(no subject)
So I was reading in the paper the other day where they killed al-Zarquawi, and I couldn't help but think "so what... He'll just be replaced by yet another insane anti-people muslim terrorist." I used to try to defend Islam as not being a violent religion, just certain sects of it. I've since read A Concise History of the Middle East, and frankly I can't bring myself to argue the point anymore. Islam is founded in violence and stupidity. Muhammad built the religion's constituency by raiding caravans until mecca, the nearest center of commerce, was forced to capitulate and let him take over. Then he continued raiding and invading surrounding territories. When he died his children, and eventually just followers, continued running the empire and expanding territory. Whenever the war slowed down and the Islamic nobles (yes, Islam has classes despite the economic eutopia they'd have the world believe, they just don't call them such) got bored they'd start an insurgency much like the one to be found in Iraq or to some degree in every Muslim country on Earth today.
The entire history of Islam is a series of wars and insurgencies.
On top of that, being a Christian I always thought of Islam as a false religion, but I have to wonder how its own proponents can justify the fact that Muhammad claimed the laws he created were given to him by an angel yet he changed them whenever it suited him. As an example, wailing at funerals was outlawed until Muhammad's own wife died. Then suddenly it was okay again. How about a big one. There was no provision in Islam for divorce until Muhammad took a shine to his own son's wife. Suddenly divorce was just fine and his son dropped the wife so Muhammad could marry her. There are several examples of this kind of wooly logic in Muhammad's lifetime.
To top it off they can't even be sure that the current Quran is actually the original one. There were something like a dozen versions of the Quran at one point and the caliphate of the time just chose one and said "This is the official version. Burn all the rest." They don't even know if they're following what Muhammad really wanted anymore.
All told, Islam is the single most confused major religion on the planet which is why I think it's so easy for clerics to twist people's heads so that they believe what the clerics want them to believe, that the United States of America is the devil incarnate, a nation of Christians out to persecute Muslims. Honestly, I'm not sure there is an answer to the "Islam Problem" that doesn't involve the outlawing of a major religion or the mass slaughter of many, many people, and that's a very disheartening thought.
How do you reach people who have been brainwashed from birth to believe certain things? I mean, I took time to explore religion when I was in college and decided what I believe, but many Muslims aren't given much of an option by their family or country. They must live sharia, Muslim holy law, and consequently must follow the tennets of Islam from the day they are born.
I think the climate has something to do with it too. It's been proven in studies that as the heat rises so do tempers. Well it doesn't get any hotter than the middle east and Africa. I think the sun is literally baking these people's brains into stupidity.
Alright. I've said my piece and rambled long enough. This is just another in a long line of "The world's going down the toilet" rants I've done. I hope everyone walks away with something to think about.
The entire history of Islam is a series of wars and insurgencies.
On top of that, being a Christian I always thought of Islam as a false religion, but I have to wonder how its own proponents can justify the fact that Muhammad claimed the laws he created were given to him by an angel yet he changed them whenever it suited him. As an example, wailing at funerals was outlawed until Muhammad's own wife died. Then suddenly it was okay again. How about a big one. There was no provision in Islam for divorce until Muhammad took a shine to his own son's wife. Suddenly divorce was just fine and his son dropped the wife so Muhammad could marry her. There are several examples of this kind of wooly logic in Muhammad's lifetime.
To top it off they can't even be sure that the current Quran is actually the original one. There were something like a dozen versions of the Quran at one point and the caliphate of the time just chose one and said "This is the official version. Burn all the rest." They don't even know if they're following what Muhammad really wanted anymore.
All told, Islam is the single most confused major religion on the planet which is why I think it's so easy for clerics to twist people's heads so that they believe what the clerics want them to believe, that the United States of America is the devil incarnate, a nation of Christians out to persecute Muslims. Honestly, I'm not sure there is an answer to the "Islam Problem" that doesn't involve the outlawing of a major religion or the mass slaughter of many, many people, and that's a very disheartening thought.
How do you reach people who have been brainwashed from birth to believe certain things? I mean, I took time to explore religion when I was in college and decided what I believe, but many Muslims aren't given much of an option by their family or country. They must live sharia, Muslim holy law, and consequently must follow the tennets of Islam from the day they are born.
I think the climate has something to do with it too. It's been proven in studies that as the heat rises so do tempers. Well it doesn't get any hotter than the middle east and Africa. I think the sun is literally baking these people's brains into stupidity.
Alright. I've said my piece and rambled long enough. This is just another in a long line of "The world's going down the toilet" rants I've done. I hope everyone walks away with something to think about.