different views, or PREJUDICE?

Submitted by zzazzeefrazzee (United States), Sep 27, 2006 at 21:25

John Paul,

Sorry I used the word Sectarian HATE. I do apologize. Allow me to rephrase the word and use one that is more applicable to these circumstances. It is Sectarian PREJUDICE. Nevertheless I still find it to be rather SANCTIMONIOUS prejudice at that.

Sadly, I think that your analysis overlooks the fact that JEWISH interpretations of G_D are not fully in line with CHRISTIAN theological interpretations. My asking about the term elohim was not to elicit a CHRISTIAN view, but a jewish one. My point being that the view of god in Christianity may very well be different from Islam, but it is then also very different from Chirstianity, now isn't it? I was pointing out that in fact Judiasm and Islamic conceptions of divinity are a lot closer than perhaps a Christian perspective, trinity etc.

While your argument may make YOU feel better about YOUR views, what on earth does it do to convince Muslims of anything? I think it only provides the kind reaction that Osama was looking for when he blew up the twin towers, but Heck, who am I to judge someone with such erudite, superior knowledge of Divinity than I?

That said, my mother is a devout Christian, who deigned to participate in a multi-faith forum- which elicited a (all too familiar comment) by of her co-religionists fthat she was a "terroist sympathizer". It's a little hard to swallow that paticular form of rather bitter, so-called "christian love".

ultimately, I ask, where are these arguments headed? To educate people? about what? how different we are, how SUPERIOR we are?

To me these arguments are basically designed to malign muslims collectively, without any kind of distinguishing between those who do, and those who don;t supoort terror. they are used, where I ive in South Carolina, to encourage depricating remarks about them, collectively,, and to increase general hosility by my fellow Americans towards them, collectively.

Quite frankly, what else does a young muslim need to say" America hates us, we need Jihad" than a bunch of sanctmonious American zealots crowing on about how inferior their religion is? Some conservative christians are very bothered by attempts to reform and modernize the faith, and for example, recognize gay people. gee, I see a similar repsonse form some muslims, who don't endorse terror, yet who do feel as though they are being attacked simply on the basis of who they are, the language they speak, and little else.

I guess that I may have a little trouble beleiving that some of my fellow Americans' aren't engaging in their own form of "taqiyya" when they SAY they endorse our president, but then proceed to stab some of our allies in the back. No I don't mean Musharraf and Chalabi, but the many Muslims who ACTIVELY suport us and our efforts, who actually do guard our embassies, and are even employed in the FBI and CIA, and quite frankly, without whose help would would have accomplished little in the GWOT. Yet this is how my fellow Americans choose to repay them? With sanctimonious truthmongering about how "inferior" their religion is? You may not say it outright, but that is where the discussion heads, if i'm not mistaken.

Yet i'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. If that is not your intention, convince me otherwise.

I for one believe that it was only after the Renaissance and Enlightenment that we started to overcome sectarian prejudice in Europe and America. Sadly, secularism has a bad rap these days, for so many "Godly" Americans. Yet that is just what Osama expected, and he frankly wants a bunch of us to start trashing muslims collectively, as once we do, we only help him prove his point. There are in fact Muslims who don't endorse terror, and some have even been approved by Pipes here on his web site.

Maybe you don't agree, but again, let's agree to disagree, and please be careful when you basically stipulate "my God is different,-and better- than their God".

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