Sam Harris

My problem is I tend to pronounce your like you’re and end up spelling it that way.  But trust me, I know the difference between the two.  I should.  I also happen to have a background in teaching English as a second language.  Anyway, I hate people who pretend to be language prescriptivists, especially when language skills are not the point here.  My arguments remain pretty solid.

I apologize that was petty of me.

Saudi Arabia practices widespread systemic racism, which is prohibited according to Islam.  It rules by monarchy, which is also frowned upon according to Islam.  Regardless of the claims of its constitution, there are many institutionalized practices in Saudi Arabia that are completely contrary to Islamic law.  Can you imagine anyone saying that the US is a Christian nation?  The truth is, it is and it isn’t.  The same is true when we talk about Saudi Arabia.

I maintain that Saudi Arabia clearly Islamic, whether or not it is a perfect manifestation of the Qur’an or not. Seriously, taking a religious text and using that as your basis for your constitution and laws is as religious as a government can get while still being a government.

While I would call the U.S. a Christian nation, I would only say that in the sense that most of the people are Christian. We don’t use the bible for our laws and our government is as religion free as I could expect in a very religious nation. I mean I have my qualms about stupid little things, like people wanting creationism in schools (which always gets blocked), it mentioning God on our money, and the fact that our President pretty much has to be Christian or at least do a good job of faking it.

That you’ve lived in the US your entire life and haven’t heard any of your many Christian friends say anything negative about Islam only reflects your small world.  Perhaps you should visit some bible belt states, or watch some evangelical television, or research the influence of fundamentalist Christianity on foriegn policy, especially the Palestine-Israel conflict.  Open your eyes friend.

I’ve spent plenty of time in the south thank you. I would never claim that the U.S. is Islam friendly or that its foreign politics are. I merely was musing that on a day to day basis we don’t sit around cursing Islam.

Religious talk is strongly discouraged in the work place and in public schools (unless it pertains to the subject at hand), which in turn has made the topic of Islam a “sleeping dog”. If you push people for their opinions, I would imagine most Americans (who are comfortable being honest with you) would likely have negative things to say about Islam.

Conflicts such as Islam vs. the west are not on our doorstep so you simply will not see the individual involvement of our people, like you will in the middle east where countries are small and at each others throats.

Bruce Burleson - 14 August 2008 10:01 PM

I plan on looking you up for a pint.

Please do! We have East Sussex’s best local brewer right here in our town, not to mention several megalithic monuments and an 11th century castle.

Bruce Burleson - 10 August 2008 01:59 AM

POST TEN: When I compare Christian worship and Islamic worship, the main difference I see is that Islam does not seem to inspire much joy. While Christian worship styles vary greatly, it seems to be much more compatible with a joie de vivre, a fact that is evident in the worship services themselves (or at least the ones I have attended), especially in the music. Every time I see Muslim clerics, they have dour looks on their faces. I can’t imagine one of them smiling, much less laughing. Christianity wins hands down in the joy department.

While they may be fairly dormant during worship, Muslim’s are highly capable of joyful celebration.  Didn’t you see the children dancing in the streets after 9/11?

Sitting through “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” or a Fred Phelps sermon (same-same really) isn’t going to be a lot of fun. Neither is cramming together in tiny little lines and listening to Mullah Abu ibn Bigbeard harangue you about how shaking hands with a woman is the same as committing adultery with her. Although, come to think of it, that means I’ve been getting a lot more action over the years than I thought

Contrariwise, I’ve seen Christians and Muslims both transported to what seems to be real ecstasy at normal prayer services. Maybe it’s pheromones in the air. Maybe it’s the attitude with which they approach their devotions. If it’s something like zikr or a real old-fashioned struck by the Spirit snake-tossing revival meeting both can get the Joy meter to burn out. But those rituals are specifically designed to induce powerful state changes.

Some achieve utter focus and unspeakable sexual heights by having people brand them or stick sharp pieces of metal through their bodies. All that would inspire in me is an uncontrollable urge towards massive violence. Human brains are strange things. They can be trained to play all sorts of tricks.