Posted on 10/08/2005 5:29:47 AM PDT by Crackingham
Citizens of the world should be concerned about religious extremism whether it’s in Iran or America, says author Salman Rushdie, who was once marked for death by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini.
Rushdie compared the emergence of religion into public life in Kansas with similar movements across the world in a lecture Thursday at the Lied Center.
“I would really love never to mention that word again: religion,” Rushdie said. “But now it seems to be coming right at us all. I don’t just mean radical Islam, by the way. I believe we have some problems right here.”
Rushdie received a standing ovation after the lecture, in which he revealed his thoughts on writing and receiving death threats and also blasted religion, intelligent design and the best-selling book “The Da Vinci Code.”
SNIP
Rushdie told the crowd that religion has much potential to do harm in the world today.
“It’s a pretty bad time for us who don’t believe that superstition should rule the world,” he said.
When asked how rationalism could win the fight against religion, Rushdie said with ridicule, argument and battle. When he was young, the 58-year-old said, he and others thought they’d won the battle. So they turned their heads.
We were “so busy having fun that all the uncool people took over the world,” he said.
And this superstition needs to be pushed back in the cupboard where it belongs, he said. Rushdie also blasted intelligent design proponents.
“I never had any doubts about evolution theory,” he said. “I gather there are parts of Kansas where the big bang did not take place.”
Do you have any idea of the size of Fred Phelps' church? It might contain all of 20, and all are members of his family...all are lawyers to boot.
He also ran for governor (IIRC) on the Dem ticket, and was a favorite of the NAACP as recently as 1998... maybe more recently.
At what point do you cross the line? Is calling for the Assassination of Saddam Hussein, or Pol Pot, or Stalin, or the Chicoms unjustified?
And what about Randi Rhodes on Air America?
Just stirring the pot...
I didn't know that - very interesting.
I think the moderator missed post 44. :)
Christians see it this way:
The REAL pastors and priests were taken away. The commandments of Christ, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart" and "Love your neighbor as yourself" , became meaningless. {understatement}
Our conclusion? "Church" is a church in name only. Hitler and his government became god. Do we not see a similar pattern with with some church leaders today? What about Jesse Jackson? {And no, I'm not calling him Hitler}. Once again we see God sold out and replaced with the god of socialism, political correctness, humanism, Darwinism, etc.
Rushdie was a hero as long as he ridiculted the other guy's beliefs. Now that he ridicules ours he's a bum. Typical...and pathetic.
Cheers!
Who says he's a hero? Oh, by the way, "ridiculted". I like that. Kind of ironic.
Apparently, you choose atheism (aka, judeophobia, christophobia and islamophobia)?
Please. Spare me the nonsense. Google him...or just look at some of the older FR threads.
"ridiculted"
An entirely gratuitous error...but I like it too.
When Kansans start blowing up people worldwide, I'll start worrying about it.
Well you know those who practice Christianity have been guilty of interfering in politics. Why, look at the Christian movements to end slavery, get children out of sweatshops, and trying to feed the starving in Africa. Maybe what he meant to say was, "The world is not worthy of them."
Gack. What a pompous, profane fool.
"And this superstition needs to be pushed back in the cupboard where it belongs..."
This is exactly the attitude of professional God haters. All of us who believe should be - well, ultimately, if we refuse to shut up, we should probably go to some kind of re-education camps.
As several people have mentioned already, the Ayatollah had read his books apparently. Even a stopped clock and all that. (Obviously I am not recommending popping the guy. Just agreeing that he's not only a fool, he's a fool who hates God and anyone who believes in God.)
Will ping this out later.
Randall Terry is a nut, but you're not stupid enough to think he wants to harm non-Christians, are you? This statement was addressed to Euthanizers: people who have killed someone to "end their misery". Terry believes euthanasia is murder, and that murderers should be executed.
Extremely interesting article about Hitler's books, reveals much about his thoughts concerning religion and what he tought about God. If he believe in God at all, it was because he considered himself God.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/895696/posts
Hitler's Forgotten Library: The Man, His Books, and His Search for God
The Atlantic Monthly ^ | May 2003 | Timothy W. Ryback
"I never had doubts about evolutionary theory"....
you mean, when you first heard about , you had no doubts?
Didn't it take some type of proof for you to believe in it?
That sounds like mindless acceptance.
I wonder what would happen if Mr. Rushdie did have his doubts?
Would he actually start liking the "uncool" people who
never have fun, and who have taken over the world?
Oriana Fallaci....
Have you read her book.... "The Rage and the Pride"
It is really interesting. Amazing. I still cannot believe any Liberal Feminist Socialist Democrat woman could be against the wars in Afghanistan or Iraq.... We gave them so much freedom that they never had before!
One time Oriana Fallaci was supposed to interview some Middle eastern big shot and they tried to get her to take her red fingernail polish off... so as not to offend him!
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