I also feel that if people are going to follow a religion, they should follow it all the way. I cant stand these “Cafeteria Christians” who don’t want women who are perfect strangers to have abortions, but STEALING, well, that’s different, thats BUSINESS!
In what way is shoe throwing connected to Islam pray tell? As opposed to, oh say, Iraqi nationalism?
It has a lot of symbolism.
And of all the things. I could also mention the folks flooding the streets in jubilation after 9/11, in cities throughout the Arab world.
Look, reading back through, it sounds like the OP is pretty far into it. At this point, I don’t see him backing out.
One area where Islam is like Scientology, though, is they downplay some of the more hardcore aspects of it during the recruitment phase. In Scientology, they don’t tell you about Xenu for a long time. Similarly, if certain Suras give the prospective convert pause, they are downplayed or they will be told a different interpretation. Those verses will be brought up later in the indoctrination process, though.
I just hope his girlfriend is on board, and can deal with his conversion, and is well informed of everything that it implies, because that is one issue I see as unresolved. Even a loose interpretation of what it means to be Islamic says his living arrangement is verboten.
When one considers the crime and the cost to all people the last 7 commandments are just common sense. If I do not steal from you and you do not steal from me etc. it will be a better world and Buddah’s 500 B.C. Golden rule"Do unto others as you want others to do unto you"
Monavis
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You may say it’s common sense but that’s from our modernday society, would it be comon sense if theift was not though of as bad, even a profession. Re: Buddah, if that saying was common sense why did it require Buddah to reveal it? Is it comman sense to drive on the right side of the road, pass on the left, or does it just seem like it because that’s what we are used to being considered common sense.
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In case you haven’t noticed Exodus is not a historical book and no Historian would judge it as such. The Books of the Bible like all books are the work of man, that can be proven. So your argument is a circular one.
There is no proof of "A’ God just faith that there is, and hope that there is, so that is one; that is the reason there are so many different religions, you just happen to believe in yours as all people believe in theirs.
Our life experiences, our desires, etc., what we were taught or read are our reason’s to believe or not.
Your religion suits you, but it would not suit many others.
Monavis
As a post script: Archeologists have found no evidence of any large group living in the desert, They have found evidence of small groups of people that lived there thousands of years ago, and why any one would stay in a desert for as long as the Isrealite’s were said to have lived there would be folly, because the desert isn’t that large that they could have left it and went to another area much sooner.
Monavis
Cite?
No problem.
Doesn’t work. File corrupted. Maybe someone else can confirm it contains the following:
Streets flooded;
Multiple cities involved;
Is not the fake one showing Palestinians celebrating something else.
Don’t get me wrong - I think Islam is by its theological and historical nature a violent expansionist ideology and it’s those who think it is a religion of peace who are distorting it. I just don’t think that reactions to 9/11 prove anything one way or the other. Particularly as there was an outpouring of support and sympathy for the USA across the Islamic world.
I only had time to watch the beginning where it clearly said, some in the Arab world condemned the attack and some celebrated.
Back off, now.
All accusations of trolling are forbidden on the SDMB outside of the BBQ Pit.
The rest of your post, “questioning his piety” is a pretty direct insult, regardless what spin you would disingenuously give it.
[ /Moderating ]
That said, I will note that an earlier post of mine was apparently swallowed by the board:
You will not call other posters clowns or suggest that they are unable to “get chicks.” Stick to the discussion and leave the personal shots for the BBQ Pit.
[ /Moderating ]
As I figured. Besides, we can contrast any celebrations with the lack of any popular mass protest against our own savagery in Iraq and Afghanistan. The way no one gives a flying fornication when yet another wedding party is blown to pieces.
Sub-Sahara Africa, South America, The Philippines, Eastern Europe. – not exactly top of the pops economic speaking. Whereas Arab oil nations and especially Saudi Arabia, the centre of Islam, is pretty damn rich.
blinkthrice, Stan Shmenge has a legitimate - if crudely phrased - question in post 310.
You currently live with your girlfriend. Have you discussed your pending conversion with her? How does she feel about that? How does it fit in with her own beliefs?
Is this a sexual relationship (I’m assuming that it is)? If you formally convert, how do you plan to accommodate this living arrangement with your new religious obligations? Will you marry, will you live separately (and chastely), or will you separate?
In short, there is another person in your life and home, and you have an obligation to consider how your actions will affect that person. I’m not saying that you should not convert because you live with your girlfriend. However, you should articulate your expectations ahead of time so that you can both act appropriately.
Thanks to a certain Doper, the orthography of this word will forever be ruined for me :eek:
And they aren’t exactly “top of the pops” ethically-speaking either. Compare like to like rather than cherry-picking the countries that make Christianity look best by comparison.
What? That was a direct response to you claiming he needed to “get laid” and saying he probably didn’t have any “game” with the ladies. Did you think we didn’t notice that?
However, the point to which you are purportedly responding was not the overall wealth of a nation, but the economics. Saudi Arabia is one of the foremost examples of a (corrupt) plutocracy in the world. In addition, the princes that run it are not particularly devout Muslims (which is how bin Laden got interested in being a rebel–they were not sufficiently devout for his tastes). When we factor in the rest of the MENA region and the relative GDPs found there, we discover that they are not all that wealthy. Even Saudi Arabia is beaten out by more than 23 countries in the world.
If a country has great wealth, but that is held by a tiny percentage of the population, then it is quite likely that the rest of the impoverished people are going to be more likely to be easily agitated.
You are correct, historically, but historically doesn’t really matter. The fact is that at least for the last century, Islam has had quite the sour relationship with science. The teaching of the Quran replaces the teaching of science in many schools throughout the world. Look at how many Nobel Prize winners are Muslim - a grand total of 6!
You mean Islam improved the lives of the men (if even that is to be believed.) Islam does not view women to be the equal of men. I know that Islam is not alone in the opinion - there are plenty of religions worldwide that also have issues with gender equality - but Islam sure does rival them all for its doctrine against women. I would think that knowledge of this would keep you from converting, but I don’t think you’re actually interested in anyone’s opinion anyway.