TERRORISM

[Theja]

John16:2 --- "... a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God."

1 John 3:15 --- "Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him."

In the past the INQUISITION was a tool of terror to non-Catholics. One of the reasons why the Pilgrims --- who fled England and settled in Holland --- decided to sail to America (1619) was fear of being burned by Catholic zealots (terrorists), for Holland remained in danger of falling into Catholic hands. Thankfully this threat of Inquisition is no longer present as it has been condemned, discarded, and consigned to the trash bin of shame.

Religious fanaticism can generate strange doctrines. As they say, there is no fanaticism like religious fanaticism.

Today the recognised instrument of terror has come to be known as "JIHAD", or holy war. One school of thought (moderates) interpret it to mean a struggle to live according to one's faith. While the extreme version of it is used to mean a religious license to persecute and murder perceived enemies.

We are seeing more and more of the application of the latter version. Anger, jealousy, hatred, zeal, ignorance, can all be rolled into Jihad. By anointing it with religious connotation, the practitioners legitimise such actions in their own eyes. But to the world it is sheer terror. Many a Jihad of this kind have generated fear, poverty, misery, and loss of lives.

For a Christian, there can be no Jihad --- Thou shalt not murder (Ex. 20:13, 6th commandment). For "the devil... was a murderer from the beginning..." (John 8:44).

[Fear_nam_Beanntan]

Originally posted by Theja
In the past the INQUISITION was a tool of terror to non-Catholics. One of the reasons why the Pilgrims --- who fled England and settled in Holland --- decided to sail to America (1619) was fear of being burned by Catholic zealots (terrorists), for Holland remained in danger of falling into Catholic hands. Thankfully this threat of Inquisition is no longer present as it has been condemned, discarded, and consigned to the trash bin of shame.

You're misrepresenting the situation just a bit. You make it seem like Catholicism was a foreign, invading force. In fact, Holland had been almost entirely Catholic until a few decades previous, and a significant number of Dutchmen were still Catholic.

[Sharp_Kid]

Woah there!
This forum is getting more and more like a soapbox for Christians to preach from.
There's no need, Theja. Everyone here is either Christian or Atheist (watch me get lynched for that statement).

[Theja]

FNB...

True Holland turned Protestant. It had freedom of religion and so the Pilgrims felt safe there. But the danger was that Spain may invade and takeover Holland, though it didn't happen that way.

So with this uncertainty hanging over Holland, the Pilgrims sailed to America.

[Mamie]

well I would lynch you sharp_kid but I don't fancy cleaning up afterwards

not a Christian or an aetheist

BTW the way folks the inquisition was terrorism to Catholics too

There are also Catholic freemasons lol

[HollyElise]

Originally posted by Theja
Today the recognised instrument of terror has come to be known as "JIHAD", or holy war. One school of thought (moderates) interpret it to mean a struggle to live according to one's faith. While the extreme version of it is used to mean a religious license to persecute and murder perceived enemies.

We are seeing more and more of the application of the latter version. Anger, jealousy, hatred, zeal, ignorance, can all be rolled into Jihad. By anointing it with religious connotation, the practitioners legitimise such actions in their own eyes. But to the world it is sheer terror. Many a Jihad of this kind have generated fear, poverty, misery, and loss of lives.

Funny... this seems to describe George W.'s actions well too. His "religious license" is a little more complicated, but let's remember, Americans started this war.

Originally posted by Theja For a Christian, there can be no Jihad --- Thou shalt not murder (Ex. 20:13, 6th commandment). For "the devil... was a murderer from the beginning..." (John 8:44).

This is certainly the Gospel, but it is also an ideal... and not what actually happens. Practically speaking, Christians have been just as guilty throughout the centuries as any other religious group for murder and holy war. Look at the Crusades for instance. In the first crusade, religious fanatics were so numerous and so ignorant that they sacked and slaughtered the very people they were supposedly going to help, and ironically not a single muslim was killed! ...their fellow Christians were murdered because they thought they were Muslims. What a pathetic testimony to Christian "Holy" war.

I don't see any reason Christians should stick their noses up higher in the air than anyone else.

[HollyElise]

You have me picturing two guys on death row. One of them has killed three people and the other four, so the one who's killed only three feels like a righteous saint. I think your argument is ridiculous, Tom.

Literally speaking, of course either Christians or Muslims will have killed more (though you are leaving out a hell of a lot of Christian killing) and who cares which? PRACTICALLY speaking (as i said before) it doesn't matter which group killed less as both have killed far too much!

What is this rabid superiority issue so many individuals at this site seem to have? Are people that insecure that they always have to deny they or their side have any faults at all? What is this total crap i see about always having to be better than "THEM"... whoever them is... is it so intolerable to be equal? ...to admit to your humanness and admit to the humanness of others?

And yes, we DID start this war according to international law and the definitions of aggression. 9/11 was an act of terrorism, not an act of war. No declaration of war was made to us and no nation attacked us. Bush's rhetoric "the war on terrorism" has sunk into people's brains to where they accept his propaganda. But the war we started was with a nation, not individual terrorists. Bush said himself he would make war on "any nation harboring terrorists."