Troops cleared of charges

[Thon]

forgiveness, compassion, and good was around long before christ. and will be around long after he's forgotten. the only "true religion" is agnosticism, there is no proof of God. i know that i don't know, i wasn't born with an innate knowledge of God, and neither were you, or anyone else. especially not anyone born millenia ago, in a time and society where getting crucified was common practice

if you need a hokey religion to tell you not to kill, and to love your fellow man. then you are a weak, sad human being

[Gidan]

Christianity is truly the religion of peace.

That I completely agree with, though so many followers use it as a means to violence and power.

Though, it would appear that the religion of peace is based around a god that that promotes killing.

[Snero]

Christianity is truly the religion of peace.

it's a religion of peace, I wouldn't say the

[Phlegm]

Christianity is truly the religion of peace.

it's a religion of peace, I wouldn't say the

Tell that to Phelps

[Narrock]

Christianity is truly the religion of peace.

it's a religion of peace, I wouldn't say the

Tell that to Phelps

Phelps is a mental case and is a poor example of what a Christian is.

[Phlegm]

Christianity is truly the religion of peace.

it's a religion of peace, I wouldn't say the

Tell that to Phelps

Phelps is a mental case and is a poor example of what a Christian is.

so you are saying that we shouldn't let the actions of a few to represent a religion as a whole?

[Agrajag]

I smell a trap...

[Narrock]

Christianity is truly the religion of peace.

it's a religion of peace, I wouldn't say the

Tell that to Phelps

Phelps is a mental case and is a poor example of what a Christian is.

so you are saying that we shouldn't let the actions of a few to represent a religion as a whole?

I'm saying what I said in my post.

[Phlegm]

Christianity is truly the religion of peace.

it's a religion of peace, I wouldn't say the

Tell that to Phelps

Phelps is a mental case and is a poor example of what a Christian is.

What about Pat Robertson?

[Lyion]

forgiveness, compassion, and good was around long before christ. and will be around long after he's forgotten. the only "true religion" is agnosticism, there is no proof of God. i know that i don't know, i wasn't born with an innate knowledge of God, and neither were you, or anyone else. especially not anyone born millenia ago, in a time and society where getting crucified was common practice

if you need a hokey religion to tell you not to kill, and to love your fellow man. then you are a weak, sad human being

So what is the basis of humanities forgiveness, compassion, and good? Why are you here, or are you just an accidental blot on the roadmap of natural selection, which scientifically tells us the opposite of what you suggest with your post?

Amazingly, men with Ph. Ds and Academic and Educational backgrounds that destroy anyone on this board have deeper levels of faith than almost any of us. Ever wonder why?

The search for the meaning of life and the question of faith will be around forever. Christianity is growing. Many more are 'getting it' than those who choose to live somewhat empty lives, devoid of faith or the satisfaction of seeking for their purpose.

Unlocking and understanding what exactly is the mystery of faith, and determining for oneself the answer to the universal questions of men is the search for truth that hopefully most will seek to answer. It's easy to be a Doubting Thomas. It's harder to have faith, and yet it's the only way.

[Zanchief]

forgiveness, compassion, and good was around long before christ. and will be around long after he's forgotten. the only "true religion" is agnosticism, there is no proof of God. i know that i don't know, i wasn't born with an innate knowledge of God, and neither were you, or anyone else. especially not anyone born millenia ago, in a time and society where getting crucified was common practice

if you need a hokey religion to tell you not to kill, and to love your fellow man. then you are a weak, sad human being

So what is the basis of humanities forgiveness, compassion, and good? Why are you here, or are you just an accidental blot on the roadmap of natural selection, which scientifically tells us the opposite of what you suggest with your post?

Amazingly, men with Ph. Ds and Academic and Educational backgrounds that destroy anyone on this board have deeper levels of faith than almost any of us. Ever wonder why?

The search for the meaning of life and the question of faith will be around forever. Christianity is growing. Many more are 'getting it' than those who choose to live somewhat empty lives, devoid of faith or the satisfaction of seeking for their purpose.

Unlocking and understanding what exactly is the mystery of faith, and determining for oneself the answer to the universal questions of men is the search for truth that hopefully most will seek to answer. It's easy to be a Doubting Thomas. It's harder to have faith, and yet it's the only way.

You may disagree with him, Lyion but you just went way overboard into crazy town. Faith is far from the only way, and is not the only path for those who seek the truth. Religion and morals are not one and the same, that is the point Thon was making and he was absolutely 100% correct.

[Lyion]

Yeah, that was way too much proselytizing, and I apologize for that.

However, the point I was trying to drive home isn't about doing the right thing. It was about life.

[Arlos]

Even if someone DOES want to have faith, it CERTAINLY doesn't have to be faith in Christianity. They could have faith in Judaism, faith in Buddhism, faith in Taoism, faith in Hinduism, faith in Wiccanism, faith in Shintoism, etc. They can even have faith in Islam, as long as they embrace the peaceful and good side of the religion, and don't buy into the ideology of hate. Look at how the Canadian muslim community has reacted to the terrorism arrests in Toronto. Their leaders came out IMMEDIATELY and said that if the accusations are true, then those people were acting entirely NOT in accordance with the teaching of Islam, that there was no place for illegal means to achieve an end.

