Why did you murder my brothers and sisters in the Middle East?

Christians did not persecute others any more than "the others" persecute Christians. It was their corrupt management that was, and still is, responsible for that.

Maybe because they are teaching false doctrine.

1. Methodists - teach Holy Trinity doctrine which is based on Catholic statements of faith like the Nicene and Athenasian creeds. But the Methodists are Protestant.

2. Baptists - teach "Once saved, always saved" No scriptural support for that.

3. Catholic - priests are denied marriage which the Bible warns against those who forbid marriage.

4. Mormons - Smith prophesied that the Missouri temple would remain in constant operation from it's dedication date to present day, which it did not. Complete of prophecy.

5. David Koresh, Jim Jones, Warren Jeffs....and Joseph Smith Jr. Over 1,000 Americans have died because of self-startup religions.

Public religion is a threat to public safety. Jesus said that you are supposed to worship in private, not be seen by other men praying in public to create a false pretense.

And Jesus was Jewish, and said that his religion was the way to salvation. "Salvation is of the Jews"

originally posted by: SlapMonkey
If we can evolve past the need for religion, this might be a thing of the past.

We shouldnt have to.

We should be able to have whatever beliefs, faiths, or dogmas we want as long as it doesnt hurt anyone else, and not be killed or persecuted for it.

And that goes for every religion, practice, what have you.

originally posted by: AMPTAH

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
ISIS weren't Shia. They killed and enslaved thousands of Christians. Explain that to me please?

There is only one God, and Allah is his name. Not two gods and a bird.

There's no such saying.

What the Muslims say is, "There's no God, but Allah !"

Two Gods and a bird. I assume that he is referring to the Holy Sprit appearing in the form of a dove.

However, what I have seen from these people in organized religions. I was investigating a religion that did not have a paid ministry. After seeing Benny Hinn, and people like that I thought it was interesting that a ministry could operate free of pay. Volunteer work.

Now, while I was investigating this new religion. I had one guy drop by my house uninvited to preach against those who I had invited to my house. Another guy was a member of another church, while I was investigating this religion. His wife dropped by my house, and told her husband had remarked "that I was harmless" and then proceeded to say that "I don't know what he meant by that". Bizarre because I assume that he was irritated that I was investigating a religion which prohibited things like adultery. Which rumor had that her husband was guilty of. Maybe he was saying that I wasn't a strong sexual person, but before I got baptized I was quite the ladies man. My sexual behavior is more confined to courtship now versus my ladies man days before being baptized. Completely unprovoked attack on his part, a comment made in private to his wife, cowardly not being able to say this to my face. A member of the Baptist church in that town.

Their pretty much idiots people involved in public organized religion. I can't even compare most of the Christians to the honorable conduct of the people served with in the military. But, I have never met a disrespectful Jew or Muslim.

a reply to: SickWave

Umm no we dont believe in once saved always saved. you have to try to be good from then afterwards. (im baptist btw but independent of a church)

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: daaskapital

Star for the info!

3 million people is nothing?

Thanks.

It's not nothing, but it is not as significant as some allege it is. Certainly, in states where refugee populations are concentrated, like certain towns in France, Germany etc, there are clear problems. However on the grand scheme of things, 3 million people is not a large proportion of Europe's population of 743.1 million. It makes up for roughly 0.4% of the total population.

originally posted by: paraphi

People who were Christians warred with each other and with others, as did other religions. While conflict may have been religious (Catholic verses Protestant, for example), most warfare was political. Islam was spread through conquest, and was entirely religiously driven, including the attempted invasion of Christian lands, hence the Crusades BTW. The religions in Central and South America did their fair share of religiously motivated killing on a scale that dwarfed Christians.

