Thor, you are thundering away at "leftists" louder than your ancient namesake was when trundling around the sky in his billy-goat cart throwing the magic hammer Mjolnir at giants.
From what you have posted about the Norwegian scene, the Muslim outlook is damned crook. And it wasn't too good when Olaf took over the Norwegian crown and got "sainted" for converting his subjects to Christianity via the practice of sitting reluctant women on steaming kettles. I think he might have been a capitalist rather than a leftist.

Dear Faustino
your last sentence said it all.

There is no real difference between what I was saying, and what you are saying in terms of the inner dimension to not being attached to things from an ego basis.
The difficulty I see is, Buddha recognized that being attached to the world and things in it, based on ego, will lead to suffering, he only offered 'freedom from' so, presumably, by not persuing selfishness, we avoid suffering. Though common sense tells us this is unreal. We suffer in many ways which have nothing to do with how we ourselves are mentally conditioned. Denying the suffering of a severed hand would not stack up as far as my blinkered view can see :)

But aside from the semantics of the Buddha's teaching or experience, I cannot see why one who is raised to know Christ would depart from one who solved our sin problem, dying on our behalf, and rose to Glory to give us a real hope, and promised to return and gather those who love Him to himself.

Buddhism is a denial of Christ, by saying that we ourselves can rid ourselves of the attachment which causes suffering. But it cannot rid us of guilt. There are things we all have done, which can never ever be undone, and such things can only be forgiven, not extinguished. But the Buddha cannot forgive. He cannot give us a clean slate, a new heart or a new mind. His body lies somewhere in a grave.

No one can seriously question the value of his teaching from a psychological perspective, but I find nothing more in it than that.

Jesus said

6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You[c] must be born again.'

Its not a new philosophy, a new idea, a new doctrine that we need, its a new birth.

How could you have missed this in your upbringing, and why would you abandon it ? I'm guessing there is something you are not telling us.

Dear Thor,

No need to shout, we can hear you mate.

Fistly how did I get labelled as LEFTIST. Probably the same way you quoted stats out of context. Simply stabbing in the dark. I'm not and I ask you to define your term "LEFTIST". Apparently must be in capitals, so I follow your convention.

As to providing sources, quoting newspaper reports is about as reliable as our politicians in Australia. You can't beleive anything they say or publish. And you quote a blog as an authority too. That's rich mate. You'll be quoting the Daily Telegraph in Sydney as a source next.

You also haven't given any clue to which country and reliable sources you are talking about? Is it Italy, Norway or what? You haven't mentioned Australian stats which is where I found your statements sweeping and innacurate. Perhaps we don't keep stats of rapes by race.

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make anyway. What is your point? It would help if you stated it clearly please.

Well I have finally made up my mind at long long last ........

I am going to convert and be a Moslem extremist, strap on some explosives - and then go blow something up.

Not quite sure what I will blow up ...maybe I might just only blow myself up, but the thought is there - I just want to be a martyr, go to heaven and have an endless supply of willing, ever lasting virgins, All willing, ready and practised (?) at my beck and call in my old age.

Ahhhh......... What a life to contemplate, especially when you take into consideration the alternative as espoused by all these bloody crazy christian religions, whose steady dull mantra of pain, suffering and preying (sic) all their lives to then go to a purgatory existence before you might, just might, if you do not mind make it.

Well to me it is a no brainer ..... An instant passport into paradise to service 72 (or is it 75?) everlasting virgins for MY everlasting pleasure ..... Hmmmmm Just wondering if I could keep it up for the lot of them? What would happen to me if I missed out on a few? What would happen to me if they had discovered their own equal right and DEMANDED their own conjugal rights??

Oh well I suppose I would just have to brace myself, keep a stiff upper lip (even if another part stays limp....) and think of good old Mohammad, who had done his bit to provide this brilliant afterlife for me.

After all the alternative life in HELL would be one to one of being shut in a small room for the rest of eternity with all you posters here on OLO.......

Just joking you guys.....

Tough luck, Kekenidika,

No virgins at the end of that particular road. Not even a pony.

If you want to really understand, Scott Atran's essay, http://www.interdisciplines.org/terrorism/papers/1 explains.

Summary:

(1) suicide terrorism is not due to poverty/illiteracy;
(2) suicide terrorists have no abnormal or special personality characteristics;
(3) a purely or even predominantly military response to suicide terrorism is unlikely to succeed;
(4) the widespread support in Islamic countries for the suicide terrorists is not due to the popular dislike of democracy, civil liberties, the treatment of women, or other aspects of American society that might indicate a "clash of civilizations";
(5) support for suicide terrorism in Islamic countries is a reaction to American foreign policy--in particular for the US support for Israel and unpopular, authoritarian Islamic regimes;
(6) the effective way to end suicide terrorism is to change these foreign policy choices.

The fact remains:

QUOTE
Contemporary suicide terrorists from the Middle East are publicly deemed crazed cowards bent on senseless destruction who thrive in poverty and ignorance. [But] they have no appreciable psychopathology and are as educated and economically well-off as surrounding populations. A first line of defense is to get the communities from which suicide attackers stem to [learn] how to minimize the receptivity of mostly ordinary people to recruiting organizations.
END QUOTE

Virgins? Nothing to do with it, any more than they had with WWII Japanese kamikaze pilots:

QUOTE
... suicide attack as a weapon of terror is usually chosen by weaker parties against materially stronger foes when fighting methods of lesser cost seem unlikely to succeed. Choice is often voluntary, but typically under conditions of group pressure and charismatic leadership. Thus, the kamikaze (“divine wind”) first used in the battle of the Philippines (November 1944) were young, fairly well educated pilots... Many of these young men were well read in Western philosophy and literature, some were Marxists or Christians... the state was apparently able to manipulate [them] to convince the pilots that it was their honor to “die like beautiful falling cherry petals”.
END QUOTE

Want to blow yourself to bits for cherry petals?

Your choice.

If you should die today ,are you prepared for what is waiting for those who don't believe? Just imagine being shut in a box with no light and no sound all on your own for eternity. Terrifying ,right?

That is what religion is about, a hereafter ,and there is a place for all who follow Christ ,He proved it ,came down from His dad (God Almighty) did what He was sent to do ,showed compassion to all ,women were set free from condemnation ,even adulterers,men were corrected and religious zealots rebuked by God in the flesh (Christ ).

The religious priests (do you get it?) hated Christ and planned to kill Him off because He had compassion (healed people on a sabbath day ) and in the temple. (Shock ,Horror),gave sight to the blind ,hearing to the deaf,cleansed the lepers (untouchables)stopped the blood flow in a woman (Dangerous for her in public) could have been stoned by the priests. Jesus openly opposed religion.

Allowed them to torture and crucify Him to death, then came back to life as He said He would 3 days later.

Walked thru walls, ate with His disciples,stayed another days on earth then rose Heaven in witness of 500 people going UP to Heaven promised coming back again after Israel and Jews are attacked by their many enemies,but win.

Does this sound like fantasy it's all recorded in The Bible and in history books ?
So can Buddha beat that, or Allah's Mohammed or Hinduism's 300 million god's or mormon's gold plates and angels,or Watchtower slaves 144,000 male virgin Jews they claim to be? No .All founders are dead and in their graves forever.
Whom will you choose ?
The man who came down from Heaven or the false god's?
View Ian Mc Cormick story on the net ,or the man who was dead for 3 days sealed in a coffin and embalmed with chemicals, ON CFAN in Africa, both died , went to Hell and then to Heaven for a look,hear their testimonies then decide .You will get a first hand account that both exist.