The Paris atrocities are a display of faith. The murderers had faith in the righteousness and justice of their acts. If we want to explain the acts of ISIS we need look no further than the story of the binding of Isaac in the Bible. In any civilised society it is a crime to kill one’s child. However, the willingness of Abraham to murder Isaac is regarded as a test of faith by many believers. With his absolute faith in God Abraham was willing to commit this great crime. One of the recent murderers in Paris was heard to say, “Allahu Akbar” which means “God is great” He worshipped the same kind of God that is in the Bible. His faith, like the faith of Abraham, justified murder. A man without such a faith might have questioned. He might have asked, “Am I doing right?” He might have doubted.

Faith is the enemy of reason. One can justify one’s faith by committing what action is necessary to prove one’s faith. I prefer doubt and reason to faith.

What is the lesson in the binding of Isaac? Some say it is obedience. To me it is a bad thing to obey when an authority figure commands atrocity even if the authority figure is a deity. Abraham should have said, “No.” All terrorists motivated by God should say, “No.”

Faith can promote and justify atrocity

where you get your moral base to call something right or wrong is an act of faith david f. Most secularist who want to jusify their bigotry and lack of morals use pseudo science ( you know like murdering babies in wombs). Usually their attack on the God of Abraham, Issac and Israel is a cover to hide their bigotry because they know from this source is where every good thing comes. Next you will be telling me the faith of secular humanism has a good track record. I suppose secularism shares lying for the cause as ok just like Islam does.

Dear davidf,

Only last week I had a thoroughly enjoyable time debating the Akedah as the two of us have done before. I've a different view of Abraham's actions but let's not divert from your point, that faith is somehow the central theme in the Paris killings.

Reports are emerging of just how little formal faith a number of the suicide attackers had.

“The pot-smoking Paris suicide bomber: Ex-wife reveals 'blood brother' terrorist was a jobless layabout who spent his time taking drugs and sleeping... and never went to the mosque”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3322385/Ex-wife-Comptoir-Voltaire-caf-bomber-reveals-jobless-layabout-spent-day-bed-smoking-pot-French-say-blew-mistake-fiddling-suicide-vest.html#ixzz3s14cywtV

and

Extraordinary selfie of Europe's first female suicide bomber shows the jihadi who never read the Koran, liked to drink and smoke and had a reputation for having lots of boyfriends

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3325180/Two-fingers-world-Pictured-Europe-s-female-suicide-bomber-booze-loving-extrovert-nicknamed-Cowgirl-love-big-hats.html#ixzz3s154zCHb

This a recent, quite popular joke on Reddit which illustrates the point;

Quote

ISIS guy stopped the car of Christian couple. ISIS guy: Are you moslem?

Christian: Yes I am.

ISIS guy: Recite a verse from Quran.

Christian man recited a verse from Bible.

ISIS guys: Yallah-ho-snackbar, you can go.

Later Christian guy's wife: I can't believe you took that risk. If he knew you recited a verse from Bible he would have killed us.

Christian guy: Don't worry, if he knew Quran he wouldn't be member of ISIS.

End quote.

Rather than religion what seems to me to be a more pervasive theme is how disaffected many of the youth who get sucked into this sort of activity really are.

The case could be made that it is the lack of an ideal that these young men and women can believe in that make them vulnerable in the first place. It is not difficult to lead a pretty empty life in a consumer driven society. High unemployment, low education and rejection can exacerbate the perception of an aimless, meaningless existence.

Unfortunately in Western cultures youth contemplating or succeeding in suicide is quite prevalent.

Perhaps for some of these late converts the path has already been set before a twisted version of a faith is seen able to wrap it in a perceived meaning.

Well said Df

Faith is the antithesis of all thinking human beings.
Blind, unthinking dogma that inevitably leads to hatred and violence.
It has always been the way of the faithful. Always.

There is a world of difference between faith on the one hand and believing that a certain action would bring you certain results on the other.

The Muslim terrorists who blow themselves up do it not for the love of God, but because they believe they'll get 72 virgins in heaven - that's not faith, that's a combination of lust and superstition.

This is classic Davidf: Christianity is as bad a Islam - even though he ignores the New Testament and the fact that the Koran never left the 7th Century. His absurd comments about faith is typical of bullies without logical argument, but that is not for a nominal Christian like me to argue.

What I take issue with is David's 'relativism': Islam is no worse than Christianity; all cultures are equal, good and bad is a relative thing, etc. All the blah that is huge danger to liberal democracies.

Pure ignorance and scuttlebutt, David. More expected from callow youths than a man of your age.