| Author | Message | ||
     Karl Loren Moderator Username: Kloren Post Number: 13 Registered: 05-2003 |
In the West we are mostly oriented toward a Christian perspective -- no matter whether we are Christian or not, and even not to matter what brand of Christian one might be. From this perspective it is very difficult to understand the mental activity of a Muslim who believes he can and must blow himself up while killing an infidel -- mostly Jews just now, but Christians will do for their target too! It is also true that the great bulk of Muslims would not engage in such self-destruction, and probably even condem it! It may help to understand this perspective to compare it with some aspects of Christian theology. There are among us Christians whose religious views are just as certain as the Muslim bombers. That is, the Muslim bombers "know" that they are doing "God's will!" In exactly the same way there are Christians who "know" that they are "following God's Law!" when it comes to certain actions and beliefs. The Muslims, for whatever different reason of history have certainty that the killing of an Infidel gets them Paradise -- many may or may not believe that, but don't do it. The Christians, for whatever different reason of history and economics, have NO interest in killing the Muslims, or any infidels, but have a certainty that is no less strong. Their certainty is something like, "If you will only take Jesus into your heart, you will be saved." The continuation of this is often, at least in these "extreme" Christian views, that there is no need to "do" anything about world violence because God (or Jesus) will save mankind, soon, and that if you have "taken Jesus into your heart you will be among those who are saved." Again, it is certainly not a majority of Christians who proclaim this certainty, just as it NOT a majority of Muslims who proclaim the Godlieness of killing the enemy. But the certainty is no different. Oh, it is certainly also true that the extreme Christian will say, "Why the Muslims are wrong and I am right." But the Muslim bombers will say the exact same thing. These two certainties are undoubtedly equal in intensity and sincerity. Just as the Westerner cannot understand the mindset of the Muslim, should we not see that the Muslim cannot see the mindset of the Christian. On both sides there is a tiny number, very vocal, very much in the minority, who have tremendous certainty on a path that is not followed, and probably not believed, by the great bulk of the remainder of their faith. But, the great bulk of "their faith" are very reluctant to speak out against this tiny minority and indicate that this certainty leads to behavior that results in no peace on the planet. The Muslim extremists contributed directly to the violence on the planet, with homicide bombing. Does not the Christian extremist not contribute just as directly (even if indirectly) to the violence on the planet with their unwillingness to do anything about the violence -- thus saying that "war is evil, and should never be done -- because Jesus will save us!" The extremists on both sides need to be called out by the great majority, on each side, as being in the tiny minority. There is an example of Christian extremism on this web, here: Rigid Religionists See Matrix As An Example Of The Anti-Christ. Even the Christians say, "God helps those who help themselves." | ||
| Karl Loren Moderator Username: Kloren Post Number: 16 Registered: 05-2003 |
There is a special function for this web site -=- to serve as the harbinger of news to come -- to help the media recognize the headlines of tomorrow. That seems to be how the above posting plays out. Here is the news today: The arrest of alleged Olympic bomber Eric Robert Rudolph may finally allow authorities to answer a question that has loomed since the beginning of the five-year hunt for him, but that has taken on deeper resonance since Sept. 11, 2001: Is he a “Christian terrorist”? Source: Click Here For Story, June 2, 2003, Christian Terrorist? Just as I said above, the religion of ISLAM needs devout Muslims to conemn terrorism --- just as much as the Christian world needs devout Christians to condemn not only those who bomb abortion clinics, but those who preach hate against any group. We have "hate crimes" on the books, and it is only right that the First Amendment protects the legal rights to preach some religous behavior we abhore, but it is NOT the legal protection these people have been hiding behind, but the complacency of our non-legal, moral leaders. As Bill Bennett has said, "Where is the outrage." The outrage we need to hear does not belong in court, but the Mosques, Churches and Synagogs! Where are those moral leaders? |
