Not before time, if it's actually the case.

What are the values which support terrorist attacks and barbarity ? What do its adherents stand for, and on what do they rely for that authority ?

What are the values of those of us who oppose such barbarity ? On what authority do we rely ? Certainly, the principles of the Enlightenment, so painfully, slowly and imperfectly developed over many centuries - the principles of the rule of law, equality of all before the law, one person-one vote, the freedoms of speech and expression, and equal opportunity for all - imperfect yes, but a giant step forward compared with the backward principles that terrorists are aspiring to impose on the world.

So what do we stand for that the terrorists so violently oppose ?

Joe

It is simplistic to say that all this violence comes as a result of adherence to Islam. It is simplistic because it gives credence to religion as being a logical and reasonable argument for doing anything. Religion is never logical or reasonable.

People do religious things because they do not know how to deal with their feelings. When they are frightened they resort to religious behaviour. They open their holy books looking for verses that might comfort them. They say prayers, fondle their beads or recite mantras. When they are angry they do similar things and look for verses that remind them that God will ultimately smite their foes. How many times have we seen people who are not religious at all resort to praying when under extreme stress? It is what they do when they do not know what else to do.

In most cases there are things you can do when you feel fear and anger and religious behaviour is not logical at all in response. In fact it is never logical because either you can fix the problem yourself or you can not have any proof that a God exists. The only course then is to accept nature.

People who respond to reality with religious behaviour will feel threatened when such behaviour appears to be challenged by outsiders who do not use these same methods. The more dependent they are the more likely they are to become violent in order to protect these methods. This is what religious people who resort to violence are doing – they are fighting not to protect ideas or values but behaviours which they are emotionally dependent on. It is like the reaction you get if you try to confiscate the bottle of an alcoholic.

When such dependent people form groups to protect their neurotic behaviours then you get more widespread and organised violence but it is all about protecting the way they deal with reality. It is primitive and immature and is certainly not based on ideas and values and it is a waste of time to treat them as such.

Agreed,

Islam is the invention of an Arabian bandit leader and his followers, a violent Muslim is a devout Muslim and the jihad will continue until the entire planet is Islamic.

Yes, Western bombs from 20,000 feet are much more religeous.

Phanto, read the article! Your summation completely misses the point.

It doesn't matter if being religious is logical or not. The current wave of Islamic extremism spreading through the middle east, Africa and isolated incidents in western countries is a direct result of people who practice and believe the teaching of Muhammed. Muhammed's teaching is the foundation of Islam and Islam's followers are Muslim.

If logic could be brought into the negotiations with these people it would be easy to find a resolution. Logic is western thinking; these people are not trying to be logical. They are spreading the faith as directed by their Prophet.

I stumbled across a new term for ISIS that is being advocated by the French Foreign Minister, Daesh. He feels using ISIS somewhat legitimises the group as that is what they call themselves. I think this is stupid politically correct BS along the lines of replacing the term Global Warming (which is the crux of the argument) with climate change, a phenomena no one can deny. I hope we don't see our politicians take up this use but I have notice one regular contributor to OLO has started.

Mac why is the USA making sure that China is surrounded by weapons of mass destruction from Australia to Japan and elsewhere in the Chinese region, likewise with Russia?, it is not of Islam but Christianity to wipe these people off the planet if need be, dominance and control being the aim, if we take an individual like Tony Abbott a devout Catholic who prays to his make believe God that his non Christian beliefs of not helping mankind by turning boats back and war destruction etc makes a complete mockery of what he is believing in, with thoughts like these in his head he should burn in hell as per his Bible, after all I am a Christian he thinks, there is nothing Christian about what he is doing, the Islam Jihadists have the same thoughts in their head, let's kill and destroy people in the name of our beliefs in religion, no different to Abbott, religion is a curse upon all mankind, always has been and always will be