A Quick Introduction To ... ?!

[OMars]

Although I have stated that I do love this Religion, I would never really think of trying to tell these people about it. I realize that they have very firm beliefs, and I would rather just stay out of that. At one point there will be a heated argument, and nothing good can come from such a thing. In my opinion, there is no real point in posting such a thread.

 

[Sphinxter]

Thank God I'm a man of science.

 

[Unfathomable Depths]

I asked a very wise man the question 'Is there a God'

He replied 'Is there bollocks.' I pondered this until I understood it wasn't a question. It was the answer.

Still - Happy Xmas™ one and all.

 

[___]

I don't care for islam or christianity either. I don't like people trying to convert me and I wouldn't like trying to convert other people to atheism.

I also think that people from the so called western countries should try and understand more about Islam. As migration and politics have made the islamic world become very important and relevant these days I think everyone should at least try not to get their information from mass-media only. I am not asking everyone to read the Qur'an. It suffices if people realize that most of the Islamic world is not living in the middle-ages, that not everyone there is trying to kill Americans, that there is lots of culture and science we are either missing out on or that we have adapted, that there is as much diversity in the Islamic world as there is in the christian and that the word djihad doesn't mean killing infidels and bombing buses. Also many people seem to miss that women are not oppressed in every muslim society... have a look at turkey for example. Not everyone lives by the Sharia.

 

[OMars]

I don't care for islam or christianity either. I don't like people trying to convert me and I wouldn't like trying to convert other people to atheism.

I also think that people from the so called western countries should try and understand more about Islam. As migration and politics have made the islamic world become very important and relevant these days I think everyone should at least try not to get their information from mass-media only. I am not asking everyone to read the Qur'an. It suffices if people realize that most of the Islamic world is not living in the middle-ages, that not everyone there is trying to kill Americans, that there is lots of culture and science we are either missing out on or that we have adapted, that there is as much diversity in the Islamic world as there is in the christian and that the word djihad doesn't mean killing infidels and bombing buses. Also many people seem to miss that women are not oppressed in every muslim society... have a look at turkey for example. Not everyone lives by the Sharia.

 

[nickspoon]

I'm open to anyone's beliefs and respect them.

See, that's something I fail to understand. Why must I respect someone's beliefs? I respect their right to have them and practice them unobtrusively, but I don't respect the beliefs themselves because from where I'm standing they are completely ridiculous (putting it lightly). Would someone believing avidly in a flying spaghetti monster necessitate my respect for their belief? Obviously not, so why should it be necessary for me to give any regard to what any person believes if I don't agree with them? It may sound selfish but placing importance in what I deem nonsense seems like a particularly irrational concept.

Essentially what I'm saying is that I don't want to prevent anybody from believing anything they want but I ought to be allowed to dismiss and criticise it rather than have 'respect' for it.

 

[satanic virus]

I'm open to anyone's beliefs and respect them.

See, that's something I fail to understand. Why must I respect someone's beliefs? I respect their right to have them and practice them unobtrusively, but I don't respect the beliefs themselves because from where I'm standing they are completely ridiculous (putting it lightly). Would someone believing avidly in a flying spaghetti monster necessitate my respect for their belief? Obviously not, so why should it be necessary for me to give any regard to what any person believes if I don't agree with them? It may sound selfish but placing importance in what I deem nonsense seems like a particularly irrational concept.

Essentially what I'm saying is that I don't want to prevent anybody from believing anything they want but I ought to be allowed to dismiss and criticise it rather than have 'respect' for it.


I agree with you completely, I was not stating that you should have respect for the beliefs themselves , it was more respect for the people having differing beliefs (but i can see how it might have been interpretated differently), I personally accept anyone elses beliefs that are not shared with mine. I think objectively no one can state their set of beliefs is 'the correct one' (which is why i get disappointed to see people still killing each other over things like this). Like you, I accept for other people to have differing beliefs, but I also respect that everyone has their own beliefs.

I think xnopasaranx hit the nail on the head with his last post - ignorance on topics like this, especially on Muslim faith given the current world climate is not a good thing. And whilst I am not likely to be converted (ever in fact), I can see there are many good positive and peaceful elements to the Muslim religion ... and that for this one, I do respect.

btw - i think it would be really cool if there was a flying spaghetti monster god that became the world's dominant religious force!! :lol:

 

[Yrx]

You know, I may not agree with Islam, and I think that the way this was put out there was a little silly, but all of you ganging up on him is ridiculous in itself. It would be quite one thing if you were bringing up points about his religion that you do not agree with, or are in your minds contradictory. But instead, it's this elitist garbage of making "clever" little jokes (ie FSM) without ever confronting the substance of what he believes. It is in essence saying that what you believe to be true (lack of God) is somehow more real than what he believes to be true (Islam). Nietzche himself proclaimed that all truth was relative. So if that's really true, then how is your relative truth better than his relative truth? Looking at it from that perspective, neither of them really seem to matter at all, so if him "fooling himself" makes him a happy and fulfilled person (and assuming it's not hurting anyone), then why bother at all?

