Posted on 09/27/2006 9:38:30 AM PDT by 2banana
Sweet Rosie O'Donnell
September 25, 2006
By Glen McAdoo
It would appear that TV personality Rosie O'Donnell has created quite a storm with her remarks comparing radical Christianity with radical Islam. To quote her exactly, she said, "Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country where we have separation of church and state."
One could defend Rosie if she had stopped there. She has plenty of supporters when it comes to defending this country against radical, and I stress radical, Christianity that would turn this democratic republic into a theocracy. But when she said the war in Afghanistan was a violent act against innocent people, she lost me. There was nothing innocent about the Taliban. They were up to their eyeballs in protecting and training those that were responsible for 9/11. She had a point about Iraq when she said we invaded a country that had nothing to do with the attack on us, and started a war that has killed many innocent people. I can't argue with her there.
Are radical Christians as violent as radical Muslims? Based on the sheer numbers there is no comparison. For every Eric Robert Rudolph, who bombed the Atlanta Olympics, there are thousands upon thousands of radical Muslims who believe violence is the only response to any situation. No wonder, since it is blessed by so many of their religious leaders. They think blowing themselves up, along with a bunch of "infidels," including women and children, is their free ticket to the great beyond. Boy, are they in for a shock.
What did they do when the pope called Islam a violent religion? They took to the streets and murdered innocent people. I guess they thought they would show us they're not violent by shooting a nun to death. It's total insanity. Absolutely crazy. Even the most radical Christians will not kill you for what you might say. At least I hope not. But, then again, there is Pat Robertson, who suggested we kill Chavez for speaking his mind, such as it is.
When it comes to violent behavior, if Rosie really believes Christians of today are as violent and aggressive as radical Muslims, she's off base. That's not to say a few radical Christians of today aren't as violent. I will refrain from naming the few I am aware of. If Rosie is comparing Christianity during the days of the crusades and inquisitions she has a point. History is not all that kind to Christians. Perhaps I should say self-proclaimed Christians.
I was listening the other day when some modern day philosophers on TV were talking about the civil war that has broken out in Iraq. They were talking about the violent nature of the war. Well, duh. We must understand something. The civil war in Iraq is not a war about religious doctrine. It is a political war, a struggle for power to control the country. We would never act that way for we are a Christian nation. Well, would we? Yes, we would.
We must not forget all the "Christians" that died at Shiloh or Gettysburg - Christians killing Christians, if you believed what each side was saying. About 220,000 died on the battlefields during that war and I'll bet nearly every darn one of them thought they were headed straight to the pearly gates. There were more than half a million casualties during our Civil War. Darn few, if any, were Muslims. What's that they say about those that forget the past are sure to repeat it? If you look at it from an historical view, Rosie is not far off.
There is a quote that has been attributed to a former president on the Web site "Tribe." I don't vouch for its veracity and I use it here only to demonstrate what I think is an opinion held by many radical Christians in this country. It goes like this: "I don't know that atheists should be considered citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
Scary? You bet. I think it is these kind of folks that Rosie and I believe are a threat to this democratic republic.
I could make a case that all Christians should be pacifists, because the Bible, as well as the Koran, is open to interpretation. Many Christians are pacifists. Are Christians or Muslims that kill others to promote their faith radicals? Of course they are. You don't convert people by killing them.
As for me, I am just an old sinner saved by grace and I won't go down without swinging, defending this country from radicals, whether they be Christians or Muslims, whether they be toting a gun or trying to change our Constitution to reflect their religious doctrine.
Comments that lead to discussion are healthy in a democracy such as ours, and many people make provocative statements. Thank God we are still free to do so. Rosie wasn't totally wrong, nor are her detractors.
Glen McAdoo can be reached at glynn@phonewave.net
I fought in Afghanistan as a Special Forces Team Commander. I am also what you would perceive as a “wacky-right-wing-conservative-religious-person”
So here are the differences between myself and the Taliban.
The Taliban allowed no freedom of expression, no rights for women, no freedom of religion and destroyed anything and everyone that did not abide by their version of Islam. They destroyed the famous Buddhist statues of Bamiyan because the felt they were un-Islamic graven images. The wiped out entire peoples and villages (such as the Hazara) because they were not Islamic enough. They would think nothing of executing an entire village if one family converted to Christianity. They cut the ears, eyes, tongues and noses off people for “infractions against Islam.” They turned schools into horse stables. They planted bombs and mines in children’s play fields to kill them. They torched newly built girls schools. They stoned women to death who had been raped for “adultery.” They allowed the training of terrorist groups to export their version of Islam to the world. They looked at the world as two spheres – One that has been conquered by Islam and one that will be conquered by Islam through war. They would think nothing of raping your wife and children and making you a slave or corpse. It is what you and your family, or any non-Islamic person, deserves for being an infidel. They would not allow women (and girls) to go to school, have a job or even leave their home (unless accompanied by a male relative). The Taliban ruled by fear and intimidation. They remind me of the Nazis and Communists.
What do the so called religious conservatives in this country want? Here is the super secret list: Economic Opportunity and Personal Liberty.
Things like: Taxes we can afford; A reverence for the US Constitution as the Founding Fathers wrote it; An appreciation for the values and traditions that made this country the finest in the history of the world; A respect for all opinion, not just what is the PC flavor of the month; An understanding that people should “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character;” And respect for life (no matter how vulnerable or powerless).
The differences are slight, but there they are. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings.
De Oppresso Libre,
2banana
BTTT
Thank you for your service, sir.
If O'Donnell actually believed that radical Christians were as dangerous as radical Muslims she would not have said so on TV for fear of being killed by the producer, cameraman, studio audience or rampaging crowds of Christians which even her armed bodyguard could not protect her against. Since she felt free to insult Christians she knew she was in no real or perceived danger for stating the insult.
See post one here, we'll get you educated yet!
My tagline says it all :<(
Clueless.
The attack against Christians, especially white conservative Christians continues.
Thank you for serving, thank you for such a succinct response. Good day sir.
So the Civil War was actually a religious war. Well, you learn something new every day. /sarc
Rosie has used up her 15.
Hey bitter religion hating lesbo!
You'd be stoned to death in the middle east for being who you are.
In america, you where able to make millions and chase all the females you want while shooting off your big mouth.
I'm plenty educated and happy that 2banana agrees with me on this.
Well said. Another way of saying it would be, "under Taliban rule, people like Rosie would never be heard from again."
obviously the stupid white females who watch her haven't. She's on The View now.
First, for the record, I can't stand Rosie. Period. She makes me ill. That said, we still need to pray for our enemies. I consider her one of those enemies. On the other hand. She said "Radical Christians" not conservative christians or fundamentalist christians or devote christians. She compared Radicals to Radicals. I pose this thought by taking Rosie out of the equation: Don't RADICAL Christians blow up abortion clinics? Isn't that a lot like what the RADICAL Muslims are doing?
I second.. that... Thanks for your service!
God Bless you.
"A cultist is one who has strong belief in the Bible and the second coming of Christ; who freaquently attends Bible studies; who has a high financial giving to a Christian cause; who home schools their children; who has accumulated Survival Foods and has a strong belief in the Second Amendment; and who distrusts big government. Any of these may qualify a person as a cultist, but certainly more than one of these would cause us to look at this person as a threat and his familiy as being in a risk situation that qualifies for governmnet interference."
Janet Reno - 60 Minutes, June 26, 1999
She won't be on the View much longer if Babs doesn't approve of her comments. We'll see.
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