Harry Potter fans warn against dangerous effects of Bible

[KevinBarclay-Jay]

islam does not deserve anybodies scorn...Islam like Xtianity has its factions that are radical..It is commentslike this that cause those factions. I am neither Xtain or Muslim, and as organised dogmatic religions go I tar them with the same brush...but Xtain fanatics are every bit as dangerous as Islam fanatics

[J-J]

Kevin - there are factions sure.Some choose to emphasize the relatively few peaceful statements in the Koran,but these days it is the radical brand of Islam that takes it's cue from the more numerous intolerant verses that is on the increase especially among the poor.Not only that,but these verses generally came after the earlier,peaceful verses,and orthodox scholars of the Koran consider that a later verse,if it appears to contradict an earlier verse,abrogates that earlier verse.The earlier peaceful verses were mostly written when Muhammed was in Mecca ,before he became powerful.he only had a few dozen followers then,and had no choice but to say things like 'let there be no compulsion in religion'.When he took power in Medina,it was a different story 'slay the unbelievers till the religion is all Allahs'.So you can't persuade them of the error of their ways by encouraging them to read the Koran properly - they are reading the Koran properly.Muhammed himself was a Jehadi.That is how he lived.Muslims are encouraged by Allah to follow his example.Sure the extremists are a faction,but they are Muhammeds faction,Hezbollah-the party of God.They are sticking close to the interpretation of Islam that Allah himself commands the muslims to accept.This situation can only really be addressed if the fundamental tenets of Islam are allowed to be subjected to criticism.
Christianity was knocked off it's perch when people began to lose some of their reverence for it,partly because of contradictions with science(Darwin etc).
I do not suggest that we scorn individual muslims,it is the beliefs and ideas of Islam that should be scorned,and indeed ridiculed.I'd like to see an Islamic 'Life of Brian' for example - that would be a step in the right direction.We are all ok,presumably,(except strict christians)with the original Life of Brian.So why not a satire of Islam,on similar lines?

[J-J]

Ideally it would be made by people of Muslim origin.

[Theja]

Hi J-J, Yes, I can see that you're not a Christian. You have a gripe with the book of Revelation; it was in symbolic language. I guess in your view the devil does not exist, or if it does, he must be a very gentle and rational person.

Revelation was a vision of John. The same John who wrote John and John 1,11, 111. If you read them at all, you will notice how he emphasized the love of God and love for one another.
You see real Christianity is about genuine change of heart. I wish you would read the story of Isaac Newton, the slave-trader-turned-preacher, who wrote the popular song Amazing Grace from his own experience.

I'm sorry to say that down the ages the Church did many things not sanctioned by scripture. For example, the inquisition you mentioned, under Roman Catholicism. This organized religion attempted to prevent even translation of the Bible into English. Had they succeeded there may not be a prosperous America today.

You are aware that Christianity was persecuted right from the beginning. Only its corruption began in the 4th century when Constantine made Christianity the State religion. For obvious reasons many became Christians without a change of heart and without understanding its faith. Shortly thereafter Catholicism developed and adopted all kinds of unbiblical teachings and gave Christianity a bad name down the centuries, including the crusades and inquisition. I guess the Anglican Church in the 16th century was similar to Catholicism; because the State Church of England persecuted the pilgrims and puritans who fled England and eventually ended up in America.

You seem to gravitate toward the harshness of God and find it unacceptable to receive His love. In the name of love, imagine abolishing all the army and all the police in your country. Demolish all prisons. No court no judges. There you will find your ideal world, morally acceptable, as you put it. In this 'ideal' situation, I'm not sure if you'll want to take a walk downtown without a gun, if the women will feel safe from rapists, and if the nation will prosper. But won't this be unfair to good peaceloving citizens? I can see a bit of Afghanistan in this.

That is why even Christians are not exempt from the law of consequences (Galatian 6:7-8).

If God is all judgment without love, yes it is morally unacceptable; but if God is all love without any judgment, it too is morally unacceptable. When I see the injustices of the world, the Hitlers, the Mussolinis, the scam artists, the religious frauds, etc, who have made millions of lives miserable, I take comfort in the fact that one day these people will be accountable before the righteous judge.


The Hindus in India had the belief of reincarnation, karma, fate. Look at the indifference and poverty it brought them. It took a British missionary by the name William Carey to abolish sati (wife burning) in India; he kept lobbying against it with the British government that finally it passed a law making sati illegal.

Have you heard of a book called "Death of a Guru"? The story of a Brahmin.


Theja

[J-J]

Some thoughts on the corruption of Christs teachings - The inquisition and other examples of intolerance in Christian history were truly perversions of Christs teachings.I accept that fully,in contrast to Islam where the problems go right to the source.In this sense those who try to use Christianity to promote intolerance and hostility are actually guilty of a greater crime than Muslims who do the same with their religion,for they are only following the teachings of the religion they were born into,whereas those Christians are actually perverting their religion.

I am not an anarchist.I would prefer the Taliban over anarchy any day,and you know how I feel about them.There have to be laws,and a justice system.But a key principle in the matters of justice and atonement is proportionality.Human beings have only finite powers to do good or evil.No one has ever done so much evil that they deserve an eternity in hell.It is infinite punishment for finite crimes.Hell,if it existed,would be an enormous crime in itself.That's why I don't believe in it.

[RockyMtnPiper]

"I guess in your view the devil does not exist, or if it does, he must be a very gentle and rational person"


Actually.... this is most often than not the case. Unfortunatly most people are looking for a fabulous creature with horns, blazing red skin and reeking of brimstone.

What people are not looking for is a person whose whole life is built around the Devils virtues : Vanity & Pretense. How many of these foul creatures hold public office? How many of these beasties are masquaring as good wholesome citizens? Far too many for my taste.

OF course on the other hand, I am not a big believer in Hell. I am however aware of what many say about the place.. so if I do end up there, I will have a pretty good idea what is going on, I wont be too disoriented or confused.

[ANDY-J]

It is conceivable that a soul may spend an eternity in hell but if so then it is by their own choice.Given that each of us is an integral part of the universal consciousness "hell" is what an individual experiences when they fail to accept their spiritual oneness with God.Each human being has complete free will and nothing,not even karma can compromise this.There is no judgement by a vengeful deity and even the most wicked sinners will not be faced with eternal punishment unless this is the path which they choose.A human being who clings to the illusion of materialism and greed and fails to develop spiritually must experience the hell of eternal incarnation on this plane of existence.When they open their eyes and seek true spiritual enlightenment their self imposed hell will end and they can ascend to higher realms of spiritual being.We ourselves control our own destinies and while enlightened teachers like Christ and Bhudda can guide us we must ultimately find the means to grow and develop spiritually within ourselves.