Comparing religions

[skiguy]

Tacitus, I think you have the book of Job all wrong. Job was not sinless, he was blameless (because he feared God and shunned evil). It was not a "wager" between God and Satan. Satan challenged and accused God, and God wanted to show Satan that Job can be tested and go through all this suffering yet still love God.
I think Joshua is an interesting book. There's CIA-like stuff in there with the spies, and some instances where the Israelites psyched out the enemy.

Request: let's not trash others' religions or beliefs. I like to compare religions to find the common ground in the call for peace, tolerance, and reconciliation. We all know there's violent verses in most, if not all, religious text (at least in the Abrahamic religions), but what are the good things common to all of them? If Christians, Jews, and Muslims think their commandments are to be warriors and kill or enslave everyone who doesn't follow their religion, that's just plain wrong, IMO.

I'm a Christian. I believe what I believe, and admit I'm very narrow minded about it. You're a Muslim. You believe what you believe and are narrow minded as well. Neither of us is going to change each other's beliefs. Does that mean we have to hate each other? Is there any reason we can't accept each other?

[Stan]

I'm a Christian. I believe what I believe, and admit I'm very narrow minded about it. You're a Muslim. You believe what you believe and are narrow minded as well. Neither of us is going to change each other's beliefs. Does that mean we have to hate each other? Is there any reason we can't accept each other?

That has got to be the best version I've seen (read) to date, bar none.

Very Well Put !

I'm one of those Catholics BTW

[marct]

Hi Skiguy,

Request: let's not trash others' religions or beliefs. I like to compare religions to find the common ground in the call for peace, tolerance, and reconciliation. We all know there's violent verses in most, if not all, religious text (at least in the Abrahamic religions), but what are the good things common to all of them? If Christians, Jews, and Muslims think their commandments are to be warriors and kill or enslave everyone who doesn't follow their religion, that's just plain wrong, IMO.

I really don't think looking at the "dark side" of various religions is necessarily a case of trashing them although, I will admit, it can appear that way . I think it is important to look at both the good and the bad in them - if for no other reason that to establish the commonalities and differences between them.

[skiguy]

Hi Skiguy,



I really don't think looking at the "dark side" of various religions is necessarily a case of trashing them although, I will admit, it can appear that way . I think it is important to look at both the good and the bad in them - if for no other reason that to establish the commonalities and differences between them.

Marc, I have no problem looking at the "dark side". We should. I don't think anyone's trashing..YET...but the thread seems to be going in that direction.
My only "problem" (and, no, I don't have a problem with you..I'm just using that word) is when people start looking at religion too academically. I'm trying to look at it more from the POV that religion, God, the holy texts are a very real and important part of many people's lives. Critisizing it can be construed as an insult (I'm not saying I'm insulted). Faith and God can't be proven, so why bother to try? I just wonder why so many try to disprove it.

Stan, thanks!

[invictus0972]

Here is a quote that sums up my point better than I can:

"The Quran and other Muslim sacred scriptures, like those of other religions, are long, complex, and open to wide-ranging interpretations. Emphasis on details such as presumed rewards in Paradise for people who di in Jihad are, frankly, irrelevant and insulting to most educated Muslims. Muslims are not religiously motivated in any way to harm or kill non-Muslims. As with any body of sacred scripture, a selective choice of quotes can "prove" anything, including completely opposite ideas."--Margaret Nydell, Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times, 4th Edition

I would like to exchange ideas, without the theological rancour, about Islamic scriptures that confirm the bolded statements. There is a lot of talk about the scriptures that invoke violence; but from an IO perspective, I am curious to know some scriptural quotes that confirm the nonviolent aspects of Islam vis-a-vis non-Muslims. In traditional terms, I feel that truly understanding the theological presuppositions of Islam is an "decisive operation" for IO professionals.

Respectfully To All,

Invictus