You know what really grinds my gear. People who are intolerant of others' cultrual, social, and religious differences. On this forum anti-semitism is outrageous. Every post someone interrupts with an ignorant,"The Jews cause our problems" or just blatant racist statements. How do some on this site and I'm talking directly to those who are consecuitve offenders justify blasting a religion or society. I'm tired of hearing the ignorant Muslims are crazy statement. Islam is a generally peacefulreligion just like mine and yours...

__________________
"There is nothing wrong with America that can't be cured by what's right with America" William Jefferson Clinton

I think that people who hold anti-Semitic ideas are frustrated and disturbed and take out their problems on Jews. Historically, Jews have always been the convenient "outsiders" in society on whom many have taken out their frustrations in horrible ways.
I think two things are to blame for anti-Islamic ideas. First, many confuse Islam and Islamism. The first is the religion based on the Koran. The second is a political movement that uses Fundamentalist Islam as a pretense for violence- even acts of violence that violate the Koran.
Second, I think that the media has to take some of the blame. I'm not claiming that all journalists or even all networks are guilty of this, but there is a definite tendency towards sensationalism in the media, and unfortunately the viewing public is partly to blame for this. A story about actual Muslims saying their five daily prayers and just living their lives wouldn't be deemed a worthy headline because it wouldn't "sell". A story about an act of violence committed by a crazed Islamist, on the other hand, is almost certain to make the news. That is a basic problem with news agencies being run by profit. Of course, the dangers of state control of the media are great, so I'm not advocating that, and ultimately corporations run sensationalistic news stories because of audience demand for sensationalism. Certainly, war and violence do need to be reported, but I think that responsible human interest stories are needed to counterbalance the view of the world that a person tends to get from watching the news. For example, studies have shown that, since news programs focus so much on violent crimes, people who watch them a lot have an exaggerated view of how much violent crime there is in society. Well, the same is true with acts of violence in the Middle East. From watching the rapid-fire news headlines, many might get the impression that the whole Arab world was nothing but violence and chaos. Hopefully, however, viewers will demand less sensationalistic and more balanced programming on this as well as many other subjects.

__________________
"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

you're kidding yourself if you think chrisianity, islam, and judaism are peaceful religions.

As a Christian, I can tell you that Christianity as a faith (though not always as a social movement) preaches peace as one of its most basic tenets. It is a higher standard than most of us, myself included, often reach, but Christ told us to love our enemies and never to take revenge. The first part is especially difficult. I also know that the teachings of both Judaism and Islam encourage peace.

__________________
"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

Which should be obvious to anyone who has read Leviticus or Revelations...uh-huh...

Lets not be hypocritical. Christianisty has had it's own Jihads....except that they were called the "Crusades" and the "Inquisition".

__________________
My Political Blog (Last post Feb 14) - My MySpace Page

That is Christianity as a social movement, not as a faith.

__________________
"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

Explain the difference.

__________________
My Political Blog (Last post Feb 14) - My MySpace Page

There are two things I can't stand in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch.




Come on, someone must know where that's from...

__________________
It's the difference between suicide and slow capitulation... - Jim Morrison

Any religion as a social movement is simply a tradition of customs and social gatherings (JavaBlack would know the precise terminology). The people in such a social movement sometimes distort the original meaning of their faith to justify their own wants and put their social ties ahead of their religion's code of ethics. That is what the "Christians" who perpetrated the Crusades and the Inquisition did.

__________________
"I am a Tory Anarchist. I should like every one to go about doing just as he pleased- short of altering any of the things to which I have grown accustomed." (Max Beerbohm)

Really? Who gets the final say on what the original meaning is? If you cant determine that, how do you know it has been distorted?

Quite presumptuous of you dont you think?

__________________
My Political Blog (Last post Feb 14) - My MySpace Page