Re: OT: Historical Amnesia

From: Mark Fergerson (nunya_at_biz.ness)
Date: 10/14/04 

Date: Thu, 14 Oct 2004 02:11:18 -0700

Christian Wilms wrote:

> Product developer <jdurban@vorel.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Granted the Catholics have their alter boy chasing priests and the
>>Mormons have their bizarre cult but at least they don't hijack
>>airliners.

> Well a look into the history books does bring the crusades to mind. Even
> the most militant islamists still have a way to go to bring that amount
> of death and suffering to the world.

   That's only because Islam is so recent, while Xtianity has largely
developed past that stage (not that I'm any great fan of Xtianity).
Also, try to remember that the Crusades were responses to the spread of
Islam by the sword.

> Granted, this is no excuse for anything just a thought to slow the
> finger-pointing.

   I'll point a finger you can't slow with a thought; religions in
general are bloody businesses.

> Besides that I still don't understand why so many people - repeating
> rifle being the most predominant here - tend to generalize so much.

   It's valid in that Muslims in general tacitly support their
extremists by failing to denounce them. But then, critical discourse is
rather strongly discouraged within Islam, same as within Xtianity
historically.

   Write a book making fun of the tenets of any Xtian church today, and
what happens? You make some money, and the churches go on as if nothing
happened. But, look what happened to the author of _The Satanic Verses_;
there's a literal price on his head.

> "Muslims" are not the same as "islamist terrorists". Sadly some people
> just don't appear to be able to grasp that concept - strange considering
> that "generalizations" was a grade school subject (at least in NY).

   So, make it a subject in Islamic schools...

   Mark L. Fergerson

Relevant Pages

  • Re: OT: Historical Amnesia
    ... developed past that stage (not that I'm any great fan of Xtianity). ... Islam by the sword. ... But then, critical discourse is ... Write a book making fun of the tenets of any Xtian church today, ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: OT: Historical Amnesia
    ... developed past that stage (not that I'm any great fan of Xtianity). ... Islam by the sword. ... But then, critical discourse is ... Write a book making fun of the tenets of any Xtian church today, ...
    (sci.optics)
  • Re: OT: Historical Amnesia
    ... developed past that stage (not that I'm any great fan of Xtianity). ... Islam by the sword. ... But then, critical discourse is ... Write a book making fun of the tenets of any Xtian church today, ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)
  • Re: OT: Historical Amnesia
    ... > rather strongly discouraged within Islam, ... > Write a book making fun of the tenets of any Xtian church today, ...
    (sci.physics)
  • Re: OT: Historical Amnesia
    ... > rather strongly discouraged within Islam, ... > Write a book making fun of the tenets of any Xtian church today, ...
    (sci.optics)