Western Christian stereotyping of Islam is at best, ignorant, and more likely hypocritical and bigot

No those are not facts, those are fundamentalist and biased points from a Christian or Jew.

This makes you an extremist in your own right.

"comparison between the old testament and islam is also wrong as the old testament time period was about people taking what God had given them from people who threw babys into fires."

What you are saying is nothing better than ISIS or any other terrorist. You are continuing the racist and genocidal claim of the Old Testament saying that it was okay for the Hebrews to commit GENOCIDE because "God gave the land to them and told them to kill everyone." Do you not realize how crazy that sounds? And you people are claiming the Koran is violent?

"Get your fact's streight, if you do not understand christianity they that is your problem but it is about compassion, forgiveness and trusting in God."

You have posted zero facts.

I believe in a loving higher power. The God of the Old Testament and orthodox Christianity, is not that.

originally posted by: LABTECH767
a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

NO islam over time had enslaved, raped and murdered, stolen from and destroyed far more people than the hypocritical false christians ever did, the comparison between the old testament and islam is also wrong as the old testament time period was about people taking what God had given them from people who threw babys into fires.
Get your fact's streight, if you do not understand christianity they that is your problem but it is about compassion, forgiveness and trusting in God.
Those who enslaved among the so called christians did in in contravention of there own faith and against here religious law's and while it was allowed in Judaism it was far more lenient than in islam.
www.frontpagemag.com...
en.wikipedia.org...
en.wikipedia.org...
wikiislam.net...
www.answering-islam.org...
www.truthandgrace.com...

What makes me Sick is Ignorant and Bigotted revisionist historians who spit on there own ancestor's placeing evil on an pedestal as a symbol of virtue.

You know muhammad had a slave and promised his followers slaves even in paradise, that they would have woman lay on there backs for them to rape them with there leg's spread.

originally posted by: JimNasium
a reply to: Nechash

The Tao Te Ching 'may' also show You a 'way'... You'll KNOW when it is 'right' because at that time, the 'others' won't seem 'wrong'.. The One who has to defend their religion™ haven't found 'it' yet. They sense a 'lack/need' and until that is found they'll continue to battle, and that battle is with their own Self.

You have begun the search 'inside' and it is there that You'll find 'it'. 'They' are looking for answers where the answers do not exist, outside of the 'Self'...

Enjoy Your trip and 'Fear Not'...

namaste

P.S. The Buddhism 'may' be helpful getting Your head around the re-incarnation/getting 'stuck'/attachment... They also do a mandala regarding "time" I was able to see 'past Lives' so I figured if I had some before, I'll have some more 'later', when it is 'time' to go... Where 'thought' is 'real' and the 'physical' is the 'illusion'.

Awesome post.

Also, esoteric Hinduism and the path of yoga is a good bridge between east and west. There is a soul (Atma), and a higher pantheistic power, and spirituality, and meaning.

False though.

The biggest purveyors of violence right now in the world are factually Western "Christian" nations and intelligence agencies. Who, pray tell, started the two world wars?

Who, pray tell, has occupied the ME for the past two centuries?

Who, pray tell, has been one of two world superpowers and been intervening at will around the world since the 1950's? I can tell you right now, it ain't the Muslims.

You guys really need to look in the mirror as Westerners.

You can't possibly know history and think that Muslims and Muslim countries are committing more violence in the past century.

originally posted by: Shiloh7
a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

I actually have never bothered with the past history of something its whats happening today that counts. I wasn't there in the past and neither was anyone else so forget it and move on.

In today's world the trouble makers are muslins and if push came to shove who do you actualoly think muslims would align with, you or other muslims - I just think you should wake up.

The mentality of a muslim is stuck in the dark ages however much people think they have adapted, otherwise you wouldn't have so many people from different parts of the western world all joining these murderers and rapists. They even rape young children. Where does that come from in a western country? The odd criminal yes but then they exist all over the world and in islamic countries also - those joining isis can't all be sick but they can be brainwashed and must be otherwise these disgusting acts would not be happening. I hope we capture and kill each and every one of them.

a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

But again, your argument only supports mine, not detracts from it.

Sorry , I didn't mean to detract, I agree with what you say here. As you have surmised from my post.
My apologies if it came across other than supportive.

Further: What i think I was trying to do was pointout that here in the west we have been conditioned from early on to prepare us for this bigotry and hate, through our nationalism, education and religion. They were doing that long before 911, by the way. I remember Vietnam, the commie hoards and hatred of Buddhism.

