Alright - a new post!

Does anybody even semi-sane even have a problem with the NYC mosque? In my out-of-touch east coast elite existence I don’t actually know anyone who does. Seems like it’s just something for FOX to fill slow news days with.

Or why be so narrow with the category labels? Since religion was behind the attack, perhaps all religious buildings should be moved. Drawing the line at mosques shows that the militants in the “Islam versus the West” struggle are on both sides. I shudder to think where fear may eventually take us.

At any rate, Danny makes a good point that could be made in a number of different ways, but who will listen?

we should be stopped the war in word or in future big wars will start

I agree with La Cuidad! I’m happy to see a post!

I would say, however, that the specificity of the apparent intent of the crimes with respect to the religion in question do seem to come in to play. It just seems equally wrong for a Synagogue to be built on top of a site that the state of Israel has recently bombed in one of their neighboring states. Or for a Catholic or Protestant church to be built in a place where a bombing took place from either side in the conflict in Northern Ireland. I think the specificity of the claimed religious identity of the attackers does implicate the wider community and make it more difficult for that community to live according to it’s claimed values. Obviously religious violence is wrong whenever it takes place, and obviously a few bad apples don’t mean that the whole barrel is rotten, but to ignore the particularities of the situation does seem to violate the claimed principles upon which a “community center” would be built. If a group cares about the community, they are sensitive to the perception their actions will have in that community.

I don’t think there’s anything intrinsically wrong with building a mosque at the site. I do think it’s in poor taste at the least.

I’m also a little concerned with the rhetoric of Imam Rauf regarding the 9/11 attacks and Islamic/ist-West relations in general.

I don’t pretend to know anything about New York City. I do know that several polls have shown majority disapproval of the mosque site. I also think that, though you may question his sanity, Governor Paterson had a really good compromise in suggesting that the site be moved a few blocks further out. It seems like they could have gone ahead and quietly revised their plans rather than making a political scene out of it.

Dan - with your view wouldnt all of the 1,000,000,000 muslims be psychopaths just for believing? Seriously - believing in the tooth fairy does make you psychopathic, doesnt it?

Rosa Parks was standing up against racism. Surely your not going to put her on the same playing field as a deluded religionist.

anyway.

so you support man - boy love?

my point is - where is the line drawn?

To society as a whole, isnt it harmful for anybody at all to worship a delusion instead of reason and facts.

And with that stated - Shouldnt reality be the deciding factor in deciding if the Mosque should go up - not whether or not two sets of brain washed religious people can plan nice or not because their fake gods are not the same.

They can build it. Whatever. But read the Koran dude. The heart of that text is not love, it is hate and it is physically aggressive. The bible doesn’t say that if someone wont convert to Christianity then you should rape their children.

Not really. This type of hermeneutics isn’t really something that you would understand unless you actually made the effort to study each religions theology. I’m a smart guy, I studied the theology of each text. It’s not the same. In this case you clearly have to either take my word for it or go see for yourself.

Are there any modern churches who are taking these actions? No, because they are not required to.

Are there any modern sections of the Muslim faith who act on these texts or at least believe they should? Yup! Millions.

That. Is. Priceless.

I’m a smart guy, I studied the theology of each text. It’s not the same. In this case you clearly have to either take my word for it or go see for yourself.

Well, I don’t know about you, Dan, but I’m convinced. Stephen, when it comes to debating, you’re right at the sharp end of the wedge. I must remember that strategy next time someone says something I don’t agree with…

So it goes something like this:

Ahem… “I’m a smart guy; you just have to take my word for it that you’re wrong. Oh, and you haven’t studied it hard enough until you agree with me.”

This is AWESOME, thanks! It’s going to save me so much time coming up with actual counter arguments in the future.

Now, back in the real world, the Bible is clearly as violent as the Koran. Unfortunately for you, you’ve made the transparently false claim that the Koran is worse than the Bible. Dan gave you a few examples of just how violent the Bible is and the result was the utter failure of apologetics you farted onto the page in your last comment. Wouldn’t it be more honest to simply admit that maybe the Bible is just a teensy weensy bit violent too?

It did, however, give me my first big laugh of the day. Which is good because I’ve just played a pretty rubbish round of golf and I was in a somewhat of a melancholy mood. Thanks once again.

Oh and before I go: If you have to study theology and the Bible to some stupendous level of excellence to understand that the violence in the Bible actually isn’t the violence it looks exactly like, how in the world do the vast majority of Christians - who aren’t as educated as you clearly are in all things Biblical - know that the violence isn’t real violence? You know, if they haven’t studied it really really really hard. How do they know that when the Bible says you should stone unruly children to death it doesn’t actually mean “stone them to death,” but instead it means “send them to their room,” or “take away their Playstation for a few days?”

I look forward to your well thought out, reasoned response.

All the best,

Fleegman

It is apparent that Stephen has not evolved as much as Fleegman.

Lucky for us his like will eventually be weeded out - And the fittest will continue.

Who would want to believe in a God that plays favorites with different people groups anyway - saving some that He deems fit while completely wiping out others - when it is very easy to see that evolution already does this without God involved.

If only we could speed the process and rid the world of this delusion of God.

Maybe in another couple million years.

Repent - Evolution is at hand!

Less controversial?

http://us.oneworld.net/article/368158-hug-arab-day-welcome-wake-ft-hood