It's even just fine for someone to have no faith whatsoever, or faith that there ISN'T a God or gods. I've known many an athiest who believed that it was their duty to their community and to their descendants to live a good life and do good works, and to leave the planet better than it was when they arrived. No need for belief in any higher power for that, honestly.

Ultimately, as long as someone is happy with their life, and isn't harming other people, what does it matter which invisible man they do or do not pray to?

-Arlos

[Narrock]

Christianity is truly the religion of peace.

it's a religion of peace, I wouldn't say the

Tell that to Phelps

Phelps is a mental case and is a poor example of what a Christian is.

What about Pat Robertson?

Pat Robertson has also said some stupid shit on a few different occaisions.

[Narrock]

Arlos wrote:

...and isn't harming other people...

Very important point, and is why I don't like Islam. One could argue, "but not all Muslim's are like that... blah blah blah." Yeah, but they all believe in their prophet, Muscrotesack, and therein lies the problem.

[DESX]

< ---- catholic

[DESX]

One might counter that Muhammad was a man, and as a man he had vices like any other. Who among the Old Testament prophets was without vice? And it's true; just about every prophet listed in the Old Testament had glaring faults which plagued him. Why, therefore, ought we to attribute Muhammad's faults onto Islam?

The answer is that the Koran, the holy text of Islam, preaches violence. In fact, the Koran is wholly unique among sacred texts in its violence and its exhorting believers to wage war against unbelievers. The proof is in the text itself. There are over one hundred verses in the Koran that command Muslims to wage war and slaughter the infidels (unbelievers). I will list eight:

1) "O prophet! Strive hard against the unbelievers and the hypocrites, and be firm against them. Their abode is Hell, an evil refuge indeed." -Koran 9:73*

*note that "strive hard" in Arabic is jahidi, a verbal form of the noun jihad. Such striving was to be on the battlefield.

2) "When you meet the unbelievers in the battlefield, strike off their heads and, when you have laid them low, bind your captives firmly." - Koran 47:4

3) "O ye who believe! Fight the unbelievers who gird you about, and let them find firmness in you: and know that Allah is with those who fear Him." - Koran 9:123

4) "Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who reject faith fight in the cause of evil: so fight ye against the friends of Satan." - Koran 4:76

5) "Then, when the sacred months have passed, slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, and take them captive, and besiege them, and prepare for them each ambush. But if they repent and establish worship and pay the poor-due, then leave their way free. Lo! Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." - Koran 9:5**

**Note that the "poor-due" is zakat which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, which regulates religious tithes. The verse is thus saying that if the "idolaters" become Muslims, leave them alone.

6) "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued." - Koran 9:29***

***Note that the Jizya tax is a tax that is to be inflicted upon non-Muslims only. Therefore, Muslims have two choices with dealing with non-Muslims: slaughter them unless they become Muslims, or subdue themselves to you and pay you for their life.

One might counter that while there are some verses that seem to teach war and jihad, but there are many verses that also teach tolerance and peace. However, the closest the Koran comes to teach tolerance and peace is to counsel Muslims to leave the infidels alone in their errors. A couple of examples:

a) "Say: O disbelievers! I worship not that which ye worship; nor worship ye that which I worship. And I shall not worship that which ye worship. Nor will ye worship that which I worship. Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion." -Koran 109:1-6

b) And have patience with what they say, and leave them with noble dignity. And leave Me alone to deal with those in possession of the good things of life, who yet deny the Truth; and bear with them for a little while." - Koran 73:10-11

c) "Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy handhold, that never breaks." - Koran 2:256

[Sithos]

Christianity is a religion of peace? Guess the crusades was just a fable!

[Thon]

So what is the basis of humanities forgiveness, compassion, and good? Why are you here, or are you just an accidental blot on the roadmap of natural selection, which scientifically tells us the opposite of what you suggest with your post?

all very good questions, and i have a very good, and 100% true answer. i don't know. i don't know why we are here, i don't know what gives us our emotions and the ability to be "good" or "evil". they are daunting questions, and quite possibly beyond the scope of human understanding. it doesn't mean we can't or won't try and figure them out. faith isn't a prerequisite for asking such questions, i hate to burst your bubble but philosophy predates christianity

i don't pretend to know the answers, christianity and other religions do. sorry, but "jebus did it" doesn't cut it for me

[Harrison]

To completely throw out the possibility of a creator in any sense is self-imposed ignorance.

[Lyion]

I haven't seen anyone do that, Harri. I've just seen those with beliefs, and those without.

[Markarado]

Christianity is a religion of peace? Guess the crusades was just a fable!

Yah, because that happened so recently.

[Thon]

more recent than jesus

and you guys seem pretty hung up on him

[Markarado]

Ridiculous comparison

[Sithos]

ANY religion can be taken to extremes. Whether it is Christianity,Judaism or Islamic. There are examples throughout history. Yes, I agree some aspects of their violence are more recent than others but few of the "major" religions are clear of hypocricy and/or violence.

I honestly believe that religion in and of itself does not promote hatred towards others. But when "taken out of context" or used to further an agenda it can galvanize the will of certain followers to do extreme things.