Same thing, different day.

No, we are simply showing as a learning point the exact same overly-generalized judgement of Islam on to Christianity. Both are limited, wrong, and myopic. But this is the ENTIRE point, that you don't want to be generalized or stereotyped based on the actions of a minority NOR based on some ancient verses. That is exactly what people are doing with Islam. You seem not to like it. So don't do it to Muslims. That is all I am saying. Fair enough?

originally posted by: Septimus

originally posted by: tavi45
a reply to: Septimus

Bush's Iraq war was a crusade. You bought the propaganda but then again so did everyone else. The motivation was oil but it was still a Christian crusade. Read the link. Most people don't know this gem.

www.theguardian.com...

I bought nothing of the sort! I know, because I checked my receipts. While I wasn't aware of Bush's supposed quotation and ideology on that matter, again, I don't see how this applies to Christianity as a whole. Based on the philosophy of the OP, we should NOT blame the actions of a few for the actions of the whole. Bush does not speak for all Christianity. Besides, it's Bush. There are libraries filled with political cartoons of him playing with legos and picking his nose. He was a rare simplistic gem in our time to be certain. There were far more factors in play in that war though; as you said, oil was a major point, but there was also the dissolution of the Hussein dictatorship indicating major political play. If you're one for conspiracy, you're definitely in the right place as the global powers that be were definitely enjoying themselves. To say he was purely acting on a misguided Bible quote is also swallowing propaganda.

originally posted by: tavi45
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all filled with death and hatred. Modern Jews and Christians just cherry pick their bible points.

It is the nature of man to want. You don't have to believe in a god to commit murder. It must be nice to take the moral high ground and not be responsible for anything.

originally posted by: tavi45
To illustrate : Bible quotes galore

I see a lot of Old Testament quotes here. There's a reason the New Testament exists you know? The Old Testament is foundational; the New Testament builds on that foundation with further revelations from God. It's a book filled with the history of the Jews and various lessons throughout which can still be applied to modern times. Although they establish the core principles of what most modern Christians believe, the New Testament further refines these and does away with much of the old archaic traditions stated in the Old (such as the consumption of pork and beard shaving).

originally posted by: tavi45
The best part is how you absolve Christianity of all guilt by attributing the actions of its people as products of secular society when extremist Muslims are for the most part extremist out of desperation because a bunch of foreigners control their societies and abuse them. The double standard is pretty fierce. When Muslims do wrong it's their religion at fault. When Christians do wrong it's got nothing to do with religion. Yet America specifically is constantly talking about how Christian it is.

I am not absolving them of all guilt, but contemplating the reasoning behind their actions. It is not fair to simply say: "Hundreds of years ago your ancestors waged unfair wars against their fellow man, and so that means anything you have to say about your religion is now wrong." There is so much more to the story than that. Logic attempts to create a bad guy and a good guy, and people sell Christians as the bad guy in those times, when they weren't the only ones waging war. Other than that however, I'm not going to attempt to roll this turd any further than it needs to be rolled. Attempting to explain every so called Christian's motivation in those times would take far more time than I'm willing to give, and I honestly can't say they were all pure motivations either.

When Muslims do wrong (according to moral absolutism), it's most likely because they were commanded to do so. Or, did we already forget about those hundred verses of violence? It's unfortunate that that stereotype exists, but it's also inescapable. Since you mentioned cherry picking, people have to cherry pick the Bible to find logical fallacies and misinterpret verses. I don't have to cherry pick to find such things in the Qur'an when there's a whole grove in front of me.

Also, on the point of Christians not doing wrong according to their religion, I have to disagree! Christians should be held responsible for any wrongdoing like any other individual. Not only should they be judged by the laws of man, but they are also in the red when they disobey their religious doctrine. Religion exists to provide a set of rules to adhere to in order to provide an individual with guidance and bring them closer to the end goal... whether that be heaven, nirvana, enlightenment, or whatever else is being promoted. It is not always the case that these rules must coincide with moral absolutism, and I feel this is perhaps where Muslims are getting a bad name.

I don't think it has anything to do with being oppressed by western powers, since the Qur'an specifically calls for domination and subjugation of all religions not believing in Allah. I'm sure being oppressed by the freedom loving fat people is a major selling point behind ISIS recruiting though. I don't know about the US claiming to be Christian... here I am, an American saying it's not.

originally posted by: tavi45
Can't wait for the defensive responses. I love how in denial most Westerners are. It's really tough to take responsibility for your actions but that's part of being an adult. America's still an angsty teen though.

