Sorry this is rather behind the times. Hope it is of some interest despite this.
Buzsaw said:
quote:
1. If Muslims had enough compassion for "infidels" to sacrifice all the man hours, money, equipment and goods to help another country unable to help themselves that we have done and continue to do for them, I'd say their religion would be worth listening to.
Forgive me, but that sounds awfully self-congratulatory. Would a suitably impressive demonstration of atheist charity make you consider becoming an atheist? What size would the sacrifice of cash/manhours have to be?
Buzsaw also said:
quote:
2. Americans tolerate debate and freedom of religion, regardless of whether it is the majority religion of the nation.
I think fundamentalists of any religious creed have trouble with tolerance. To suffer someone to follow a religion that you as a fundamentalist do not is to condemn them to eternal torment, after all!
When it comes to Islam in particular, I don't think its as cut and dried as you suggest. As you know, there was a small but significant Christian community in Iraq under Saddam Hussein. It has been there for centuries. Only very recently have their lives become more difficult. This is best explained as the result of the radicalisation of some Iraqi muslims, rather than some inherent intolerance in Islamic teaching.
Buzsaw said also:
quote:
3. Likely it wouldn't happen, even if it meant millions of deaths. As with 9/11, Indonesian Muslim clerics and their flocks would likely have rather danced in the streets than to come to our rescue.
I don't think they were dancing because their religion is intolerant and cruel. I think the Palestinians we saw dancing on TV were doing so because they felt unfairly treated. Injustice, or even the perception of injustice can make people do pretty sick things (see also ETA, IRA, ETC..). Usually though, they will only do so when the injustice they percieve is sickening. Whether justified or not, Muslims feel a lot of injustice over Israel's treatment of Palestinians and America's percieved conivement.
Gosh, I just used the word percieved a lot.
quote:
Look how meager the aid from oil rich Muslim nations was for their own brothers......and to think they'd care a snap about helping a contemptable infidel?
I don't know about this. Maybe this is true?
™ Version 4.2