[quote author=“MegriM”][quote author=“CanZen”]It should not be surprising because when one looks at the life of Mohammed…
Don’t look; research, investigate.
When I look at the evidence, I see people, of many different backgrounds, killing people for many different reasons. When I try to research the root causes, things become a little more difficult, but this is what I have come up with:
People have disagreements over all sorts of things: Property disputes, resource management issues, human rights issues, religious issues, etc. Most of the time, people come up with a livable compromise, not perfect perhaps, but nobody has to die. Sometimes, however, people cannot tolerate the situation, and, having no acceptable (to them) alternative, they kill people in order to accomplish their goals.
This applies to everyone, not just any single group. So far so good?
So, why are people unable to agree on these things? I believe that there is a fundamental dishonesty problem. Political leaders lie about facts in order to get their people to support war. Religious leaders mislead people into believing things which are untrue, making them believe that compromise is impossible, and leads to hell.
If you only “look” to a situation, you can conclude everything. When i look at U.S.A., i can see blood, war; if i want to, but i don’t.
Like anything else, the US is complicated. However, comparing a nation to a religion is, I think, a poor comparison. The USA, as a country, is a secular concept. Islam, the religion, is not.
Tell me, what should Mohammed and his fellowers do, when non-muslim Arabs started killing every muslim they saw?
A tough question, but deciding that all non-muslims should be killed, converted, or subjugated would not be my first choice.
How did U.S.A. win their freedom? By conversation?!
Much blood was shed in the revolutionary war, no doubt about it.
I hoped to see rational discussions here, i was wrong i think.
I can’t speak for anyone else, but I am more than happy to engage in rational conversation.
For the record:
I am an atheist.
I opposed the war in Iraq, but I think that, at this point, an immediate end to the occupation runs an unnacceptably high risk of further destabilizing the region.
I love my country.
I am not a supporter of the current administration.
I believe that the US and Europe are involved in the Middle East because of oil.
I take a dim view of religion in general, and the Abrahamic faiths in particular.
And a host of other things, but that should help clarify a few things.
I am, of course, more than happy to revisit any of the things that I believe, if good evidence or argument exists to compel me to do so.
So, that being said, I agree with the thrust that started this thread. Islam is directly responsible for much otherwise avoidable loss of life. Islam, of course, is not the only cause for death. Not a single nation or people is entirely free from guilt at some point.
I know that not every person interprets Islam the same way. However, it is clear that some people focus on passages that make peaceful coexistence with non-muslims an unacceptable situation, and the killing of innocent people, in the name of a holy war, acceptable.
-Matt