The stigma associated with living in this country is tough, but I'll get through it somehow. Maybe I'll go grab a few drinks after work and preach without fear of having my Dinklage chopped off.

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

But again, your argument only supports mine, not detracts from it.

Sorry , I didn't mean to detract, I agree with what you say here. As you have surmised from my post.
My apologies if it came across other than supportive.

Further: What i think I was trying to do was pointout that here in the west we have been conditioned from early on to prepare us for this bigotry and hate, through our nationalism, education and religion. They were doing that long before 911, by the way. I remember Vietnam, the commie hoards and hatred of Buddhism.

Same thing, different day.

Oh not at all bud. Thanks for the reply. And you are right, the dehumanization of the enemy goes way back. Just like at WWI and WWII propaganda on all sides. And then back to the Native American wars, and so on.

Did you know that after 911 a number of Americans murdered "Muslim-looking people" in America, including several Sikhs who wear turbans?

Can we now generalize all Westerners or Christians because of this? I mean, we'd just be using your logic right?

originally posted by: WarminIndy

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: Hoosierdaddy71

I also lock my front door when I go to bed. Does that make me scared to go to sleep?

The "terrors" are a fog that creeps into your mind, not goes through locked doors.

Did you know that in 2005, a group of Muslim men decided to track down a person they didn't like after talking to them on Paltalk, and then broke into his house and executed him and his family?

This happened in New Jersey. Coptic Christian slain by Muslims in New Jersey

Yes, they do track people they don't like, yes, they break into their homes and kill them, and yes, they do indeed share this information on their websites. The person above has a right to be afraid. I have been on Paltalk and know how they talk and how they threaten anyone who disagrees with them.

If no one believes me, just go to Paltalk and listen in their groups for a while. They have threatened each other when they feel the Muslim might convert. To think we should not be afraid, that is naive. Is this stereotyping? Even moderate Muslims are terrified on Paltalk.

The last conversation I heard from a Muslim on Paltalk was a man bragging about having more than one wife, but to not get into trouble with Canadian authorities, lives with only one in Ottowa. This wife was married to him when she was only 14 years-old. Would you call him radical?

Even I have had threats made to me from Muslims, I worked with Muslims and have interacted with them on many occasions. Is there a threat? Absolutely.

I want to know though, for everyone who is saying they think we don't understand Muslims, what do think about the wives of men in the KKK? Do you give them the same break?

If you personally knew a man and woman who were married and he was an active member of the KKK but she wasn't, would you think differently about her or would you say that the whole family needs to say something to the man and stop him? Think about it a little bit, how do we judge our terror groups but then we are told that all Muslims are not the same, even though they all belong to the same group?

If someone converted to Islam because of "religious" reasons, then they should be held accountable for the political reasons as well. If we judge the KKK, then let's judge Muslims for joining and belonging to the largest terror group in the world. A Christian who converts to Islam should be ashamed for aligning themselves with any group that actively promotes hatred and violence.

They need to either fix Islam and take out of it the violence and terrorism or just concede to the fact that they agree with it and then don't judge the KKK if there is to be no judgement against Muslims. This isn't a religious thing, it has been political since its inception.

I'm with what you are saying 100%. However, I would add a moderation. I think that most Americans are totally brainwashed and ignorant because the media, government, and leaders control the information and manipulate them. Hence, most Americans don't have any idea what is going on, the real nature of these conflicts, nor the impact on other people or human rights. I partially absolve most Westerners because the controlled media is totally manipulating them. They don't know better. But, that same absolution goes for most random citizens of other countries too. I am a big believer in single-standards and logic applied to both sides, with nuances and individual variables taken into account of course.

originally posted by: tavi45
a reply to: Septimus

So when you say the Iraq war wasn't Christian even though our nation is Christian and our leader is Christian (and he believed in the war based on his religion, confirmed by his publicly stated reasons being false and by labeling Muslims by biblical terms to a foreign leader in a private meeting) that's fine but when Muslims do the same they are liars. Once again nice double standard. Christians are individuals, Muslims are not. Definition of bigotry right there.

