Quote from danowat :

You should behave in a decent manner because its the right thing to do, NOT what a group of "dealers" tell you too.

Where did the 'decent manner' come from though? Did the human race just naturally learn to be tolerant towards others (others outside our family, community etc...) did this just come progressively or was it the earliest forms of religion which set the standard?

Like I said, it was created as a tool to control mass populations through fear, fear of "hell", fear of not going to "heaven", behave this way or you'll suffer etc etc.

Religion has prayed on the human races natural intolerances and magnified them to such a degree that we have the situation(s) we have now, mass genocide, murder, violence, intolerance, all in the name of "god".

Quote from flymike91 :

I don't see any of these christians blowing themselves up and killing women and children systematically (see: honor killings)

Is anyone really trying to make the point that radical Christians are as dangerous as radical Muslims? Why are Muslims seen by atheists as the underdogs that need to be protected? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4j1pvqs508

Go back in history and read up on it then. Esp, Crusades.

How was/is that different to now?

As for why? Fear IMO

Now, on topic, IMO, it shouldn't go ahead, and I think it'll just raise the stakes even more between Christianity and Islam. (Although, after what Christianity's done to mine I'm having a hard time staying neutral).

danowat, I tend to agree, that "god" (or gods), are used as justification for too much. I agree with the idea that it was created as a control mechanism

That whole story sounds so much 16xxs, seriously.

Well, I don't think it's a smart idea burning that book, but I don't mind it at all tbh.

Problem here is that people will go apeshit... sorry the word, but will use this to start a mass hysteria and there will be flag burning and all that..
But to be honest, no ones are better. From time to time you see people burning flags and everything goes shit, but after some time ally cools down, and that will happend here too I think.

The middle east are at many aspecs back in time when it comes to belifs on various things.. and NO, I AM NOT racist. But look at their veiw on religion, woman and all that (stoning people to death) - it's less civilized than many other parts of the world today.

Quote from DieKolkrabe :

Go back in history and read up on it then. Esp, Crusades.

The crusades were a reaction to the expanding muslim empire.

And there's parallels to now, with people's reactions

Quote from Scott Mckenzie :

Where did the 'decent manner' come from though? Did the human race just naturally learn to be tolerant towards others (others outside our family, community etc...) did this just come progressively or was it the earliest forms of religion which set the standard?

any remotely intelligent human being will be able to figure out that "live and let live" is a good way to spend your life on his own

I think at this juncture it's worth pointing out that there are about 30 members of this church, so it would be unfair to blame christianity or even the USA as a whole for this.

I'm sure if we scour today's press we can find something else to hate the yanks and christians for though. Like the business with the extradition treaty and the other business with the pope's mates ****ing kids or whatever.

the crusades were then and this is now. I can't be the only one to think that we've come a long way, and in my opinion the west has come a lot further than the middle east in terms of acceptable modern behavior. I wish they would burn bibles instead of women.

Unless I'm missing some major event I really don't see parallel between modern day radical christians in the West and modern day radical Muslims. Radical and even non-radical Muslims are trying to convince the western world that they are oppressed and then they turn around and do stuff like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4j1pvqs508

Someone mentioned the IRA. I Don't think their motives are religious and their end goal to kill everyone in the world who doesn't believe what they believe and live according to their morals.

So do you support what this guy's doing, Mike?

Pakistanis burn American Flags all the time. Whats the difference? Both the Koran and a flag represent large numbers of people who clearly don't particuarly like each other...

i don't care what 30 rednecks do. as long as they're burning korans they're not suicide bombing mosques. I'm glad they have the right to do what they're doing. I don't think a christian in an american flag shirt burning a koran in the streets of palestine would last very long.

I just think this guys an attention whore... I'm sure muslims have burned bibles before...

Mike, Islam itself doesn't allow things like blowing yourself up or burning women as you say. Calling yourself muslim doesn't make you one, people call themselves muslims and do these kind of things but that goes against the values of Islam. The same way a Christian can call himself religious yet act completely differently from what his book teaches him.

that is why i'm usually sure to write 'radical muslim' and 'radical christian' but if I forget you can be sure thats what i mean

Quote from J@tko :

Pakistanis burn American Flags all the time. Whats the difference? Both the Koran and a flag represent large numbers of people who clearly don't particuarly like each other...

