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Did Obama use a "No True Scotsman" fallacy when talking recently about Islam and Muslims?
10/2/2014 | Laissez-Faire Capitalist

Posted on 10/02/2014 7:54:42 AM PDT by Laissez-faire capitalist

Some people - and quite a few atheists - have made hay over Obama's comments, primary among them being Obama's comment that "No religion condones the killing of innocents."

Inherent within Obama's statement is that no TRUE Muslim would ever kill innocent people, be they men, women or children. As such, this would fall within the parameters of the "No True Scotsman" fallacy.

The only problem with this is that it leaves Christians open to the charge that true Christians have (for example) bombed abortion clinics, takes away from Christians the ability to say that "No true Christian would ever bomb an abortion clinic" and thus shows why atheists are taking aim at Obama's comments: this ens up cutting with a double edge and leaves BOTH Christians and Muslims open to attack: True Muslims and True Christians would then in the eys of atheists be able to do wrong and still be Muslims and Christians while doing it.

I have taken Islam to task many times, but here I am concerned for Christianity and Christians in this and not Islam and Muslims...


TOPICS: Current Events; Islam; Moral Issues; Religion & Politics; Skeptics/Seekers
KEYWORDS: billmaher; christianity; islam; maher; obama
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1 posted on 10/02/2014 7:54:42 AM PDT by Laissez-faire capitalist
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To: Laissez-faire capitalist; All

What say you?


2 posted on 10/02/2014 7:54:57 AM PDT by Laissez-faire capitalist
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To: Laissez-faire capitalist

“No religion condones the killing of innocents.”

.
But in the eyes of Islam, non-Muslims are all infidels and therefore guilty and deserve death.


3 posted on 10/02/2014 8:06:56 AM PDT by 353FMG
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To: Laissez-faire capitalist

Abortionists are not innocents.


4 posted on 10/02/2014 8:07:26 AM PDT by Praxeologue
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To: Laissez-faire capitalist

How about the Jews entering the Promised Land?


5 posted on 10/02/2014 8:08:04 AM PDT by Lake Living
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To: Laissez-faire capitalist
There's no winning argument. Of course Obama is wrong by a mile and ISIS is closer to true Islam than the moderates are. When terrorists broke into an Israeli home and stabbed to death infants in the cradle, Palestinians celebrated and passed out candy in the streets so Dear Leader is lying yet again.

Problem is that when ancient Israel went out to fight Amalek God ordered them to kill everything in sight. Can Jews and Christians explain or justify this?

6 posted on 10/02/2014 8:09:21 AM PDT by stormhill
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To: Kennard

Even abortionists have a right to life. Who knows, they may repent on their deathbed.


7 posted on 10/02/2014 8:11:50 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: stormhill

Considering from whom the command came, you’ve already justified it.


8 posted on 10/02/2014 8:15:29 AM PDT by rightwingcrazy
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To: rightwingcrazy

Right you are, but this is not an argument that will be accepted by an non-believer.


9 posted on 10/02/2014 8:18:55 AM PDT by stormhill
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To: Laissez-faire capitalist

Muslims don’t kill innocent people but you need to understand what the definition of innocent is. According to the koran & the hadiths only muslims are considered innocent. The people of the book are apostates and other religions are pagans worthy only of enslavement or slaughter and deserve to receive what they get.


10 posted on 10/02/2014 8:20:43 AM PDT by bonehead4freedom
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To: 353FMG

Islam absolutely condones and tells its followers they will be rewarded for doing it.

Though I guess technically one could argue from the Muslim’s perspective these people aren’t innocent.. because in Islam, the mere fact you are not a Muslim makes you guilty.


11 posted on 10/02/2014 8:22:38 AM PDT by HamiltonJay
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To: 353FMG
But in the eyes of Islam, non-Muslims are all infidels and therefore guilty and deserve death.

