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What I was trying to say is that I would have liked her to explain why Christianity and Islam create such vastly different outcomes by explaining the specific differences in the doctrine itself.
But it's not a bit clear to me that the cultural differences we see today are an inevitable consequence of the respective holy books and associated doctrines. Any theory we develop about islam v christianity must take into account the fact that for several hundred years, the caliphate fostered a more tolerant and knowledge-based society than the papacy did.
I've never run across a scholarly analysis of this. One theory I've read lays it at the feet of a particular imam, who, much like certain US politicos and religionists, urged a fundamentalist approach to the holy book and a rejection of knowledge that is a result of human inquiry rather than divine law. The question is, why did the fundamentalist idea take hold? Why did people turn their backs on a liberal, open society, that made them economically rich and a world center of learning?
I think this question is incredibly important, for obvious reasons.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redshadowz
I understand that she has no interest in explaining the difference, since she isn't a Christian, and as an atheist, she doesn't support Christianity. But I still insist that she acknowledges that Christianity is "better" than Islam.
No question that she prefers a western democracy to a violent theocracy, and that in our world, right now, that means a preference for cultures that are historically christian. But it did used to be the other way around.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redshadowz
Because you know, the purpose of this thread wasn't to compare religious government to secular government. No one wants to argue that. The purpose of this thread(and all the threads like it), is to compare Islam to Christianity. And what most sane people recognize, is that Christianity is significantly better than Islam. And that Islam will always be dangerous.
I'm not a Christian, but I like Jesus, I hate Muhammad. And so should you.
For the reasons I've detailed, I don't think it's nearly that cut and dried.
Turkey
South Asia
Southeast Asia
Eastern Europe
Africa
Are you saying that if all those countries had just not "meddled in Middle Eastern affairs" they wouldn't have been aggressively conquered by Islamic militants? And do you honestly think that radical Islam is uninterested in expanding into the rest of the world?
Islam is and always has been a very aggressive system of oppression and domination, since it's inception.
The US has also been extremely aggressive. You can ask its victims in the Philippines, China, Korea, Vietnam, Central America, Serbia, Laos, Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, and Iran.
The US is and always has been a very aggressive state of oppression and domination, since its inception.
The US has also been extremely aggressive. You can ask its victims in the Philippines, China, Korea, Vietnam, Central America, Serbia, Laos, Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, and Iran.
The US is and always has been a very aggressive state of oppression and domination, since its inception.
"[S]ince its inception" is clearly inaccurate. Most if not alll of your examples date after the rise of the progressive era, or about 1900 AD. The US was around for over 100 years before that.
The US has also been extremely aggressive. You can ask its victims in the Philippines, China, Korea, Vietnam, Central America, Serbia, Laos, Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, and Iran.
The US is and always has been a very aggressive state of oppression and domination, since its inception.
Aggressive is putting it mildly. We're beyond aggressive. Predatory is more like it.
Shoot, they think Muslims are aggressive? They ain't got NOTHING on us. Not by a long shot.
Neither 'aggressive' nor 'predatory' are accurate adjectives. Ask yourself this--how many of those 11 countries/regions listed by X14 have we colonized? We even turned over Subic Bay and the Panama Canal. Wouldn't any normal predator want to keep his kills within his jaws?
"Chump" is probably a better all around descriptor for us. We go out, fight others' battles for them, traipse on our merry way and leave a mess behind.
Neither 'aggressive' nor 'predatory' are accurate adjectives. Ask yourself this--how many of those 11 countries/regions listed by X14 have we colonized? We even turned over Subic Bay and the Panama Canal. Wouldn't any normal predator want to keep his kills within his jaws?
"Chump" is probably a better all around descriptor for us. We go out, fight others' battles for them, traipse on our merry way and leave a mess behind.
We got booted out of the Philippines (thank goodness..seeing as how it's the only way we ever leave a place) after a volcano buried our bases in ashes and their government wouldn't bow to our terms on extending the leases.
Panama Canal is one of the few bright spots in our foreign policy.
But to say that the U.S. isn't predatory is laughable. I mean, we invaded Iraq in 2003! What do you call that? A birthday party invitation?
We're still in Afghanistan 13 years AFTER invading it. That's not predatory?
We're still coming up with lame excuses for stationing troops in Europe and Asia over two decades after the end of the Cold War. Nevermind that we can't even afford to do so.
And the governments overthrown! Chile, Iran, Vietnam, and Guatemala...what were those? Chopped liver? And those are just the obvious shenanigans. Less obvious ones like the Congo, Venezuela, El Salvador, Panama, Indonesia, Cambodia, Haiti and the Dominican Republic are ones that we don't even think or talk about.
Not predatory? Lol...ask a Chilean what they think when you bring up 9/11...And it ain't about planes running into buildings either.
I was worried about her for a while because she was considering leaving the US due to problems w/ security. She has to have 24/7 security due to the death threats from Dar al Islam. Now it appears that she is doing ok. I am happy that she has found a home here in the USA.
We definitely need more like her, exposing the truth of Islam. Not to diminish the work of Brigitte Gabriel or Pamela Geller.
So it sounds like you work for some federal agency and are telling us that you are 100% focused on threats issued at the hands of the lovely and demure Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Exactly what agency is this that spends it time on "harassment and vitriol" coming from the quarters of AHA & supporters? What are the threats, and whom is she threatening? Our federal tax dollars at work....
I had a different take on that post. I had the impression that perhaps because of Ayann Hirsi Ali speaking engagements (she speaks at many colleges), threats were being received to force cancellation (for example). But you could be right. We'll see if a clarification is forthcoming.
We know how sympathetic the Left is toward Islam (the "Religion of Peace") and like to claim that it is only "a few radicals" that are violent Jihadists, and the hate anyone who puts the entire 'religion' of Islam in a bad light, so if the threats were not from Muslims, it would be understandable.
So it sounds like you work for some federal agency and are telling us that you are 100% focused on threats issued at the hands of the lovely and demure Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Exactly what agency is this that spends it time on "harassment and vitriol" coming from the quarters of AHA & supporters? What are the threats, and whom is she threatening? Our federal tax dollars at work....
Sounds like he works at a university where people were upset that she was scheduled to speak.
The enlightenment was born in western europe. There are countries where christians do not have the attitude that a secular government is a good thing. Russia and nigeria come to mind.
Russia is a theocracy and Turkey is secular? Uh, no.
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