I have to disagree. No Empire is entirely driven by religion. The same goes for the Caliphates responsible for the Muslim Conquests. Note:

Within the century of the establishment of Islam upon the Arabian peninsula and the subsequent rapid expansion of the Arab Empire during the Muslim conquests, one of the most significant empires in world history was formed. For the subjects of this new empire, formerly subjects of the greatly reduced Byzantine, and obliterated Sassanid Empires, not much changed in practice. The objective of the conquests was more than anything of a practical nature, as fertile land and water were scarce in the Arabian peninsula. A real Islamization therefore only came about in the subsequent centuries.

Conversion and Islamization occurred at a later date, and it was not restricted to territory controlled by the Caliphates. The attempted invasion of Christian lands had religious elements to it, but they were also driven by political and strategic measures. It's simply incorrect to say that 1/ the conquest of the Caliphates were entirely driven by religion, and 2/ that Islam was strictly spread through conquest - it occurred across borders and in many territories, both inside and outside of the Caliphates.

The genocide of Christians and other minorities in mainly Muslim countries is religiously motivated, as is the conflict between the different denominations of Islam, notably Sunni and Shia. The level of intolerance and the fight against "difference" is entirely religiously driven.

Deny ignorance, please.

It is and it isn't. Religion plays a significant part in the sectarian divides of the Middle-East, but to say that it is the only motivation is incorrect and would be ignoring tribal conflicts, inter-state political relations (e.g. Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran), and the political goals of certain militant groups (e.g. ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra etc. wanted a Caliphate, which is a political goal).

originally posted by: AMPTAH

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
ISIS weren't Shia. They killed and enslaved thousands of Christians. Explain that to me please?

There is only one God, and Allah is his name. Not two gods and a bird.

There's no such saying.

What the Muslims say is, "There's no God, but Allah !"

First, they deny God exists, then they assert that Allah alone exists.

That why some Islamic countries have banned Christians from using the word "Allah" as a translation of "God" in the holy scriptures. They say it causes confusion.

Allah is not God.

Allah has daughters, but no son

God has a son, but no daughters.

Two different creatures.

'Allah' is simply the Arabic term for 'God'. In the context of the quote, they are reaffirming the position of the Abrahamic God as the one and only.

Muslims the world over believe they worship the same God as the Jews and Christians. They share similar traditions, prophets and angels, after all. If you believe in the God of the Old Testament, you believe in the very same God as the Muslims and Jews.

originally posted by: SailorJerry

We shouldnt have to.

We should be able to have whatever beliefs, faiths, or dogmas we want as long as it doesnt hurt anyone else, and not be killed or persecuted for it.

And that goes for every religion, practice, what have you.

I think that you missed my point.

I don't want to derail this thread, but I don't feel that religion is a very enlightened "need" for humanity. Sure, you SHOULD be able to practice whatever faith that you want, but the reality is that most religions, but especially the 'big three,' have teachings that are in direct conflict with such an ideal. Each religious book of those three (and many others) chronicle bloody and sometimes nearly genocidal wars over religious beliefs, and they are still going on today.

The key phrase in your response is "as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else," but honestly, and looking at religion in an overarching, generalized sense, it has been one of the main catalysts for wars and death and destruction that otherwise may not have occurred without such fervent belief systems driving such hatred for other people.

On the individual level, I think that spirituality and a belief in [insert deity/deities here] can be a fine thing and a motivator/reminder to be a better person, but the institution of religion as a whole has not, in my opinion, had a net positive effect on the world.

originally posted by: daaskapital

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: daaskapital

Star for the info!

3 million people is nothing?

Thanks.

It's not nothing, but it is not as significant as some allege it is. Certainly, in states where refugee populations are concentrated, like certain towns in France, Germany etc, there are clear problems. However on the grand scheme of things, 3 million people is not a large proportion of Europe's population of 743.1 million. It makes up for roughly 0.4% of the total population.

I notice you missed out Sweden on your list. I watched as the young, military age Middle Eastern men proclaimed that Sweden was their ultimate destination to migrate to. The UK came in as a close second place.

Watch Sweden.

a reply to: Revolution9

Religious genocide against all faiths should end period.