That is my read on that Surah (5:32) as well. It is a nice warm, and fuzzy 'verse' that the Islamics and their friends like to quote to show how peace loving (and normal) they are - but it is ripped out of context. The Surah excludes 'those to have committed corruption in the land' (i.e., non-muslims); and the following Surah (5:33) says that those 'war against Allah and Mo', or commit corruption in the land, are to be killed/crucified. I.e., anyone who does not bend the knee to Satan and his prophet should be killed.

12 posted on 10/02/2014 8:26:25 AM PDT by El Cid (Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house...)
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To: stormhill
Problem is that when ancient Israel went out to fight Amalek God ordered them to kill everything in sight.

The Amalekites were Nephilim. If you don't know what the Nephilim were, you have some very exciting research ahead.

Start with Genesis 6.

13 posted on 10/02/2014 8:32:21 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
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To: Salvation
Even abortionists have a right to life. Who knows, they may repent on their deathbed.

Even mass-murderers in the act of committing mass murder have a right to life. Who knows, they may repent on their deathbed.

14 posted on 10/02/2014 8:34:45 AM PDT by NorthMountain
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To: Laissez-faire capitalist

Words do mean things... and words do mean things.

t

some people deserve killing, that is why the commandment says though shalt not commit murder.

murder being the killing of an innocent...

not an infidel or apostate.

t


15 posted on 10/02/2014 8:34:50 AM PDT by teeman8r (Armageddon won't be pretty, but it's not like it's the end of the world.)
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To: stormhill

According to Exodus God ordered the extirpation of the Amaleks because the were the the nation that attacked the weakest among the Israelites as they fled from Egypt.


16 posted on 10/02/2014 8:41:10 AM PDT by pacific_waters
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To: Salvation

and meanwhile, they murder.


17 posted on 10/02/2014 8:42:27 AM PDT by Shimmer1 (Nothing says you are sad that someone died like looting local places of business!)
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To: Kennard; All

That is the morally relativistic justification that some bombers may use.

But God said “thou shalt not murder.”


18 posted on 10/02/2014 8:46:14 AM PDT by Laissez-faire capitalist
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To: RoosterRedux

Genesis 36: The Amalekites were a tribe descended from Amalek, the son of Eliphaz and grandson of Esau, (vs 12 and 16). They were related to the Edomites.


19 posted on 10/02/2014 8:46:31 AM PDT by blue-duncan
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To: Laissez-faire capitalist
The only problem with this is that it leaves Christians open to the charge that true Christians have (for example) bombed abortion clinics

Lets compare the number of murders, rapes, kidnappings and bombings committed by Muslims in the name of Islam since 1977 against the number of murders, rapes, kidnappings and bombings committed by abortion protesters during the same period. (And let's assume for the sake of argument that all anti-abortion crimes are committed by self-avowed Christians.)

According to Wikipedia:

Murders

In the U.S., violence directed towards abortion providers has killed at least eight people, including four doctors, two clinic employees, a security guard, and a clinic escort.

Attempted Murders

According to statistics gathered by the National Abortion Federation (NAF), an organization of abortion providers, since 1977 in the United States and Canada, there have been 17 attempted murders, 383 death threats, 153 incidents of assault or battery, and 3 kidnappings committed against abortion providers.

Bombings

According to NAF, since 1977 in the United States and Canada, property crimes committed against abortion providers have included 41 bombings, 173 arsons, 91 attempted bombings or arsons, 619 bomb threats, 1630 incidents of trespassing, 1264 incidents of vandalism, and 100 attacks with butyric acid ("stink bombs"). The New York Times also cites over one hundred clinic bombings and incidents of arson, over three hundred invasions, and over four hundred incidents of vandalism between 1978 and 1993. The first clinic arson occurred in Oregon in March 1976 and the first bombing occurred in February 1978 in Ohio.

I'll leave it to others to research the number of murders, rapes, kidnappings and bombings committed by committed Muslims, with the explicit approval and urging of Islamic imams -- not to mention the actual behavior of the scumbag "prophet" Mohammed and his benighted army of thug followers.

How many people did Jesus kill? How many actual Christian ministers urge their followers to kill abortionists?

20 posted on 10/02/2014 8:46:50 AM PDT by Maceman
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