives some in the world of Islam practically insane. Why then is it that I step into stores owned by Muslims selling men’s magazines designed for male pleasure and sex that actually show gratuitous images of women couples pieces of material away from being completely naked? This when under any other situation involving women doing the very same thing, they would be up in arms about it (no pun intended).
Yesterday I came across something I had not paid attention to before here in New York City. I went to buy a can of Iced Tea from a store around the corner from my job. It is owned by a rather pleasant Muslim family. I am not quite sure where they are from, but some hints seem to suggest Pakistan.
In any event, I turned around while waiting for my change and noticed that on the adjacent wall from their register there were all the men magazines such as Maxim and others of that nature, complete with covers showing curvaceous women, scantily clad, exuding sex, sex and more sex.
Now, I think it is safe to say that Islamic countries such as Pakistan, and Islam itself, discourages such overt displays of sexuality, but while I am not saying I see these guys in there getting all moist over the magazines, there seems to be a hint of hypocrisy here where dollars trump religious convictions. The convictions of many in Islam when it comes to women showing too much body parts borders on hostile and is actually met with severe hostility in some places. Just the idea of women not being covered from head to toe drives some in the world of Islam practically insane. Why then is it that I step into stores owned by Muslims selling men’s magazines designed for male pleasure and sex that actually show gratuitous images of women couples pieces of material away from being completely naked? This when under any other situation involving women doing the very same thing, they would be up in arms about it (no pun intended).
I'm IN the porn biz. The Muslims are a main market. Whatever people don't have....they want all that much more.
Also, never forget how it REALLY is with most worldly religions: Instant Hypocrites---Just add money and/or power.
Why then is it that I step into stores owned by Muslims selling men’s magazines designed for male pleasure and sex that actually show gratuitous images of women couples pieces of material away from being completely naked? This when under any other situation involving women doing the very same thing, they would be up in arms about it (no pun intended).
Maybe the owners of that store are just adapting to the doctrine of live and let live--probably a lot easier to do in a country whose Constitution mandates freedom of religion. There wasn't anything to suggest that those magazine covers were interfering with the store owners' personal religious practices, was there? They came to this country, opened up a business, and discovered that such magazines are popular. So they sell them.
Look, I'm Jewish. If I opened a supermarket, I wouldn't consider it trumping my religious convictions if I had bacon on sale. I'd figure that some of my customers might want to buy bacon, and so I'd stock it for them. Doesn't mean I'd start eating it myself.
Money is king and trumps everything. Look at what it does for politics. Money equates to votes and lobbying which in turn gets the people in power (Large corporations) more favorable legislation to help keep them in power. Screw the middle man and the little man. Why do you think corporations were permitted to outsource everything, from automobile manufacturing to customer service for Hewlett Packard?
Now lets have a look at what it does for religion. The majority of religions heavily push tithing at least 10% or more, depending on what you can afford. Then you have religious apologists such as C.S. Lewis telling you thinks like "If you can still afford to have nice things you aren't giving enough". They guilt you into giving endless amounts of money to the churches and in turn the churches use the money on superfluous things like bigger and better stained glass windows. Then you see these tv super evangelists who are millionaires telling you what to do with your money like they are some kind of saint. I could go on and on but this is somewhat off topic...just something I wanted to touch on.
At its core, money is what makes the world go round. People use it for everything they want. All people have their price to bend on their values...I don't care who it is. Offer them enough money and they'll fold. This includes all religions and all types of people. I would also suggest that most religious people are merely doing it so that they look good and behind closed doors act just like everybody else. Its really just a game of appearances anyhow since hardly anyone who claims to be religious actually believes what they say they do.
Maybe the owners of that store are just adapting to the doctrine of live and let live--probably a lot easier to do in a country whose Constitution mandates freedom of religion. There wasn't anything to suggest that those magazine covers were interfering with the store owners' personal religious practices, was there? They came to this country, opened up a business, and discovered that such magazines are popular. So they sell them.
I can't say I know the level of their convictions, Fred. For all I know, as you say, they may not be rabid, Islamic fundamantalist who would wish to see every last female on earth buried under mounds of cloth. I was simply viewing things from the point of what I understand about Islam and that is, to abstain and/or discourage anything in one's view that presents overt sexuality beyond private doors. It's akin to a Christian condeming all the sexual perversion on television yet selling Playboy in his corner store.
Quote:
Look, I'm Jewish. If I opened a supermarket, I wouldn't consider it trumping my religious convictions if I had bacon on sale. I'd figure that some of my customers might want to buy bacon, and so I'd stock it for them. Doesn't mean I'd start eating it myself.
I can actually understand this, but if your convictions hold that you cannot even handle such meats, as that may be sinful/unlawful, would you bypass those convictions?
Are you certain they're actually Muslim? Also, I suppose there are plenty of Muslims who are very laid-back and don't take their book literally, just as there are Christians like that.
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