But again everyone is ignoring other factors that might contribute to the middle-east being the headline and the primary exporter of trouble : the greatest wealth on earth throughout history resides in this area : OIL.
The idea that one rule or law can cover one subject is not a rational one, especially when it comes to humans interaction. Meaning : "that kills all infidels" (if that is the correct translation) is not a universal rule.
Each verse was sent from God on a specific event (Quran was sent from God during a period of 23 years in varying numbers of verses, belonging to different chapters). That is, this verse is not to be used at anytime. Also, this is not a complete verse, taking a partial verse will only lead to its misinterpreting. i will talk about the translation later in this post.
If you check the Quran, you will find many more verses that talk about the importance of not starting fight, in the same time they encourage Muslims to defend.
About the word "infidels", there is a very clear differentiation between Pagans and "People of the book" meaning Christians and Jews in the Quran. That is to say this translation is not accurate.
You misunderstood me. For me the source of the Quran is God (Allah), and Muhammed is a prophet. The Arabic language is complex for sure, but that does not mean the Quran is some riddle! I meant it is very difficult to capture the meaning for a foreigner.
As for the Ideology, the God ( Allah) in Islam is simple (one) with no family. The best word to describe Allah is UNIQUE.
About the cutting arm and a leg from different sides. It is not the punishment of thieves, it is the punishment for outlaws, people who attack travelers and kill/steal their belongings. And even those outlaws, if they surrender voluntarily and repent, they are pardoned.
As for cutting the hand of the thief, to carry on this punishment, the value stolen have to exceed a specific amount. So, it is not carried out on trivial and petty theft.
About "Ayaan Hirsi Ali", I have never heard about her, but I will check her work.
Thank you mollybaby :) for being objective, and seeing that what I am trying to do is provide a point of view that differs from the media's, which only induces fear.
Christians are evolving, not Christianity. And I assure you Muslims are going to catch up within 50 years (in my opinion). I took 2000 years for Christians to get this place. For Muslims its now only 1400 years! In the 15th century, Christians were forming inquisitions from Europe to the Americas.
So, killing while saying : "in the name of god" is ok ?
There are more than a billion Muslims in the world, don't you think if all of them have the same understanding of Islam as the radical groups the world would be at war, and not just suicide attacks or explosions ?
1-I am not here to prove that Islam is the best, or defend the atrocities made in its name. 2-I believe in democracy and individual freedom, and I do not see them conflict with me being a Muslim. 3-I participated in this discussion because the members who started it did sound flexible, as opposed to the rigid mentalities that had shown in later posts. 4- None of us knows can be always right. So, when entering any discussion, people should be ready to explore other points of view, and embrace the possibility of being wrong about a detail or about a concept.
All scriptures have different explanations, and if some groups adopt a radical explanation, and carry's out atrocities in its name. And to say atrocities have been committed in the name of Christianity also (the inquisitions and the crusades), does not validate them or undermine their evils.
Making use of the anonymity provided by the internet, can help individuals look for knowledge without fear of terror.
Firmly declaring that "X" can never meet "Y", require good knowledge of both subjects.
@mollybaby "I believe that if people believe in a higher being, that they should do so privately and as an individual, not as part of a mass movement. " Isn't that against individual freedom, I mean people are free to practice privately or in groups.
@mollybaby "Having said that, I believe that most religions, especially those developed in ancient times, have writings and scriptures too open to interpretation. Therefore, those who want an excuse to kill or disempower in the name of religion, can find the words in the sacred writings to do so." I agree. But again misinterpretation comes from ignorance. .. .. Faith can only come voluntarily, not by force or fear. And in this age of the internet anyone can discuss any subject without being afraid. The irony is that some people now have religion-phobia, they are strict about refusing it, despite having no concrete proof against the existence of God or the falsity of Religions!
Simple statistical fact about Quran : the word "KINDNESS" is mentioned over 70 times in itself, that is not counting the derivatives of the word ! Averse of Quran no one knows about obviously (invite people to the path of your God through wisdom and good example,and be polite when discussing non-muslims). .. Yes I am a muslim, but i am not a stubborn believer. And I do not Indorse violence.
And above all I like philosophical discussions in the subject of God, that is by relying on logic and NOT relying on scripts(i.e Quran). .. I hope my contribution does not kill this discussion.
Are humans different ? I mean in the sense that we all love to do good things, to help others if we can. What I want to say that if Islam was all about killing and conquering and violent, it wouldn't have spread across continents defying the barriers of language and culture and race !! The point is : there are good sides to Islam, BUT what everybody talks about is what is perceived as "bad" side.
The most kind word to describe such behavior would be "imbalanced" !
Ignorance is a big problem. People fear what they do not know, and that creates hate and opens the door for manipulation of the masses (to achieve personal interests of course). Also, for some reason most educational systems decline over time, resulting in more and more half-educated people. And also, most of the time education does not enrich culture! .. sorry for the detour from Religion subject
miketango Forum Posts (18)
RE: Religion is great, just how it is used that is bad
On doubt,faith and fundamentalism :