Quote:
Originally Posted by Doove
What it tells me is that Muslims have the stronger courage of their convictions relative to any other religion.
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If that's what it tells you, you need to pay more attention. That is just cynicism masquerading as intellect.
Your statement implies that murder and suicide are part of the convictions of all other religions. They aren't. If your religion teaches that suicide is a sin, you don't become a suicide bomber. If your religion teaches that there is no excuse for murder (turn the other cheek), you also don't become a suicide bomber.
It isn't the convictions of the faithful that cause terrorism. It is the teachings of the religion that causes it. There are always going to be nuts who will throw away their lives or commit murder IF their belief system tells them it is OK to do it. It was the same case with Japanese kamikazes. But the Japanese stopped regarding the emperor as a divinity and Japanese society doesn't condone suicide attacks. Of course, we'll have until Japan gets into another war to know for sure.
Religions aren't interchangeable. Judaism and Christianity (or Buddhism, etc.) just don't preach anything like jihad. So there is no place for Jewish and Christian zealots to turn for justification. Now, this may be a coincidence of history. Judaism and Christianity were founded long before Islam, so they did not have a "policy" if you will for dealing with Islam.
Mohammed, on the other hand, had the benefit of hindsight and made specific rules for dealing with infidels who were People of the Book (Jews and Christians) and the complete non-believers (polytheists, animists, atheists). And since Mohammed ran into opposition from Christians and Jews he became, both a military and a political leader, not just a religious leader. And his preachings reflect that.
And I say all this as someone who is an atheist himself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doove
If Christians, Mormons or Jews truly believed, deep deep deep down in their gut what they claim to believe, they wouldn't fear dying.
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You need to get out more and meet some religious people.
I've known a number of religious elderly folks who passed on with serenity, including a couple of Catholic priests that were friends of the family. I can't speak about the average atheist, because I didn't know too many growing up, but Christopher Hitchens faced his own death squarely, from what I have read.
Fearing death is an instinctive reaction. It is part of your survival instinct. Even a religious person will instinctively jump out of the way of an on-coming bus. And I would bet money that the 9-11 terrorists would too.
Bravery in the face of death pretty much varies from individual to individual, not religion to religion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doove
In fact, they'd eagerly await it. Maybe even encourage it, promote it, and dare i say, instigate it.
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Really? You're discussing murder or suicide or both.
Does it really follow that someone who believe strongly in an afterlife and is unafraid of dying will therefore commit suicide or kill? It seems more likely that a Christian or Jew who doesn't fear death because of his beliefs will also be unwilling to commit murder or suicide.
Fearing (or not fearing) your own death is unrelated to being willing to kill another person.
Terrorists are willing to commit suicide bombings because their hatred of the "other" and their pursuit of religious glorification are strong enough to overcome their fear of dying.
Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and other don't blow up planes full of people in "martyrdom operations" because their religions will not refer to them as "martyrs" after they are dead. And their religions don't promise them 72 virgins if they die while killing infidels.
At least some of the 9-11 terrorists drank alcohol and went to strip clubs shortly before September 11, despite that fact that Islam prohibits alcohol and consorting with slutty women. So much for their "convictions". The basic thinking was that they could get away with a bunch of sins because all would be forgive once they killed themselves while also killing infidels.
That's not religious conviction. That's brainwashing in a death cult.
