[E Rocc]

The Quran is what one takes from it. The Bible has some nasty quotes as well. The American Islamists are in the year 2003 and realize that some of these quotes were for their own time (like the Bibles quotes about beating wives). The idiot Islamists, who are living in the 14th century and letting the Imans tell them what the book says, are he ones we have to worry about. I've read it as well and the Old Testament could be used the same way if we were, "A Religion of Peace." The difference is that we don't use our religion to control the masses and live in a free country.

Islam isn't inherently any more evil a religion than Christianity, its just less advanced chronologically. Considering that six hundred years ago (or less) the various aspects of Christianity were constantly warring on other faiths (and indeed on each other), and considering the literal meaning of certain Leviticus and Deuteronomy verses, Jesus's admonition about throwing stones comes to mind.

One thing that's certain is that if we as conservatives or America as a nation declares all of Islam to be our enemy, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. I'd just as soon judge individuals as individuals regardless of their faith.

-Eric

[netmilsmom]

Thank you Eric, that's what I was trying to say.
Living in the Detroit area, if one is not meeting a Muslim, it is not a day.
And may I put in a plug for my fav restaurant, The Meer in Sterling Heights....
People are people, killers are killers. Not all who are Islamic are killers. Some are in my daughter's kindergarten class.

[nanomid]

Memetics is a better framework to observe the evolution of religion
Islam is newer than Christianity, but built on the same roots.
Since Christianity is seen as the final fulfillment of the Jewish tradition
Islam had no choice but to be mutually exclusive.

[FredZarguna]

Islam isn't inherently any more evil a religion than Christianity,

I would urge you to actually research this position, rather than simply parroting what amounts to the current wisdom that Islam is a "religion of peace." It is not. It is an inherently evil religion, which commands its adherents to subjugate, dismember, and murder other human beings.

Contrarians like to point out that Christians [or Jews, or...] have done bad things too. The difference is that Christians are expressively forbidden to do those things, whereas Muslims are expressly required to do them.Good Christians don't behave this way. "Good" Muslims do.

...its just less advanced chronologically.

This claim is altogether preposterous. Muslims aren't living in a different world from the rest of us, and they seem perfectly capable of grasping the latest innovations in science, technology, economics, or whatever they apply themselves to.

At various times and in various places Muslims have shown themselves to be quite capable of living peacefully with other religions--especially if Islam wasn't the majority faith in a society, or if it served the economic interests of Muslims. So "chronology" quite simply isn't relevant.

and considering the literal meaning of certain Leviticus and Deuteronomy verses, Jesus's admonition about throwing stones comes to mind.

Quite apt, although you probably don't realize why. Whatever the "literal meaning" you're trying to attach to OT verses, all Christians have some version of progressive revelation, or the fulfillment of the covenant in the Person of Christ. There is no progressive revelation in Islam. The most "peaceful" and the most bloody-minded of the Koranic verses are equally binding. In fact, some of the bloodier ones actually take precedence, because Mohammed claimed they abrogated some of his earlier, more tolerant revelations.