Greetings Yuyutsu cont.....
Less than admirable also is; "Regarding intellect, it's a great servant and a poor master" When one considers the consequences that flow from such a naive assertion it becomes apparent that it springs from a mind ill-suited to disciplined rational thought. No amount of searching reveals an original source for this bon mot. What was revealed was the plethora of religious/spiritual sites that made use of it. This immediately aroused the skeptic in me. Einstein expressed a similar sentiment when he wrote to the affect that the intellect has powerful muscles but no personality. In my estimation he trumps a millennium of attempts by the faithful to not only describe intellect but find a description that will simultaneously disparage it. Einstein is correct. Pursuit of explanation, of knowledge, adhering rigidly to the scientific method, each of these can countenance no human idiosyncracy or frailty, no arbitrariness or personal preference. Rather, the intellect is a necessary component or expression of the human mind. Atheists give no thought to its separate existence as a servant or master. The intellect is there for use when required. Science has the same view. Is inspirational inference an expression of intellect? Great scientific minds seem to be particularly susceptible to it, Newton, Bohr, Hawking, Einstein, Feynman, Kraus, Maxwell, Darwin and a host of others all drank from its waters.

"An atheist is not someone who doesn't believe in some God out there, but as Swami Vivekananda states: 'He is an atheist who does not believe in himself.'"

Your worthy swami should confine his observations to fatuous remarks about Krishna etc for he does not know the meaning of the word ATHEIST. If he rejoices in testing the equanimity of atheists, perhaps he would not be so averse to my pleasurable testing of his..........

Dear Pogi,

I stated that religion and violence are mutually exclusive.
You want to oppose my view? OK, then state an alternate view.
The opposite to my view is that religion and violence can co-exist,
so I asked you whether you subscribe to this opposite view - if so, then say so, but I got no direct answer.
Instead, you presented a further list of impostors, of violent people who claimed to be religious.

It's like, how would you feel if being a grandmother, a murderer rang your neighbour's doorbell, your neighbour asked "who is it?", was answered "your grandmother", so they opened the door and were killed, then the next day all sensational media headlines reported: "All grandmothers are murderers!".

Next you write: "Indeed, the religious are deluded, self-deluded in fact" - such a generalised statement, yet you never even mentioned what, in your view, are they deluded about.

That there are people who believe themselves to be religious but in fact are not, well of course, this is even quite common - but that is not what you stated. If you think that I am one of them, then by all means I will be grateful if you point my errors so I can correct them and turn to God - this is what good friends do.

Yutsie: I stated that religion and violence are mutually exclusive.

I think they are mutually inclusive, at all points in history two things are common to violence, Women & Religion.

Yutsie: Next you write: "Indeed, the religious are deluded, self-deluded in fact" - such a generalised statement, yet you never even mentioned what, in your view, are they deluded about.

That's easy. Just about everything they believe.

BAD NEWS for MacGarvie and other supporters of ISIS

"Young Arabs' support for Islamic State sliding: survey"

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/young-arabs-support-for-islamic-state-sliding-survey-20160412-go4dbd.html#ixzz45c8fNDhH

GOOD NEWS for those working for peace: "A Common Word" http://www.acommonword.com/

..and the REVIVAL OF TRADITIONAL ISLAM as the Muslims seek out the truth about their religion:

Muhammad al-Yaqoubi "Refuting ISIS, Khawarij Wahabi Salafi Ideology"
https://archive.org/details/RefutingISIS

"There is a plethora of proofs to destroy the allegations of ISIS and expose their manipulation of the Shariah (Islamic law), but knowledge of these proofs is confined to the classical texts and is generally inaccessible to the average Muslim reader. From recognizing this void sprung forth the idea of writing this book—to offer a handbook that clarifies the position of Sunni Islam towards ISIS and its atrocities. It is also the first attempt to intellectually defy ISIS, not only by offering a decisive rebuttal to their feeble narrative but also by defining the theological standing of the group and the legal status of their self-declared caliphate. This book proceeds through a series of carefully constructed arguments, proving that the so-called "Islamic State" is neither Islamic nor a state, but rather a deviant group of gangsters driven by anger, hatred, and a thirst for power, using Islam as a pretense to reach their goals."

...."Refuting ISIS is aimed at five different groups: (i) Muslim youth who are being influenced by the propaganda of ISIS, with no alternative rejoinders (2) Common Muslims who are seeking answers to the new theological and legal challenges brought by ISIS (3) New recruits within ISIS, to help them defect by proving to them that ISIS has strayed from Islam and that the oath of allegiance to its leader is void (4) The fighters of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in Syria, the Muslim pilots from the alliances against ISIS, and their families, as many of them are wondering about the legitimacy of war against their "Muslim brothers" and whether they die as martyrs for a just cause. …cont

Cont….Some FSA brigades were hesitating in their fight against ISIS, but after it was explained to them some of what has been included in this book, they became firmly convinced that fighting ISIS is a religious obligation. This group benefitted from the Arabic version of the book. (5) The western audience, academics, journalists, politicians, and the public, the majority of whom have always admired Islam as a set of tenets and a religion of peace and civility, but when faced with the practices of ISIS, took pause as they wondered where the Muslim scholars are and why they are silent. Many in the West have heard Muslim figures in the media disassociating true Islam from the actions of ISIS, however for intellectuals that in itself was not convincing enough; the voice of an expert and scholar was required in order to dig out the treasures of the Islamic legal system and present proofs which undeniably refute the allegations of ISIS and demonstrate its fallacies. "
..
“ISIS, on the other hand, rebels against all of the schools of Islamic law, and against most Salafi interpretations, while adhering to Ibn Taymiyya in his theological views. This lack of an authority in legislation, coupled with the absence of a major reference or manual of law in the hands of ISIS' judges and Shariah personnel, has led almost every fighter placed in charge of a situation to present a contrived legal ruling based on his own understanding of the Quran and Tradition, most often selecting the quotes which seemingly validate their vengeful ill will. The brutality, savagery, and barbarity we have witnessed from this group is a testimony to the inherent danger of giving ignorant fanatics the authority to do the job of the great independent legal authorities (mujtahids), a status which even great figures such as al Ghazali and al-Nawawi could not claim. Therefore, we should concede that the extreme practices of ISIS are a direct result of the breaking of the undeclared authority of the Sunni doctors of law. ...cont

cont...
"The movement which interrupted their authority has developed for well over a century and has been strengthened by two factors. First, the marginalization of traditional Islam at the hands of secular governments in most parts of the Islamic world (with Morocco being an exception due to the Islamic authority its monarchs assumed over the centuries). Second, the rise of political Islamic movements, which often adopted a Salafist approach in the course of their rebellion against the authority of the 'Ulama (scholars) whom they consider an obstacle to the establishment of their own Islamic state and the classical institutions of Sunni Islam, such as al-Azhar.”

Muhammad al-Yaqoubi "Refuting ISIS, Khawarij Wahabi Salafi Ideology"
https://archive.org/details/RefutingISIS

Thank-you McGarvie for your part in the ongoing revival of true Islam as more Muslims are spurred on by inflammatory articles, like your own, to learn the truth about their religion. Probably not what you were planning or hoping for.

You have pampered your prejudices with a false narrative about Islam presuming Muslims would find that narrative to be a reality. But your narrative is far from the truth and Allah is the best of planners (just a reminder).

God willing you'll realise the error of your ways before being tempted further along the path of your forefathers' tradition of intolerance:

-"Was Luther anti-Semitic?" (Chrisitan Histoy)
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-39/was-luther-anti-semitic.html