That's the usual argument for the bible. If the old testament was overwritten by the new then why not remove it from the bible. How come you are allowed as a Christian to ignore the inconvenient bits but claim it's all true? Maybe you don't personally but many do. People quote Genesis to counter evolution all the time. I quoted Leviticus heavily since people use the anti gay bit constantly as a reason to deny civil rights, but yet the ones right near it are ignored. So do you think gays are abominations based on your bible. If not, then doesn't that mean the bible isn't the word of God? If so, why exclude the other passages? If you believe the message of Jesus is more important than the bible then how about you defend your faith from Christian extremists. If Christian extremists are not the responsibility of moderate Christians then logically moderate Muslims should not be held responsible for the actions of Muslim extremists.

Christianity espouses spreading the faith through violence just like Islam. Also many countries are heavily Muslim and are well run secular states. You don't see a double standard in lumping all Muslims together while simultaneously saying I shouldn't do so with Christians?

Saying that the oppression of Arab nations by western powers for cheap oil isn't a factor and it's entirely religious is patently false as shown by nations like Indonesia who are the largest Muslim nation in earth (comparable to Brazil or America in population) who do not have these issues.

Once again you make excuses for your people while calling bull # on Muslims for doing the same. Bigotry and double standards. True American logic at its finest.

South Park said it best.

Benjamin Franklin: "I believe that if we are to form a new country, we cannot be a country that appears war-hungry and violent to the rest of the world. However, we also cannot be a country that appears weak and unwilling to fight, to the rest of the world. So, what if we form a country that appears to want both."
Thomas Jefferson: "Yes, yes of course, we go to war and protest going to war at the same time...."
Benjamin Franklin: "And that means that as a nation, we could go to war with whomever we wished, but at the same time act like we didn't want to. If we allow the people to protest what the government does, then the country will be forever blameless."
John Adams: "It's like having your cake and eating it too."
Anonymous Hick Redneck Founding Father: "Think of it: an entire nation founded on saying one thing and doing another."
John Hancock: "And we will call that country the United States of America."

Except now we don't even protest our wars. We only have the war mongering now. Many Americans think we should kill every Muslim on earth. I've heard more than one person say we should bomb the Middle East until it's glass. When the nation of supposedly righteous Christians advocate genocide and barely anyone speaks out you know the nation is failed.

Keep defending it. People are finally seeing the real America for what it is. I hope you're happy. These kinds of attitudes started the last world war. I guess we learned nothing from Germany except how to employ propaganda and violence. It seems like we're finally gonna get that 3rd one. The 3rd one is the last one too.

Hate breeds hate. That's why there are so many Muslim terrorists now. When you tell an entire people they are irredeemable and need to be removed they will defend themselves. Hopefully Pakistan doesn't get threatened asking with the rest of the Muslims. They have nukes.

Keep on hating. You're securing a legacy for America that will make Hitler seem like a child. America will be the most reviled nation in history, if there is anyone left to remember. We're supposed to be the good guys..........

You are correct, it is ignorance. But, it is trained ignorance. We are besieged by news delicately picked and designed to push the agenda, of the path in which we are headed. We created ISIS, just like we created Al Qaeda, Osama Bin-Laden, etc. Americans wouldn't let our 'leadership' start another bullsh*t war in Syria...so now we have a new stage, and new orchestrated stories, to keep us distracted from the truth...and get us to be good little sheep and play along. Unless The People wake up, this movie will keep on moving along....'the war on terror'. With the dollar being backed by nothing but blind faith in the system...the system has a ferocious appetite, and will continue to consume everything in it's path. World Bank Corporate Crony Capitalistic Imperialism won't stop until there is nothing left.

originally posted by: R3v3l4710ns
You are correct, it is ignorance. But, it is trained ignorance. We are besieged by news delicately picked and designed to push the agenda, of the path in which we are headed. We created ISIS, just like we created Al Qaeda, Osama Bin-Laden, etc. Americans wouldn't let our 'leadership' start another bullsh*t war in Syria...so now we have a new stage, and new orchestrated stories, to keep us distracted from the truth...and get us to be good little sheep and play along. Unless The People wake up, this movie will keep on moving along....'the war on terror'. With the dollar being backed by nothing but blind faith in the system...the system has a ferocious appetite, and will continue to consume everything in it's path. World Bank Corporate Crony Capitalistic Imperialism won't stop until there is nothing left.

I agree with the idea that this ignorance or viewpoint demonizing Muslims was planned as part of getting western people to support more wars.

a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

I come to set you free, to break the chains and loose the prisoner's - Jesus.
Islam is the religion of submission the anti christ.

a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

Tell me now, how many women are being systematically abused tonight all over the Muslim world?