So shame on this elitist attitude. If you're right, then it doesn't really matter either way, but if someone else is right, it could very well matter. And on that note, here are a few quotes from C. S. Lewis to think about.

QUOTE

The notion that everyone would like Christianity to be true, and therefore all atheists are brave men who have accepted the defeat of all their deepest desires, is simply impudent nonsense.

Looking for God--or Heaven--by exploring space is like reading or seeing all Shakespeare's plays in the hope that you will find Shakespeare as one of the characters...

Prostitutes are in no danger of finding their present life so satisfactory that they cannot turn to God: the proud, the avaricious, the self-righteous, are in that danger.

Reality, in fact, is always something you couldn't have guessed. That's one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It's a religion you couldn't have guessed.

 

[kevcal]

Religion is fine if you keep it to yourself and don't try converting others..
Also any fanatic about any religion is imho wrong (I state this fanatically obviously).

 

[Yrx]

Religion is fine if you keep it to yourself and don't try converting others..
Also any fanatic about any religion is imho wrong (I state this fanatically obviously).

Are you considering atheism a religion as well? Because the smug attitude from some of these posts is considerably worse than a guy sharing an e-book on Islam. He wasn't even necessarily trying to convert people, but to educate them (as xnopasaranx suggested should happen).

And honestly, with the matter of the bigger picture, if you thought that you needed to tell people something to save their lives, I think you'd try and spread the word around. And that's why it's such a big thing with religious people. So when you say, "I respect religion, just don't try and convert people," that's like saying "I respect your religion, except that it's a complete lie." Now I'm not saying you should go and convert to help someone's feelings, but I do think it is key to understand the other side of the issue. And the attitude towards him was far more bigoted than any religious bigotry I imagine would be allowed.

 

[kevcal]

I personally don't know or see much point in religion but don't think everyone else needs to be the same; whatever works for you I guess. I do respect that people have different beliefs but don't like attempts to convert - dunno if that was the point of the original post or not.

As I said any fanaticism seems wrong to me - but then I try not to spend too much time worrying about such things - thankfully it's never affected me, but I'm one of the lucky ones according to what I read in the news daily. Many wars have been waged on the back of religion, but I guess if it wasn't that, it'd be something else..

 

[fargo]

Ok, it is not about converting people to Islam or anything. It all about worship our creator and saving our souls after death. It is really serious guys and one should start to think about it from now.

 

[Yrx]

Ok, it is not about converting people to Islam or anything. It all about worship our creator and saving our souls after death. It is really serious guys and one should start to think about it from now.

I don't think you understand. THEY don't want to be converted to Islam, which I assume is mandatory for "worship our creator and saving our souls after death," at least in your mind. Correct me if I'm wrong, though.

 

[Nova]

Religious discussion is prohibited on gp32x if I recall correctly, and I do, as I'm seldom wrong .

 

[Yrx]

*looks at rules*

Well would you look at that...

*leaves*

 

[sand_man]

I'm a Germanic Heathen
Each to their own. Believe what you want to believe.

(we should stop talking about this now... h34r: )

 

[Iorgy77]

People are free to believe whatever they want to believe... err.. except under islamic regimes... and indeed many other religious regimes of the past.

All that whole pdf said to me was "We are right everyone else is wrong" typical religious rhetoric... nothing new there.

 

[fargo]

err.. except under islamic regimes...

No, this is wrong. People are free to believe in what ever they want.

"There is no compulsion in religion; truly the right way has become clearly distinct from error;" [Quran 1:256]

"You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion." [Quran 109:6]

Non-muslims have always lived in the Islamic world for hundreds of years and have never been "converted"! See Lebanon of example, it is in the middle of the Islamic world and more than of 50% of its population are non-Muslims.

All that whole pdf said to me was "We are right everyone else is wrong" typical religious rhetoric... nothing new there.

I don't know from where you got this impression.

"And most surely we or you are on a right way or in manifest error" [Quran 34:54]