The unholy Koran commands:

[luvtinayothers]

Athiest you haven't answered an important question of Yahweh's:

Do you, in fact, enjoy slinkies? WHy are you afraid to answer? What are you hiding?

 

[BobK]

Fun2BFree,

Originally posted by Yahweh
I Is there a reason why I shouldnt be more tolerant toward others beliefs?
What if someone is intolerant of mine?

What if someone believes that whites are superior to blacks?
Or believes that Jews should be exterminated?
Or that woman are property to be used by men as men see fit?

Are those beliefs one should tolerate?

I don't often post to R&P, so maybe you could clarify something for me.

Since Yahweh didn't reply to your question, was it meant strictly as a question trying to elicit information, or do you wish people to infer that it's your belief that intolerance is the correct answer in the situations you described?

 

[reprise]

Name one that is not either authoritarian or theocracy.

How are we defining a "Muslim country" here - by whether Islam is enshrined in the nation's constitution or by the percentage of the population which adopts Islam as its religion.

 

[DialecticMaterialist]

Some Muslim countries have very secular (but still authoritarian) governments, with decidedly non-Muslim political philosophy. Most outstanding are Syria and Iraq (until recently). The Baathist political philosophy is based on pan-Arab socialist nationalism, and leaves no place for theocracy. Saddam's calls for "holy war" or any attendence to a mosque were never sincere, and were always meant to try to incorporate the religious into his cause.

Turkey is another example. Closer to real democracy, but also aggressively anti-theocratic. A religious party gained power a few years ago, but has since gone into the minority in government.

Well come on though, none of them are really democratic and that's my point. You cannot for example in even the "secular" Muslim states walk around with a "friendly neigbo irhood" atheist T-shirt or criticize Islam in print without some sort of brutal consequence. The only way that happens is in an area where Muslim power is not absolute,and even then.....

 

[DialecticMaterialist]

All religions have their tolerant and extremist elements... I wonder how well you'd be welcomed in texas if you stood up and stated that Jesus' Mom was a Jew.........
Taking individual verses from a religious book opens up a whole can o' worms. You can do exactly the same for the Bible. It's just chock full of sex 'n' violence. Probably, the same goes for most religious traditions.
If you want to argue that ALL religions are corrupt and violent, i guess you may have a point, although there are plenty of examples of tolerant, loving people active within most religions.
Maybe you just want to pick apart the muslim faith. Who Knows? who cares? as for me, and my Muslim, Mormon, and Sikh aquintances, we will continue to respect each others faith, or lack of it.
P

Well ok all are to an extent corrupt and violent, but some are obviously more so then others. This is due to certain contingencies in sacred texts and traditions. Islam for example is one of the most violent, as is Sikhism, while Buddhism is one of the most passive.

It's like with skeptics and believers. Sure there are nutty skeptics, and gullible ones. There are also irrational skeptics. But who overall do you think has a greater proportion of irrational people, skeptics or new agers? The answer is rather obvious.

Likewise yes, if you yell "Jesus mom wasa Jew" you maye get dirty looks, you may even get beat up. But in a Muslim country you would likely be killed by a mob or stoned to death.

I mean in Texas you can write a book on how Jesus mom was a Jew, but make a book in Pakistan, saying Mohommad's parents were not Muslim, and they execute you. The government, not merely the people.

Even in the US, if you make a book with a picture or Mohommad or act as him in a movie you will get death threats.

 

[Pyrrho]

Why don't you go to any "Muslim" country and wear a t-shirt which says "I am an atheist" and see how long you stay alive...

and come back and tell us which tolerant Muslims did/did not kill you...

Max

If I was dumb enough to do that, I'd be dumb enough to wear the same t-shirt to the local Baptist church bazaar down on Union Avenue in Cleveland Ohio.