True that.

Also, why all the uproar over the Christians in a small town burning a Koran, when there should be far more of an uproar (instead of pandering and fawning in the name of tolerance) at the plans by a big Muslim organisation with extremist links to build a huge mosque in very close proximity to Ground Zero? That, if anything, is an act of defiance and provocation.

I don't think any of that should cause an uproar. A burning of the Quran is a hateful thing to do and an attack to all muslims not just these ''radical muslims'' (which I do not consider muslims at all) but I think its just stupid that its publicised. It'll cause problems for the US and the middle east unncessarily. Like I said, I'm sure muslims have burned bibles before but that never made it to the media...

And Mookie, I don't agree that trying to build a mosque close to Ground Zero is of the same level of provocation and hatred as burning a book concidered holy by many. It shouldn't cause an uproar, they ask to build, they get rejected, end of story. Why does it have to be a big deal...?

Quote from J@tko :

Pakistanis burn American Flags all the time. Whats the difference? Both the Koran and a flag represent large numbers of people who clearly don't particuarly like each other...

Burning a flag and burning a holy book is a big difference IMO.

Quote from evilpimp :

Like I said, I'm sure muslims have burned bibles before but that never made it to the media...

I wonder why muslims are made to look like the victims in the media...maybe thats more of a relevant question.

Quote :

And Mookie, I don't agree that trying to build a mosque close to Ground Zero is of the same level of provocation and hatred as burning a book concidered holy by many. It shouldn't cause an uproar, they ask to build, they get rejected, end of story. Why does it have to be a big deal...?

Are you so naive as to think they proposed a mosque on ground zero in good faith and with the end goal of appealing to those who lost family on 9/11 by the hands of radical muslims?

Quote from flymike91 :

I wonder why muslims are made to look like the victims in the media...maybe thats more of a relevant question.

Are you so naive as to think they proposed a mosque on ground zero in good faith and with the end goal of appealing to those who lost family on 9/11 by the hands of radical muslims?

Not at all, I don't think they had the best of intentions when they got the idea to build a mosque there. But my point is that why would it cause an uproar? These so called muslims are trying to piss off americans, nothjng new there. All im saying is that its been blown way out of proportions and it shouldn't even have been made public in the first place. They try to piss off the people, the city or government objects, not many people hear about it and there you go, it doesn't bother too many people. Making the whole thing so public just makes things worst and works ib favor of these people who will go to any lengths to piss off americans.

Quote from evilpimp :

And Mookie, I don't agree that trying to build a mosque close to Ground Zero is of the same level of provocation and hatred as burning a book concidered holy by many. It shouldn't cause an uproar, they ask to build, they get rejected, end of story. Why does it have to be a big deal...?

They haven't been rejected. Au contraire. What it sends out to the Islamist militants in the middle east, and the rest of the world, is "we destroyed the symbol of the West, now we build on it"

If that's not provocation I don't know what is. It's an attack on US sensitivities, and the reporting of it in the media which is seemingly sympathetic to the cause (BBC being a major contributing factor), has been dire.

People trying tk get on other peoples nerves. " radical muslims " trying to get on the nerves of americans. Nothing new there. Don't get me wrong, i am completely opposed to the idea of building a mosque there, it is definetly an attack to the american people. I just think the building permit should be rejected and the whole thing dropped there.

making the whole thing public and letting politicians feel the true public sentiment against the mosque will hopefully stop its construction. And I agree with mookie ^^^

But I have to agree it has been dragging on in the media. In my opinion the mainstream media's focus on racism and immigration are smokescreens to dilute the debates in the november elections away from the ONLY issue that should be discussed: the economy. (not a strong point for the left) annndd the right wing is falling right into the trap...again. but thats my off topic 2 cents.

Just pointing out that mookies post doesn't really go against what I'm saying as I do agree that it is blatant provocation. Jus' sayin'.

Quote from flymike91 :

the ONLY issue that should be discussed: the economy. (not a strong point for the left)

Economy is a non-issue. Just spend more money and it'll all be fine.

Quote from flymike91 :

the ONLY issue that should be discussed: the economy..

Why? How about we fix the planet, first? An amazing economy means jack shit when the race becomes extinct because of its own over consumption.