Re: Coming Trends: Fading Extropy? (extropians-digest V7 #279)

From: FutureQ (futureq@attbi.com)
Date: Mon Oct 14 2002 - 15:26:31 MDT


Samantha Atkins wrote:

> FutureQ wrote:
> >
> > William wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Yesterday I read an interesting critique of Islam at
> >>http://answering-islam.org/TWOR/peacepromoting.html. It is written
> >>by an Evengelical Christian but I did check every quote he made from
> >>the Koran since he cited them by chapter and verse numbers. (The
> >>Koran is structurally organized exactly like the Bible. Yes, I bought a
> >>copy of the Koran.) I have read scriptures from the other major religions
> >>e.g. the Vedas of Hinduism and Tae-Te-Ching of Taoism and have never
> >>found any lines that advocate war like the Koran does. Mohammed
> >>was a military general and grew very wealthy and powerful. His biography
> >>reminds me of Gengis Khan except that Mohammed was much better at
> >>the rationalization of violence and thus recruiting of soldiers.
> >
>
> Wow. Opinions taking from the convert-the-world-for-its-own-good
> arm of one religion about another religion ripping its bloodier
> quotes while ignoring one's own. Impressive. Read your Bible
> if you want to see war and violently repressive quotes. Mohammed
> as military general? Only relatively briefly. That is
> certainly not an accurate summation.

You are responding to quoted text from someone else... not from me. Hence your
comments above and below do not really apply.

> > Try Howard Bloom's Lucipher Principle, chiefly the chapter on Islam's War
> > Against the West. See it or some of it here:
> > http://www.howardbloom.net/islam.htm
> >
> > luddite+religious fanatic+violent militant=muslim
> >
>
> So, you believe the world has over a billion violent miltant
> religious fanatics? Really?

I believe when push comes to shove, that those that believe strictly in their Quran or
Bible or Torah for that matter and cannot think for themselves--however many that may
be, would become violent. History proves it.

> Why would you believe that one
> religion manages to turn all of its followers into violent
> luddites when most of the religions have most of their adherents
> among those who do the minimal number of observances and take
> some social and existential comfort in their beliefs? Something
> is very seriously out of kilter in the above equation.

I don't cut any religion or religious tome any slack. I'm the first to cite the bible
for it's genocidal verses and much much more. I think though your comment is confused
by the fact you thought the above quoted text from William belonged to me which it
does not.

> > According to Bloom due to the militant teachings of the Quran, chiefly the
> > passages referring to not allowing an infidel to live, not even moderate muslims
> > can be trusted. Their apologists will say Islam teaches against violence...
> > unless it is jihad. The trouble is, it's far too easy to cry jihad at the drop
> > of a hat, for anything under the sun!
> >
>
> Ever read the books of law in the Old Testament?

Yes actually I have.

> Hair-raising
> stuff that makes even sharia look mild. Yet only a small
> minority of Christians or Jews belive this would be a
> reasonable way to order a society.

Funny then how many Moslems have no compunction with violence. Is it religion or
culture? A mixture of both? Which or both are responsible for the archaic notions that
it's manly to kill and devour ones enemies? Did you even read the Howard Bloom
article? Here's a quote.

"Man's greatest good fortune is to chase and defeat his enemy, seize his total
possessions, leave his married women weeping and wailing, ride his gelding (and) use
the bodies of his women as a nightshirt and support." Genghis Khan

"He butchered three of them with an ax and decapitated them. In other words, instead
of using a gun to kill them he took a hatchet to chop their heads off. He struggled
face to face with one of them, and throwing down his ax managed to break his neck and
devour his flesh in front of his comrades. ...I ...award him the Medal of the
Republic." General Mustafa Tlas, Syria's Minister of Defense praising a hero of the
1973 war with Israel before the Syrian National Assembly

"Appeasing of governments which revel in slaughter is an invitation to worldwide
catastrophe." Fang Lizhi" From Howard Bloom's article found here
http://www.howardbloom.net/islam.htm.

Hair raising enough for you?

> Why should we believe it is
> different for Muslims?

See the above. It's about a culture of violence fed upon a religion that reveres it
also. Each feed upon the other. Perhaps you feel it is ok for them to have schools
that specifically teach hatred of infidels and little else? No science, no art, no
trade, just hate and kill infidels to show your love for allah. Oh yeah that's a good
thing.

> Simply quoting from a religion's sacred
> writings is obviously inadequate.

Aside from the culture where else does one get information enough to plan for one's
survival?

> > To me all religion must go. It will go two milliseconds after an augmented
> > populace goes online and the average human's brain power and logic acuity
> > increases even a little. Will we survive long enough in the face of the rise of
> > Islam? That is the question.
>
> You have far too little understand of religion if you believe
> greater intelligence will automatically be the end of it.

Nah, I just think that if people really read what they are supposed to be believing
and also had enough science education to weigh against it they would chose reason over
faith. The fellow that made this website to follow has gathered some of the most
repugnant verses of several religions.

http://www.haxial.com/spls-soapbox/religion.html

After reading these how can the rational mind not toss religon on the dust bin of
history?

FutureQ



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