Is it a Religion?

[coffeecrazy1]

Okay...is Christianity a religion or a political belief?

There are thousands of faithful Muslims who are peaceful, full-blooded, patriotic Americans. They serve in our military, they vote, and do everything that other Americans do. They were killed in the WTC collapses. They have been killed fighting on our side in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Many people vote the way they worship. So...either all religions are political beliefs, or none are. The strains of Islam that are fighting against us are more like the KKK for Christianity than anything else.

A blanket statement like "Is Islam a religion?" is a rash overgeneralization, but I do see the point you were trying to make...I just don't think it works that way.

And, I'm disappointed. I thought this was going to be about Scientology. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

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And why do we tolerate a religious belief that we would not tolerate if it was a political belief?

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You have yet to provide an example where this was the case.

To do this you need to provide a religious belief that was tolerated and a similar polictical belief that was not.

I seriously doubt you can do that.

[SheetWise]

I think the US should take a position on the teachings of Islam. We seem to just go along with the official lie that it's a religion of peace. If that were true, they would have a different manual. It is not a religion of peace, and no matter how many times it's repeated -- it will not be true.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

If it is a sniper way of advocating for starting a war against Islam you are walking down a dangerous path. Are you aware of how many moslems there are in the world? Are you going to push people over the edge by telling them that what they believe in is wrong and they better follow your way? Do you really think that you carry the moral credibility to do that?

It was thinking like you preach that Pope John Paul warned so much against.

Mixing religion into politics seldom leads to good.

[SheetWise]

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To do this you need to provide a religious belief that was tolerated and a similar polictical belief that was not.

I seriously doubt you can do that.

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I'll try.

If a priest hears a confession, and refuses to testify in court claiming it is a priviledged communication -- it will probably be tolerated. It is a religious belief.

If a reporter refuses to testify, based on their political belief of protection -- it will usually not be tolerated. They will be held in contempt.

We do give special consideration to religious beliefs. I am begining to believe that we shouldn't when the religion has purely political aims.

[SheetWise]

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Are you going to push people over the edge by telling them that what they believe in is wrong and they better follow your way? Do you really think that you carry the moral credibility to do that?

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If their position is that we cannot co-exist unless I adopt their religion, then yes.

[Arnfinn Madsen]

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Are you going to push people over the edge by telling them that what they believe in is wrong and they better follow your way? Do you really think that you carry the moral credibility to do that?

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If their position is that we cannot co-exist unless I adopt their religion, then yes.

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Have you or anyone you know ever encountered a moslem threatening you if you don't convert?

[ptmusic]

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We do give special consideration to religious beliefs. I am begining to believe that we shouldn't when the religion has purely political aims.

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Some fundamentalist Islamists do have very "political" aims, but to say the entire religion has PURELY political aims is taking it too far. There are many, many peaceful people who have received great spiritual benefits from Islam, and I'm not about to support anything that would stop them from getting those benefits.

-ptmusic

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I think the US should take a position on the teachings of Islam. We seem to just go along with the official lie that it's a religion of peace. If that were true, they would have a different manual. It is not a religion of peace, and no matter how many times it's repeated -- it will not be true.

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Very slippery slope. One which could be used against the teaching and practice of all religion. Some may support that notion. I do not.

[SheetWise]

If they believe what their religion teaches them, then all Muslims are a threat to all non-Muslims. If they don't believe it, they should say so.

Why would you believe a Muslim to any less of a threat to an infidel than Klansmen were to blacks, or Hitler was to Jews.