Posted on 04/20/2006 6:26:16 AM PDT by Marechal
The Problem With Christianity by Jared Sax The Daily Northwestern
The face of Islam at this point in history is bad. Riots over cartoons, Sunnis and Shiites killing each other in Iraq, a Palestinian parliament lead by the terrorist group Hamas (motto: destruction of Israel), and Sept. 11 evil mastermind Osama bin Laden are what we think of when we think about Islam.
Many claim that Islam is just a violent religion that advances the idea of holy war and violence throughout the world and has done so since its inception.
They are right, except for the last part. Only in the last 125 years or so has Islam been a religion prone to violence and extremism.
Since its inception in 610 up to the 1880’s, Islam was a tolerant and peaceful religion. Under the Islamic empires of that time, only a small head tax was placed on non-Muslims living there by its religious rulers. Otherwise, Jews, Christians and any others were free to worship as they pleased.
In fact, Islamic scholars contributed greatly to the fields of mathematics, astronomy, medicine and philosophy centuries before Western scientists reached that level of intelligence. Jews and Muslims often had to unify to fight a common enemy: Christianity.
I hate Christianity. There, I said it. Since its creation, it has mostly caused violence and death, despite espousing the doctrine of compassion and love.
The list of Christian persecutions of other faiths and peoples is painfully long: nine major crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the spread of Christianity throughout Europe (involving massacres of pagan peoples), the colonization of the Americas (involving even more massacres of native populations) and the Salem Witch trials, just to name a few.
The number of deaths cause by Christian persecution far exceeds the number of innocents killed in Islamic terrorist bombings and Sept. 11 combined.
As a Jew, I have always been taught to respect and tolerate other religious beliefs. And for the most part, I do. But I draw the line at Christianity.
First of all, the concept of Jesus dying for “the sins of humanity” is ridiculous. I am responsible for my own actions, and I am angered at the thought of someone being killed for them before I was born.
Second, any religion that tries to convert others to “save them,” whether by force or by passive means is not a real religion. Worry about yourself and your family, but leave everyone else alone. If they want to convert, fine. But don’t come knock on my door and explain to me that I’m going to hell because I don’t believe in Jesus.
Last, those who practice the religion disregard its principles at every turn. Christianity preaches “love thy enemy as thyself” and “turn the other cheek.” Someone must have forgotten that when the Crusades happened.
As for modern times, what ever happened to “judge not lest ye be judged?” The modern Christian Right obsesses over telling people how to live: Whether they should have abortions, take an elderly person off of life support or teach that evolution is only “unproven theory.”
I do not hate those who practice Christianity. Most were born into it and are decent people. Only Christian extremists who attempt to impose their religion on others and forget one vital fact: before there was the scourge of Islam, there was the wrath of Christianity.
Jared Sax is a McCormick freshman. He can be reached at
j-sax@northwestern.edu.
Uh Mr. Sax it ain't Christians who wish to wipe modern day Israel off the face of the Earth.
Why do people continue to believe this fable. 90% of native Americans were wiped out by diseases long before they ever saw a European. They were not all "massacred". Thousands of native Americans WERE massacred - not by Europeans, but by their high priests who cut out their still-beating hearts to offer to the sun god.
You forgot the barf alert.
This man has been indoctrinated with liberalism and untruths. He should try to learn some facts before regurgitating all the junk material that anti-Christian secularists are spewing forth in the past 2000 years.
I am sick of all this angst and false claims about the crusades. They were a logical response to the Moslem mobs who were decapitating everyone in sight who failed to yield to Islam. The writer of this piece would not be alive today if the Christian forces of Europe had not fought back and forced the Moslems out of Spain and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Just because of past mistakes over 2000 years, it does not give validity to his senseless, hateful, characterization of Christianity.
"I hate Christianity. There, I said it."
The faithful are taught to forgive this ignorance.
"I hate Islam. There, I said it."
Here the faithful are taught to chop his head off.
Which is evil in modern, ancient, or any other time period that idiot likes to embarrass himself on?
It's the Jareds wearing those Arafat scarves on campus.
Another fable. The crusades started because the Muslims were killing and enslaving pilgrims to the Holy Land. Not what I'd call a "persecution".
The crusaders went to stop the Muslims from selling women and children into slavery. Not what I'd call "tolerant and peaceful".
He's a freshman in the engineering school, so at least Northwestern can't take most of the blame for his abject stupidity.
For one, what about the conquest of Spain? Was that bloodless and without jihad, no oppression by strict Islamic rule? Although I am weak on facts, how about the Ottomans? Were all their 'conquests' bloodless or did all the conquered volunteer to be a part of it?
This kid ought to do some research on the peacefulness of Islam before he pronounces.
It began as a series of military campaigns. It was spread through violent conquest. It's first few hundred years were nothing but warfare. The Muslims attempted to conquer France in 714. The Muslims attempted to conquer Vienna in 1683. In between, they fought wars with everyone they came in contact with. They are still doing the same. They saw people's heads off.
But this kid thinks they are the Good Guys. Maybe he should go to Baghdad and pay a visit. Then he can wave to Mummy and Daddy on the videotape that the Muslims will release to the media.
Kid never heard about Tamerlane.
The United States could not have been founded without Christianity.
Judeo-Christian America at least stands for good over evil in the world.
The likes of Jared Sax, or anything but chaos would not last long without it.
This guy sounds like a real bigot.
"This guy sounds like a real bigot."
I think he is simply ignorant.
I wonder why he would be "angry" at the idea that Someone is trying to rescue him from an eternally dire predicament from which he can't save himself. If he really thought it an unlikely scenario, why would he invest so much emotion in it...I would expect he would be indifferent at best .
I suggest he is angry because he suspects it may be true.
---You forgot the barf alert.---
Marechal registered just today to lay this little gem on us.
And the Atheist Left tells nobody how to live?
Choke on it, pinky. And don't even think of calling for a civil war, we own all the guns.
P> "This guy sounds like a real bigot."
D>I think he is simply ignorant.
15 posted on 04/20/2006 7:43:24 AM MDT by Dudoight
He may be ignorant but as an empty vessel too easily filled with haSatan.
b'shem Y'shua
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