Don't play this sympathy game for them, telling us that we have dehumanized them. THEY dehumanize their women on a daily basis.

Are you defending Muslim manhood? Are you defending their belief that womens' testimonies are worth half than that of a man? Are you defending the number of bastard children in Mecca that are the result of the one night only Muttah marriages?

Tell us, what part of Islam are you defending?

Are you defending 275 young innocent girls burning up in a fire for not having their burkhas on?
Are you defending the Khurds who were victims of mustard gassing?
Are you defending the stoning deaths of women in Afghanistan?
Are you defending the beheadings and hangings of Christians in Syria?
Are you defending the genocide against Copts in Egypt?
Are you defending the genocide of Armenians?

What exactly are you defending? That you want us to believe that everything they do is just a big misunderstanding? These are not the result of Westerners not understanding them, this is the result of Westerners hiding their heads in the sand. You want coexistence, then go to Mecca and coexist. You don't like it here when we broadcast their barbarity, so do the gutsy thing and go to Mecca and tell them there that you are their great defender. Yes, you have a lot of guts to come onto ATS and defend a group of people who can't even stand up to each other without extreme violence perpetrated.

I can't give them any more sympathy than I would do for the KKK, and that is none. Women there need help getting out from under it, but here you sit, pitching in for the same fascist ideology that keep women in such a place that if they want to get out from under it, they can't.

Christians and Jews allow their women to get out without having to fear for their lives. Can the same be afforded to Muslim women who want out? You know the answer is no, so stop preaching at us and do the job of getting those women out who want out.

How absolutely mean of the west to associate islam with decapitations, intolerance and trying to take over the world - how could they have got such an idea?

originally posted by: LABTECH767
a reply to: Quetzalcoatl14

I come to set you free, to break the chains and loose the prisoner's - Jesus.
Islam is the religion of submission the anti christ.

Islam is closer to the truth of God than any other religion being practiced today. It's probably why it's the fastest growing religion across the world also. I have no issues with people believing in what ever religion they choose but when they start accusing another of being the Antichrist or something, then I get really annoyed.

The New Testament is riddled with Paganism and Egyptian Mysticism.. It is a disgrace to what Jesus actually stood for. So if you want to bang on about the Antichrist or what ever he/it is called, how about you start with the origins of the Blasphemy called the New Testament or the Westernized version of the New Testament would probably be more accurate..

But don't go demonizing the Islamic faith because of a few Pagan Arabs running around chopping innocent peoples heads off.. They are just like Western Christians in a sense, Pagans...

a reply to: SomePeople

Scapegoats are a requirement for fascism. When the Soviet empire fell they needed someone knew. Thus the birth of the terrorist. The best part of this new enemy is that the label can even be applied to Americans. It's mostly used for Muslims but that will change.

It's already starting.

m.pressofatlanticcity.com... e=jqm

Before you all jump in with the "that kid deserved it" just do a quick search for school bomb threat in the news tab of Google. I find it hard to believe that hundreds or maybe thousands of kids are dumb enough to call in bomb threats. There are several every week. It reeks of bs. Emails are the majority of these threats and we all know an email is but hard to fake (remember all this virus ridden email scams from as early as the late 90's). I'm sure people will not do the search and jump down my throat but oh well.

I'm just amazed how people can be so blind. Our constitutional rights are nearly dead (civil forfeiture, patriot act, militarized police, corrupt legal system, profit based prisons. America is run by corporations. These corporations use America as a tool for world dominance. You really have to give them credit. The propaganda is so powerful that Americans jump to defend their masters. No wonder we got rid of slavery. Now the slaves house and feed themselves and will bend over backward to luck their master's boots. America has built the greatest empire in history and the brainwashed population of the West by and large eats it up.

Remember Muslims are the enemy. America is perfect. There is no conspiracy except maybe UFOs at Roswell. They don't need conspiracies. It's just everyday business now. They rub your faces in it all day every day and you defend them. Maybe the elite deserve their ultimate victory. We certainly deserve nothing.

