Oh, and lest you think I made my last statement on the basis of political correctness, I’ll just add this:
My response to your OP was not based on being politically correct. It was based on being a human being. I would not like it if someone were to refer to me by a derogatory name because of my ethnic background, nationality, or religion, or my deafness, and neither would you.
WWJD? Well since he came as the Prince of Peace the first time to try to to save the world, he probably wouldn’t have. But the next time he is coming to condemn the people that rejected Him, I think he would throw the terrorists’ butts in Hell which is a little worse I think than calling them a name.
And don’t do it if there’s a Sikh in the room, because he might misunderstand the focus of your wrath and stab you with his dagger.
In fact I am trying to be extra polite to any Muslim or turban wearers I meet. Are we really so unevolved we can’t separate out “bad” Muslims from “good” Muslims? Do you really think everyone in a turban, like the nice guy at the BP station up the street, is involved in terrorism? He does not have time, as many double shifts as he works.
The ones I meet seem nervous, and not without justification. This garbage (though I hope in jest) does not advance the ball. Because, Bill, you may mean all this hypothetically and not be violent, whereas someone else hears it as a green light.
Next week: Hug a Muslim Week. A better idea than relaxing the social stigma on racial slurs.
**I strongly urge you to go to your local library and borrow Karen Armstrong’s Islam: A Short History and An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan by Jason Elliot. The Armstrong book gives an excellent overview of where Islam came from, what Muslims believe, and the causes of the current situation. The Elliot book is a account of a British journalist’s encounters with the Afghan people in 1999, while the Taliban were consolidating their stranglehold on that sad country. These books will help you, as they’ve helped me, see the Afghans not as a faceless “them,” but as individual people caught in a continuing tragedy.
Bill, do you think Jesus wants you to call people bad names and insult them because of how they dress? You are making Jesus very sad.
That’s very Christ-like of you, Bill. :rolleyes:
I could care less what people call me(can’t you tell I’ve hung here long enough and been called every name in the book). I also see this board use the term “fundie” all the time and no one ever flames them for using it. So I would say that there is some(not everybody mind you) hypocrisy on the ole SDMB.
Note: I for one do not use the term “fundie,” and I agree that it is derogatory and demeaning. But using that as an excuse for your own bigotry won’t go over real well come Judgment Day, Bill.
So, how would he feel if you called Christian Arabs “towel-heads”?
Since many terrorists are not Arabs, it wouldn’t make much sense, would it?
Bill, I stuck up for you in the Pit and now you’re trolling. Come on, you know your OP was full of it. You know there’s no “declared war.” Get off it.
Here’s a little math exercise for you. There are, roughly speaking, about 1.1 billion Muslims in the world, most of whom aren’t even Arabs but that’s another issue. Let’s say for the sake of argument that there are 10,000 hard core Muslim terrorists - guys who are legitimately willing to kill you and/or themselves in the name of Islam because they think America is evil. 10,000 is a high estimate; it’s way, way more than any credible estimate of what Osama bin Laden has under him.
Put those numbers together and it means that any random Muslim has less than one thousandth of one percent of a chance of being a terrorist. In other words, if you met 100,000 random Muslims, maybe one would be a terrorist. Hell, Bill, that’s less than any likelier than any random American being a KKK member. Would you like it if someone called you a Klansman because there was a 1 in 100,000 chance of you being in the KKK?
When you use an acknowledged racist term, you’re not just slandering the terrorists, you’re slandering all Muslims and/or Arabs (Most people don’t seem to know the difference.) Do you think it would be acceptable for me to call criminals “Niggers” because I’m only referring to criminals, not all blacks? Would it be okay for me to refer to greedy people as “kikes” or “heebs” as long as I say “Hey, I only mean misers, not Jews.” You know that’s wrong, so don’t pretend you don’t.
Here’s what Jesus had to say, from the Gospel of Luke:27
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners’ do that.
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
Besides Bill, Jesus came from the same part of the world the terrorists do, and he wore a long head covering, too, so when you call somebody “towelhead,” you’re throwing that right into Jesus’s face!
Here’s the only answers you need, right here:
James 3:9-10 “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.”
Matthew 7:17-23 “Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”
Matthew 25: 40-46 "“The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
If those answers are not good enough for you, I don’t know what is.
IzzyR, if you’re around, this is precisely what I mean by “cheap grace” in reference to Bill.
[sarcasm]Wow! Two Muslims out of millions feel this way. Let’s kick them all out of this country this instant! I mean, two, for God’s sake! That is definitely a representative sample.[/sarcasm]
Rickjay,
As usual you made some very good points. I guess I think terrorist is not bad of enough name for them. It seems like it needs to be more duragatory and degrading for what they do. I retract this post.
minty green wrote:
Oh, probably something like this:
“Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, ‘May you never bear fruit again!’ Immediately the tree withered.”
– Matthew 21:19 (NIV translation)
One more thing. We are NOT at war! War is a very specific term; there is no enemy defined as of yet. There has been no declaration of war and there are no hostile governments. The Taliban is being un-cooperative, but not hostile. Educate yourselves and realize that the recent usage of the term “war” is nothing more than a political expression to help a hurting nation heal.
Yeah, Bill, go ahead and call them “towel heads.”
Then they’ll call you a “Spawn of Satan” who’s out to destroy Islam.
Then you’ll call them all a bunch of nuts who worship a “moon god”.
Then they’ll call you an ignorant jerkwad who needs other people to fight wars for you.
Then it’ll be back and forth and back and forth, and the next thing you know we’ll be lobbing nuclear warheads and germ canisters.
And then the cockroaches can try to make a better go at it.
Sheesh.
:rolleyes:
hee-hee, Thanks, WB, for making me spurt soda through my nose… but, ahem, …cough-cough…, what every body else said, bad form. Don’t do it again…
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Wildest Bill *
I also see this board use the term “fundie” all the time and no one ever flames them for using it.
So because you see behavior that you disagree with me makes it OK for you to consider doing the same thing yourself?
Um…interesting philosophy.
Uh, gobear? Did I just go insane, or did you suggest that Bill go read a book? The mind boggles. What were you thinking?