Islamic jihad: the genocide in the Sudan

Well, then how did it happen with Christianity? Do you really think that the early Christians were any less enthusiastic about their faith, and the divine origin of their scriptures?When I look at Islam, I see a religion that's basically about a thousand years behind Christianity but largely on the same path of development. Which would make sense; Islam's origin being around 1000 AD, as I understand it.

I did. Will you do me the same favor? No, I get that. I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. What I meant was pretty simple - for Christianity to have returned to the text - granting, for a moment, your conception of Christianity's history - it had to have departed in the first place.You referred to a time when Christianity had departed from the texts. I get that. So there was a period when Christianity moved away from the texts (so that, later, it could move back to the texts). It happened. Why couldn't it happen to Islam?

Er, not me. Are you sure you're reading my posts carefully?Would it help if I told you that I largely agree with your premise - that Islam is a kind of "war religion", or at least it's religious documents have a strong militaristic theme, and therefore a more peaceful Islam will, of necessity, be a less fundamentalist one? No, I'm saying the exact opposite - if Christianity could enter a period where it departs substantially from the texts- before, as you assert, they returned to them - why can't Islam?Is that clearer? I agree. But you seem to claim that this movement away from the text is not possible. But if it, at one time, happened to Christianity, why couldn't it happen to Islam? Clear as crystal, like it's always been. Do you really think this isn't possible, though? That there's no fighting fundamentalism of any stripe? It might very well be the case that Christianity's departure from fundamentalism (or however you want to describe it) was merely the result of the actual text of the Bible not being avaliable for inspection by most people. Given the internet - hell, given the printing press - that kind of obfuscation isn't likely to take effect in the Muslim world, I guess.

My intent was to ask the opposite - why can't Islam move away from it's texts?Maybe my sentence structure is a little fuzzy, I guess, but you'll see that the main body of the paragraph you quoted refers to Christianity moving away from its texts, not back towards them, and that's what I'm talking about when I ask if "it" could happen to Islam.

I dunno, is it? I mean, it would be better for all the rest of us, right? And for them, too. Mistake? Sounds like a great idea to me. Well, there's no shortage of so-called "Christians" who believe all kinds of stuff that isn't in the Bible, right? Pro-gay marriage, pro-abortion, all the rest.How did those people get convinced? You must have some idea. Is it scary that we couldn't agree more? But I guess I see this as the problem with just about all religions.

Is that really relevant, though?Why do so many well-meaning progressives rush to defend Islam? Do you really think that Muslims are largely any more tolerant of gays and atheists and evolutionists than the Christians largely are?The assertions of Faith and others that Islam's text is militaristic and suggests violence against the foes of Islam seem to be largely correct. Who cares what the stupid Bible says?