Keep buying those inferior products and working your ass off while the masses suffer. Remember if you lick their boots real well you can get a house in the Hamptons or get a reality show or something. Every "successful" American (or Brit or German or Japanese) owes, whether willfully or ignorantly, their success to the suffering of countless billions. Ask Jamaica or Ecuador or pretty much any other non Western nation about how compassionate or generous America is. Lol you won't ask them nor would you care about their answer. It's all good. You and me and all of us Westerners just gotta keep being good Germans . Remember Muslims are evil. Don't defend them. You make yourself an enemy too.

a reply to: EaglesFan

We all have our sin's to answer for or be forgiven of but we will see on judgement day.
Islam DENIES Jesus is the Son of God.
Islam even Denies he died on the cross.
Islam was founded by a murderer who gathered a group of bandit's and never even had the gut's to kill Um Kirfa himself but had her Raped and gave her child to his uncle as a sex plaything, sat at her table eating her food and had her head presented to him as a trophy, Um Kirfa was a peace maker and widow of a respected chief and the swords hanging in her tent sign's of allegiance from the tribe's who gave her them.
Muhammed Raided merchant caravan's as revenge against Mecca for exhiling him.
He murdered two men out of personal vendetta when he took the city.
He murdered entire tribe's for refusing to convert to his false religion that he a Salesman had created from his knowledge of the other religions and custom's of the people who he dealt with.
He married his boss to take her business over before he was exiled, he was only a young man and she was in her 50's which was old for the time.
As a man in his 50's he married a 6 year old child called Aisha and called the rose of Damascus in the Original or oldest version of the Koran but later edition's revised her age up so if the book is the truth why does it tell different tales in different versions.
She, Aisha went bald from the trauma of the wedding night with the hair falling out of her little head and it never grew back until she was nine then he began sex with her again and the three years of peace were over, by the time he died when she was seventeed he was brainwashed by him.
He expressed an interest in the baby daughter of another follower who as crawling on all fours as she was not yet two saying he would marry her in a few year as she was going to be beautiful.
WHAT GOD, WHOSE GOD for surely the enemy of our children is not the God of man.
Have no doubt god will pour out his anger over Islam and it's false God, though more so over the christians who converted to that lie.

So why don't you go and do what your prophet told you to do and worship the idols that have since been removed from the Kaba for he called them the High flying cranes who could intercede with your god, oh yes he recanted the statement shortly afterward saying he was in error as it had confused his follower's who were starting to question there faith in his word.
Islam is the most Revised religion in the world with constant reinterpretation and addition's since the time of Muhammed, the Koran was written not by him but his follower's and those are there word's not his based on there recollection of him.
Here is a fact the Revelation was written first in 89 ad not 650 ad or later.
The prophecy in it attests to Islam and tells of the fate of those who follow it.
Do you think heaven is a paradise were you sit around all day, God made man to work but christ set us free.
In the resurrection there shall be no difference between a man and woman for all shall be like angel's and neither given nor taken in marriage, Oh and angels work, they are tireless but the water of life is given them and they can refuse if they wish to sleep.

But hey if you want to be a Alpha chimp in a safari park go ahead and spend eternity swinging from the vine's.

a reply to: LABTECH767

But the bible came directly from God right? The Romans totally didn't write it as a means of social control just like Mohammed did with Islam for Arabs? The Vatican totally didn't rule over Europe with an iron fist for centuries right? Also Muslims do believe in Jesus. Jews don't believe in him at all. Muslims just think Jesus was prophet #1 and that he will return again rather than that he is God himself. This makes sense as Mohammed created the religion from Judeo-Christian religious beliefs but tailored to unite nomadic tribesman.

Christianity was designed to unite a hugely disparate group of pagans under one banner. Horus/Dinoysus/Mithra/etc etc were all wrapped into Jesus. Christianity is the Walmart of religions. Everything was sucked in to produce a watered down and controlled product. Mohammed built his religion on this foundation because he saw its success as a device for social control and manipulation just like countless leaders before them used religion for the same purpose.

Today money is the real God. Everything in Judaism/Christianity/Islam is meaningless now. Money consumes all but the most desperate who cling to religion out of sheer desperation. This is where extremists come into play. Ir's no confidence that the fundamentalists come from the poorest places (Alabama, Sudan, Burma, Yemen, etc.). You think you're Christian but Jesus (if he exists) would be disgusted by the modern Western Christian. None of you care though. Your mental gymnastics routine is Olympic quality.

I'll leave you with my new favorite survey illustrating how selfish and inane most Americans' prayers are.

www.religionnews.com...

a reply to: tavi45

I think that is all true, but it might be the truth of about 10 years ago. People won't so easily swallow the old stories.

Also, don't forget that terrorism was around much, much longer than just the last few years.

a reply to: SomePeople

Can you clarify your recent post? Hard to tell what you're talking about since I ramble so much