Danish/American

Submitted by Sidda (United States), Mar 31, 2006 at 15:06

Danish, as you so correctly pointed out, the crimes committed in the name of Christianity were over centuries ago; therefore, I see no point in continuing to lump Christians (or anyone else for that matter) in with those who are perpetrating the violence we see today. Not saying that you are, but some do. Islam needs to evolve and adapt to the modern world; it needs a reformation.

I guess I just don't care for what might be perceived as a somewhat elitist attitude amongst some of those who follow a somewhat non-traditional path of spiritualism. As though they are somehow "above the fray" and morally superior to those who follow more traditional beliefs. I don't care for the morally superior attitude coming from some in the Christian community, either. I believe that everyone should be respected, even if one does not agree with them, as long as they do no harm and don't force their beliefs on you. That's why we are lucky in the U.S. We can vote on whether we want to criminalize/legalize something or not, and can have community standards. With Sharia Law, there is no voting.

There have been injustices and atrocities committed throughout the centuries by all kinds of peoples towards all other kinds of peoples. But, I can say with some assurance that there is nothing in the teachings of Jesus which would have sanctioned acts of violence towards others due to their religious beliefs. The ancient Vikings were a very aggressive group of people, even though they practiced a religion which did not contain violent teachings. By the same token, Christians often committed atrocities, although Jesus, by word and example, taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves, tolerance, and to turn the other cheek.

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