The Logic Off Topic list

--- In logic-ot@y..., GAmoore@a... wrote:
> Have a religion that can be interpreted to grant salvation for 
> death in battle, even if battle means killing civilians in a sneak 
attack.

Now, I wasn't going to write anything else, until I read this . This 
is written from a person who OBVIOUSLY knows nothing about 
this religion, Islam. No, he didn't say Islam specifically, but it was 
implied.

What bothers me is how people can make assumptions about 
Islam, or other non Christian religions for that matter, yet cannot, 
or do not, take a look at their own religion. I read the above 
comment, and thought to myself  "Crusades". Was the fact that 
thousands of Muslims were killed during the Crusades, 
because of Christians trying to promote their 'superior religion' 
ever taken into account? Or the fact that Christians have been 
using Bible scripture to justify slavery and hatred towards 
Africans for hundreds of years, and that many right wing 
extremists and white supremacists still use the Bible today to 
propagate their hated of Jews and other minority groups? I doubt 
it. 

Have you actually READ the Koran? I have, although I was raised 
a Christian.

My point is that Islam does not corner the market on fanaticism; 
one only has to look at the Northern Ireland conflict as proof.
Islam, like Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, or 
whatever, is a peaceful religion. It's the people who practice 
religion who make it what it is.

Case in point:
I'll never forget watching Larry King Live on CNN International two 
weeks ago. The topic was what role religious leaders could play 
in helping people to deal with what happened on Sept.11. His 
guests were A Methodist minister, A Muslim scholar, A Jewish 
rabbi, a Catholic priest, and the head of a large Baptist 
congregation in the southern US. They were discussing the 
possibility of leaders of the different faiths coming together to 
find some ways to educate the public on what the different faiths 
have in common. The Baptist kept ranting and raving about 'God 
being the one true God, and his son Jesus Christ, who died for 
our sins,' etc.etc.etc. , with the Muslim and the Jew sitting right 
next to him. At that moment, I was embarrassed to be a 
Christian, because he demonstrated what the Muslims' main  
gripe is against Christianity: a lack of respect for their faith. A 
billion people can't all be wrong.

Instead of theorizing on who what the terrorists of tomorrow will 
look like or from what part of the world he / she will come from, 
we need to collectively do find common ground with those who 
differ from us politically,economically, and religiously, to make 
sure that Sep.11 never happens again.

Charles Simmons
African-American, politically enlightened, Christian raised, Koran 
and Torah -versed, underpaid, over enthusiatic,
R&B Singer in exile, in Germany.  :-)