Just for the record, Anglican and Episcopalian are NOT the same thing anymore. If you would call an “Anglican” in the U.S. an “episcopalian”, you would probably upset him a little. Read: the liberal American Episcopal Church.
sorry – no offense meant.
coptic christians have it pretty bad. they’re not the most persecuted religious minority in the world, apparently, but they have to live under strictures that most of us would find intolerable. i believe egypt’s constitution forbids them from serving as officers in the military or holding high government office.
And if you were to tell me (an Episcopalian) that I am not an Anglican, you would upset me more than a little.
As you interpret them. Why you think you are the infallible interpreter of Islamic sacred texts is and always has been and always will be beyond me. . . . .
I don’t know what that last sentence means. Truth is not a matter of personal interpretation. Definition of the boundaries of religious traditions is and necessarily always will be subject to interpretation, because religious traditions, as I repeat, do not have “essences” but are convenient generalizations for what many people have believed and practiced over time.
Edwin, where do you come down on the issue of authority? Your argument about Islam basically being whatever each individual Muslims thinks it is convinced me that there really isn’t any way to determine for sure whether Islam is peaceful or not because they lack a final earthly authority to tell us for sure.
If anyone wonders why Muslims keep attacking Christians and other unbelievers, here is the proof, a sermon preached in their mosques and based on the teachings of the Quran.
Here’s just one example:
The Kaafir plots against the Muslims by night and betrays them in the day. Enmity towards you is vividly shown in his face and his utterances. He bites his fingertips in severe anger against the Muslims and his inner-self is full of evil plans against them. He pretends to be trustworthy and good mannered while he is actually pursuing his own interests. Allaah exposes them when he says:*** “Hatred has already appeared from their mouths but what their breasts conceal is far worse.” ***(Aal-Imran: 118).
Vickie
The problem with selecting your evidence is you choose to not explain that later on in his career, Muhammed would change the direction of Islam - hence you were able to ‘compel’ pagans to cease being pagans. “Slay the idolators wherever you find them”
I agree we need to co-exist. Denying the evils done by your prophet won’t help.
Those *peaceful *Moslems are so in spite of Islam