Posted on 05/04/2011 4:30:28 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
I've read every word of it many times (I try to read the entire bible each year although this year I'm running behind)
The parts you are referring to are in very specific circumstances for a very specific reason. God commanded Israel to kill everything living in the promised land. Why? So that those people would not infect Israel with their cultures and their sins and their idolatries.
Contrast this to how the children of Israel were to deal with the nations they went through on their way to the promised land. They were not to attack them (they could defend themsleves of course) and were explicitly told NOT to attack certain ones (Edom if I remember correctly)
After they were given the promised land they were not told to exterminate any peoples around them.
Even still you have passages in the NT that can be viewed as advocating violence against unbelievers, but you really have to distort it to get to this point.
It must be quite a distortion as I can't think of any.
The Koran is akin to the OT.
Not even close. Nowhere in the OT is man commanded to lie, cheat or steal. In fact the non-believer living in the midst of the children of Israel is commanded to be dealt with as if they were one of the children. Living under the same laws and with the same priviledges (except for access to the temple). The stranger living in a koranic society is seen as nothing more than a slave.
I would urge Muslims to read their Koran and decide for themselves if this is the faith they want to follow.
I would urge them to read the bible and then compare the two and then see which is right. The OT is a blood soaked book - most of the blood shed by God in response to the disobedience of his creation but some of it done by his followers in his name and per his instruction.
You must be reading a vastly different version than the KJV that I normally read. I don't find much bloodshed in it at all (other than that attributable to sin) once the children get into the Promised land.
Consult Thomas Jefferson on what it means to be an American and how to view the religious beliefs of your neighbors.
“But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”
-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782
Look up “the thirty year war”, both sides thought they were fighting for “true” Christianity. One side, at least, was wrong. The IRA thought themselves good Christians, and went to Church on Sunday - and tried to blow up innocent people to cause terror the other six days.
Our founding virtues, as seen by Thomas Jefferson....
“Where the preamble declares, that coercion is a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, an amendment was proposed by inserting “Jesus Christ,” so that it would read “A departure from the plan of Jesus Christ, the holy author of our religion;” the insertion was rejected by the great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mohammedan, the Hindoo and Infidel of every denomination.”
-Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom
Consult Thomas Jefferson on what it means to be an American and how to view the religious beliefs of your neighbors.
“But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.”
-Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1782
What does he say about competing political systems? Was TJ pro-communism? Pro-theocracy? pro-dictatorship?
In a discussion of this type it is important to remember that islam is not a religion. It is a total politico-religious system covering every facet of human existance. It holds no distinction between religious law (for example the Catholics' "no meat on Fridays during Lent") and secular law.
Look up “the thirty year war”, both sides thought they were fighting for “true” Christianity. One side, at least, was wrong. The IRA thought themselves good Christians, and went to Church on Sunday - and tried to blow up innocent people to cause terror the other six days.
What they thought is immaterial, what the bible says is waht matters. "Thou shalt not murder" is pretty straight forward. After reading a bit on it (just a precursury glance) it seems that while there were some initial relgious tensions it was mostly fought about who would get to rule. In other words, it was just another war of succession.
Our founding virtues, as seen by Thomas Jefferson....
(Quote supporting religious freedom for all religions)-Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, in reference to the Virginia Act for Religious Freedom
Again, islam is not only a religion. And even if it were, it commands behaviors that are counter to our founding precepts. Islam is anti-life, anti-liberty and anti-the pursuit of happiness. It recognizes no freedom of thought (or religion) that conflicts with the koran. It is 100% anti-American
Look up the term “freedom of conscience” as used by our founders.
An American is free to subscribe to any political or religious belief that suits them. It is not belief or speech that can be prosecuted - only actions.
If you think Thomas Jefferson was ignorant of Islam and the political system and laws that rise from it - you are wrong.
And what actions have moslems done in EVERY conutry where they've reached a significant proportion of the populace? Murder unbelievers, murder their own family (honor killings), implement sharia, etc. They have worked unceasingly to destroy every country they have infected while adding NOTHING of value to the human existance
There are somethings, such as the open adgitation fo rthe destruction of our way of life that islam does) that just should not be tolerated.
Islam is incompatible with American life or values.
The “We had to destroy Americans freedom to believe whatever they wish in order to preserve America” is as idiotic as saying that “We had to destroy the Constitution in order to save the Constitution.”
Classical satanism, the mayan and aztec religions, and several other religions that rely on human sacrifice as part of their worship are illegal in this country. Even some American Indian religions have been classified as illegal. We don't cotton well to killing people to please your god.
Moslems kill because the koran COMMANDS them to kill. Fighting against, killing, and or enslaving non-believers is an inseparable part of islam. It is the central facet of jihad and it is commanded of every moslem.
We do not accept human sacrifice as being a valid form of religious worship in this country. Therefore islam is not a valid religion in this country.
It's really not that hard to understand if you are not a moslem and understand the American ideal.
You seem to want to give the government a lot of power.
Neither you nor the government has the power, or should have the power, to decide what is a “valid religion”.
Please re-read what Thomas Jefferson said about religious freedom. Do you think he was ignorant, or mistaken?
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