i think there's a ton of good that goes on in the name of religion that would never catch your attention...that you may never even be aware of. but if we're talking religion as merely being a set of rules to exclude some group or talk about how any one group is better than another, then i'm right there with you. “In this it appears all religions are the same. They give God a name and then establish the rules that we must follow if we are to his favor and affection. I think this is why a lot of us see all religions as different ways of getting to the same thing…Really, it’s absurd to think that any religion would somehow get you to God. It’s like being in love with a person who has no interest in you. He loves your advances only because they make him feel self-important, but really he has no motivation to pursue you. It’s all one-sided. He loves being pursued, and so your desire only inspires him to be more elusive. You have to admit, if the premise of religion is valid – if you do this, then God will accept you – this is a more accurate description of God: He’s just some really good-looking, smug and arrogant Divine Being who loves being the object of all our affection. …I’m often accused of being irreligious, and I suppose it’s for this reason. Whether it’s Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Judaism, or any other ism, when a religion is created on the subtle premise that God withholds his love and you must submit to the system to earn that love, I consider it the worst of corruptions…. …What in the world would happen if people actually began discovering the actual message of Jesus Christ – that love is unconditional? What would happen if we began to realize that God was not, in fact, waiting for us to earn his love, but that he was passionately pursuing us with his love? What would happen if the word got out that Jesus was offering his love freely and without condition? This is the story of God: he pursues you with his love and pursues you with his love, and you have perhaps not said yes. And even if you reject his love, he pursues you ever still. It was not enough to send an angel or a prophet or any other, for in issues of love, you must go yourself. And so God has come." Erwin McManus - Soul Cravings
Yeah, but he knew what he was getting into. You can't get out, but he knew that when he signed up. You don't go to the army and volunteer and then can get out easily. Can you imagine the consequences? You'd have people deserting all the time. It's a commitment...it's not like marriage where you can just get divorced. Now, if he was mentally unstable, the army should have done something about that.
i'm suggesting that. he's clearly a nutjob, but there's a strain of his particular religion that blesses the killing of infidels, and sees jihad as a moral imperative. in this instance, his ****ed up interpretation if islam appears to have been directly causal. had he been an atheist, he'd still be a nutjob, but it would be less likely he'd have been able to find a moral underpinning to his actions. maybe he would have just committed suicide on his own.
i would love to see a movement that rejected all religion in favor of love. king saul fell on his sword when it all went wrong, and joseph's brothers sold him down the river for a song, and sonny liston rubbed some tiger balm into his glove. some things you do for money and some you do for love love love. raskolnikov felt sick but he couldn't say why when he saw his face reflected in his victim's twinkling eye. some things you'll do for money and some you'll do for fun, but the things you do for love are going to come back to you one by one. love love is going to lead you by the hand into a white and soundless place. now we see things as in a mirror dimly. then we shall see each other face to face. and way out in seattle young kurt cobain snuck out to the greenhouse, put a bullet in his brain. snakes in the grass beneath our feet, rain in the clouds above, some moments last forever, but some flare up with love love love
This thread proves the awesomeness of the BBS. On the one hand you have Basso blaming Islam for this and on the other you have LScola...blaming Christianity. America the Beautiful
I don't see why this is such a big deal. Almost every week you could count at least a dozen soldiers being KIA in either Iraq of Afghanistan and no one really gave a damn. It happens in your backyard, and everyone is up in arms. Even if this fellow was acting in jihad, he was acting in the accordance of jihad. Although I don't think religion had anything to do with it, he just is a deranged individual.
Agreed. What's the difference between soldiers who die in the line of duty in a war and soldiers being murdered by their fellow soldier. On American soil. At an American army base. Same thing.
I understand what you were blaming. Scola was blaming the evangelical interpretation of Christianity. I just find it hilarious that both of you see and read about the same event and blame two totally opposite religious views for the same crime.
Why did it take our commander in chief 2 minutes to get to the tragedy yesterday? (Cue the Bush reading to school kids after 9/11 retorts) <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T0hiw8iXdMM&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T0hiw8iXdMM&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
You have to admit it was kind of strange Obama didn't open his speech with a mention of the shootings. I think it's ridiculous to infer anything from it like I'm sure some idiots are trying to do. However, it just seemed like a political no-brainer...why give any ammunition?
You mean like this? <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9P-KTKLRQP8&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9P-KTKLRQP8&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
if obama received a memo 36 days before yesterday saying there are army psychiatrists planning to kill soldiers, he would've done something about it rather than going back to clearing brush.
