spiritblows:
OK, another way we can analyse this is to observe Islamic countries around the world. By western standards of religious tolerance, these all of these countries rate poorly. Many of them are harshly repressive of individual rights, including the right to worship freely in another faith. Also, they tend to be oppressive in other ways.
The heart and soul of Islam resides in Saudi Arabia. This country has extremely repressive laws and Christianity is absolutely not allowed. The Bible is surpressed. Women are not allowed equal rights.
The regime, backed by a faction overly referred to in the media as “wahabism”, was put into power by the British, as a way of “developing” the area in a manner that best worked for them, and to help fight the last of the Ottoman rulers. Since then, nearly every white house president has had a close relationship and has pandered and supported the ruling class, as well as in the emirates.
As far as “equal rights for women”, please show me “equal rights” as defined by your Gd Jesus from the TORAH, since the NT is insufficient to provide any real insight into the realm of religous jurisprudence. Some the restrictions in Saudi are not religously based, and the ruling family does not constitute an Islamic government.
Therefore, by objective standards, Islamic countries have not demonstrated religious tolerance. Even ‘secular’ Turkey does not score well in this dept.
Show me a single “Islamic Country”. You are trying to do what many of the necon pundits do when it is time to sell books to the masses: Over simplify an issue and then give a simple conclusion.
Therefore, I deduce from both reading extremely harsh words in the Koran that are to be no where found in Buddhaism, Christianity, or Hinduism, and from the concrete reality of religious expression in Muslim countries, that Islam is a religion inherently more violent and repressive than others.
Either you are being intellectually dishonest, or you have cognitive problems .
Show me in the Quran where Gd ordered the Muslims to leave the sick, fellow believers in the desert to die alone. Jesus did this in the bible. Show me where Gd ordered the Muslims to kill women and babies and children? Jesus does this in the bible. Show me where Gd ordered the Muslims to kill those who marry of a different race? Jesus did this, and rewarded the man who killed the Jew and his foreign wife. Interesting how you are “card stacking” in order to reach your irrational conclusion.
SHow me a single ancient Mosque in Europe? SHow me a single Muslim who held a high rank in Christian Europe before the 19th century? If Islam truly had the destruction of other religions as a core teaching, then they would have been wiped out a long time ago in Muslim lands.
Having said that, I haven’t found Muslims any different as individuals than other people. But I do believe that modern day Islam fosters violence and extremism in a way not found in other world religions.
It appears your beliefs are fostered by ignorance and hyperbole rather than on any sound principle.
I could care less about responding to your pseudo-intellectual post. I have researched Islam for the past 2 years, with my heart AND mind, as I fell in love with a Muslim. THat Muslim has since left his Faith. Do you know why? We didn’t need to have these wasteful intellectual arguments, I say they are wasteful because if you are not open (as you are not) to the Truth it doesn’t matter what anyone tells you, because you will not hear it. He saw my witness to my Faith, I shared the beauty of Catholicism, without words, thru my actions and he fell in love with it and with me. The only thing that will change your mind and heart, my friend, is God’s grace. I will pray for you.
