Dear Fellow Human,

My apologies for not replying earlier re my reference to Israel.

I have sympathy for the Jews desiring to return to the land of promise. Long, long before the Muslims came and conquered the region, it was recorded in the Bible (Genesis 12,13,15,17,22, 28) that God promised the land (Palestine, but a much larger area) in a document 3,500 years old to his descendents Isaac and Jacob, (not Ishmael) from whom the Jews are descended.

But while I have sympathy for them, in their desire for a home, I wonder if it would not have been better for them to remain scattered in the Diaspora in the light of all the trouble and hatred their return after 1948 has stirred up.

So today we live with a very unhappy situation which contributes to Islamic extremism such as that expressed most recently in the London suicide bombings. That was all I was saying, nothing more. We Christians - meaning those living in regions where the dominant religion was Christianity over the past 1500 years or so - unfortunately treated the Jews at various times very poorly, which is one good reason why they wanted to return to the land of promise.

Christians of course believe the promise to Abraham found its fulfilment in Christ, but that is another story.

From another Fellow though fallible Human being

Grey,
Child abuse increased because of the sexual revolution! Woah, please prove that one. I suspect religions of all kinds have done more to pervert and corrupt human sexuality than almost any other philosophy. In Victorian England, a God fearing society if ever there was one, there were more child prostitutes ( and more of every other kind) apparently than ever since, and that in a society where revealing the leg of a piano was considered shocking. Repressive societies, it seems to me, where outward conformity and appearance are more important than what you actually do, are the most dangerous for women and children. There was a time when I was automatically suspicious of charismatic American preachers, particularly those who spouted nonsense about the devil and temptation, as active hypocrites, so many of them ended up weeping in court over charges of embezzlement, molestation and sexual shenanigans of all kinds.
Pushing things under the carpet, pretending they don't exist and don't happen, like we did prior to the sexual revolution,( you know , when domestic violence was considered a private affair, and there was no such thing as rape in marriage and children who accused their priest, scoutmaster or grandpa of "touching" them were accused of lying and punished,) is and was a recipe for disaster. Hypocrisy was about all it encouraged. Better to know what is happening, bad and good, and deal with it honestly, than hide, pretend and then do whatever you like behind safely closed doors while claiming to be a pillar of the community and, yes, I'm afraid, sometimes the church.

Anomie, Sod's brood, be me fear!

Sanglorians, save! Arms apeal with larms, appalling.

Killykill-killy: a toll, a toll. What chance cuddleys, what cashels airedand ventilated! What bidimetoloves sinduced by what tegotetab-
solvers! What true feeling for their's hayair with what strawng
voice of false jiccup!

O here here how hoth sprowled met the duskt the father of fornicationists but, (O my shining stars and body!) how hath fanespanned most high heaven the skysign of soft advertisement!

:P

And more apposite than I would have it be,
Ainsoph, this upright one, with that noughty besieged him zeroine. To see in his horroscup he is merkhurios than saltz of sulphur. Terror of the noonstruck by day, cryptogram of each nightly bridable. But, to speak broken heaventalk, is he? Who is he? Whose is he? Why is he? Howmuch is he? Which is he? When is he? Where is he? How is he? And what the decans is there about him anyway, the decent man?

Henceforth I shall quote from "How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World", which its author wanted to call " A Short History of Bollocks". Finnegan is too much like hard work.

BD -
[5:73] Pagans indeed are those who say that GOD is a third of a trinity. There is no god except the one god. Unless they refrain from saying this, those who disbelieve among them will incur a painful retribution.
According to this, SPECIFICALLY the class of persons known as "Christians" (and Jews) are:
-Wicked
-Pagans (blasphemers)
-Idolaters.
-Will incur painful retribution.
-Destined for hell.

Questions.
1/ Does this incite 'serious contempt ' specifically for Christians ? (yes)
** How does this incite contempt? The Bible makes statements about non-believers, yet it does not promote ‘contempt”. How about promoting discussion? Reasoning people disagree on a lot – but because they disagree, doesn’t mean that they incite/promote contempt. Unless you are saying that Muslims aren’t reasoning? Which I’m sure you aren’t. So please explain how you reach the conclusion that you did.

I think Fellow_Human explained the interpretations well, as a REASONING HUMAN would. Given that he/she has a better understanding of their own beliefs, how is it in your power to better interpret them? If you can show a deeper understanding of another persons beliefs (more so than your own!?), I will be impressed. Seems you had more time to study someone else’s beliefs, rather than your own. How ironic.

2/ Does it incite 'hate' ? (possibly)
** See Question 1.

3/ Does it incite 'revulsion for' ? (yes)
** See Question 1!

4/ Does it incite 'severe ridicule of' ? (yes)
** See Question 1!!

Was this the 'motive' of the Quran ? (most likely not)
** Oh my, you got a question right!

Pericles,
Worthy questions to all Christians on their faith. But then that’s what faith is all about. The only issue I have with most religions is the attitude they seem to promote is that for them to be right, they have to convert everyone. I think a few examples can be taken from the Buddhists, who don’t really care if you believe or not. They seem to be more interested in your actions than the words you regurgitate. Just an observation.

Just Dan,

The references to Jesus & Christians in the Koran are so many (around 33 for Jesus alone).
The teachings of the Koran as explained are Christians and Muslims have the same good values and the teachings of the commandments. When it came to the Trinity and ‘father, son and holy spirit’, the Koran was ‘clear cut’ on monotheism. It was not about hating the followers of Jesus because we, muslims are also followers of jesus. The context of the Koran to me as a muslim is simple:
Muslims and Christians, share monotheism, commandments, belief in Jesus his virgin birth (and him being the messiah). The fence between a muslims believer and a Christian believer is the Trinity: this is where my journey end and Christians continue. It is not my judgement however since above verse is clear on that. “My side” of the story is that Jesus said God is one, follow the commandments. He said that in the Koran and some parts of the bible.
That’s all,

It is interesting that my first comment to BD long ago was to focus on what we have in common, and after so many threads of denial he took us back to what we have in common!

Garra,

Whats with the Lord of the rings “kill them all theory”?
Peace to you all,