Islam and Violence

Stupid reply. Nobody ever claimed the US was a theocracy. At least try to be honest.

 

Duh, apply the same to ISIS. Religion has always, in every society, been a way for the elites to manipulate the masses.

 

;

 

Thank you for the concise summary of your expertise.

 

I only work with what I'm given.

you did you said it was a Christian Nation that is false it isn't now nor has it ever been. Don't tell me I'm dishonest cuz you don't know what the f*** you're talking about.

 

To me current Islamic violence is a condition of a political war. Regions dealing with militant Islamist groups such as Africa and the Middle East have been in perpetual war for oil and ore. These groups are a reaction to centuries of imperial interest in the regions.

To say they are right on schedule ignores the golden age of Islam. An incredibly advanced and religiously tolerant period in comparison to their counterparts of Asia and Europe.

 

In Norway if you did not join the Church you could be put on an iceberg and cast away

 

Wow, I falsely assumed that North Ireland was a bit more ecumenical than it appears.

 

Catholicism and Protestantism is embedded in NI's culture and history.

 

"their god" is our God in the same Abrahamic tradition between Jews and Christians.

"Pope Francis Prays in Mosque in Show of Commitment to Christian-Muslim Relations" https://www.wsj.com/articles/pope-f...ment-to-christian-muslim-relations-1417282839

 

If Jesus did not exist then someone created a godly model for humans to follow [love for mankind].

 

It is unfortunate that those who claim to follow him seldom use the Model.

 

Yes some Christians are truly frightening. As a gay man I have been treated horribly but still remain Catholic to the consternation of friends

 

You have my respect, purposefully walking into the Viper Den. I am unsure if that involves bravery or masochism.

I do have a serious question however, I was raised Catholic for my first decade or so but abandoned it after comparing the Book and beliefs to scientific reality. Why do you continue to be faithful with todays information and the obvious hatred your chosen religion has for you?

 

As a young seminarian, I was assigned to an old church in the middle of one of New York City's most impoverished neighborhoods [Bedford–Stuyvesant] well before the revitalization/ gentrification of northern Brooklyn. The 'other world' impact on my life eventually led me to social work. Serving the needy/ disenfranchised gives me meaning in my own life. So the story of Jesus inspires me to be humble/ caring. On-the-other-hand Catholics are deeply troubled by clergy sexual abuse/ mandatory celibacy and an unwillingness to embrace the science of anthropology. Change is slow.

 

I am left to wonder why you would need religion or the Christ to be and do good in your life, I try to do so as well but am Atheist. Does being Catholic give you strength you would otherwise lack?

 

Christians believe that compassion towards others is godly/ heaven-worthy even if the individual does not acknowledge/ accept Christ. I don't need religion but rather believe that religion/ world needs me to follow the life Jesus portrayed.

 

Hmmm...I suppose the end justifies the means. More power to 'ya.

 

Strange, wouldn't it be necessary for a Christian to take any God professing any difference in doctrine than his own to take that God as being false?

The fact is that Mohammed DID demand violence in certain circumstances, something that separates the "Christian God" from the "Islamic God."

On this front, the Islamic God is much, much better. I really don't like pacifism.

 

Hmmmm, the resident atheists greatly fear that happening.

 

I'm sure you are a good person, perhaps better than many Christians. Christianity isn't works-based like false religions that try to earn they way to Heaven, it is a relationship and an acceptance of salvation through belief in Christ's atoning death on the cross. Jesus said to the very religious Jew Nicodemus, who I'm sure was very good person, "You must be born again."

How good do you have to be? What if God's standard is just a little bit higher than yours?

 

No we don't. Religion is dying in America. Church attendance is down. Believe in the old religions is dying being replaced with essentially meaningless feel good nonsense. Trump and his ilk are the last remnants of a dying breed. And of course Trump doesn't actually believe in any of that but just uses it to con the gullable into supporting his overarching plan to enrich the already rich.

 

Probably so, but the US is only 5% of the world's population. Christianity is growing globally outside of the dying West. In Latin America evangelicals are over 20% of the population, which nears US levels. Christianity is projected to grow worldwide 35% from 2015 to 2050, while those of no religion are projected to decline by percentage. In the NT there is a record of the Day of Pentecost when 3,000 were added to the church in one day. Globally, 3,000 conversions to Christianity happen every hour.

 

Yes Christianity is growing in the third world and dying in the first world.

 

Strange is it not, the correlation between advancement of knowledge/education and the lessening of religious adherence.