boaz, I see you're implying that when I stated, "to resist any attempt to persuade you of anything, is just being stubbornly ignorant" was somehow hypocritical. Although I see you did it in a lighthearted manner to make it appear less confrontational, that point remains.

Back in the dim dark earlier days of OLO, I'd pay your posts more attention.

But they never change. It's always the same. More Christian preaching, more doomsaying about Islam.

I listened. I rejected it as being the product of a one-track mind, which does a pretty good job of ignoring evidence to the contrary of what it has latched on to.

Most fundamentalists are quite good at that.

When you bring something new to the table, like the first half of your earlier post which I concurred with, I listen. When you spout the same repeated schtick over and over, then no.

In another thread, Vanilla made the comment that "cynical dismissal of other people's motives is always the lazy option."

Similarly, you made another lighthearted comment to imply hypocrisy. She didn't take the bait like I am, simply saying you're an exception.

I concur with Vanilla, but I'd have added a different qualifier. I'd say that cynical dismissal of other people's motives is always the lazy option.

Unless they have made their motives transparently clear, time and time again, and based on the clear evidence before you, you've no choice but to dismiss their ravings, because you know what they're going to say before they say it, and it fits neatly into their prejudices.

My hand's up, CJ Morgan!

Oh, wait. I thought you said "alcoholism", not "Christianity". I'm taking it down again.

Hands up those who think that BD’s guerrilla Christianity should be left to fester outside the scope of the war on terrorism (since we must have one, that is). Ambushing the good people of OLO with blind faith may be good for giggles, but what purpose does incitement against Islam serve?

Well, Seeker, it serves the goals of fundamentalist Christian indoctrination (that being the thread topic).

Fundamentalism hinges on the belief that the faithful are the Big Good, and they oppose the Big Evil. Without a clearly identifiable nemesis, the fundamentalist lacks a moral landmark.

Islam and Christianity have slotted into a cosy, mutually beneficial relationship of opposition which allows them to fulfil their divine obligations through hatred and violence, rather than the considerably more difficult exercise of tolerance and accommodation.

Haralambos “From the moment we're born, society's rules and regulations are imposed upon us.”

That is so

“What this means, is that our thoughts and actions are not our own.”

That is not so.

We are all free to accept or disregard society’s rules and regulations or to find a society with a different set of rules and regulations to those we were born into (which is one reason I migrated from UK to Australia - to benefit from the difference to the social rules and regulations as they existed in UK).

Some folk disregard the rules at their peril, hence we have prisons.

We are all born with freedom of choice, simply exercising that freedom of choice is the challenge society’s rules and regulations and to make the resultant actions an expression of our own, individual thoughts.

I am not responsible for the majority of the population, I am only responsible for me and my own thoughts and actions. I do stand by what I feel and am on say this site, challenged for doing so.

I did not re-manufacture myself, I simply tuned what was already a pretty good personality and thought process. Not all would agree but I do not give a rats what others think of me, anymore than they should concern themselves of what I might think of them.

As for a system which does not care, it is the system which reflects the compromise we all have to make. A system which “does not care” and leaves individual people free to act as they see fit, is infinitely superior to a system which expresses care through the curtailment of the rights of individuals who it is supposed to be there to serve.

US “and I know I'm just wallpaper in other people's lives.”

but what are those other people in your life and do you need the services of an interior decorator ?

Dear Seeker TRTL, Sancho...(and CJ)
it's not exactly that I have notches in my spiritual gun which I joyfully and proudly count each morning 'YES YES..another scalp.. or trophy of grace"

Paul argued, with good reason, and with good evidence. The goal is to make the claims of God in Christ known, and call men and women to repentance and faith. NOT...to drag them into 'my' denomination or tradition.

Sancho raises an interesting and important issue, that of the 'mutual benevolance society' of hate between Islam and Christianity, which gives them a reason for living kind of....

No mate.. no no no... it is always a temptation to run too far and too excluslively on the 'they are the bad guys' road, but in the end it is self defeating as a number of you testify.

Keep in mind there are 2 primary objectives with criticising Islam (and any faith or set of ideas)

1/ Public information, and balancing propoganda.
2/ Warning of any danger inherrent in that set of ideas.

Now.. very few of you if any, have actually taken the time to examine the points I've raised, the scriptures, so your rather passionate attack on me is understandable, albeit based on a pretty high level of ignorance.

There is no particular advantage to the Christian faith in simply 'picking on' other faiths, though, by way of contrast an open minded person can see the stark difference between a man who is celibate for the sake of His mission,(and thus to avoid the charge of immorality) and one who surrounds himself with women, including a child and claims that for him personally, there is no limit to the number of said women and children he can take this way.

If such a contrast does NOT trigger some serious questions in one's mind, then I suggest that mind is not very open at all.

It may just be that because of my 'Christian' stance, such truths and contrasts are seen in a different light than if one of your own political and secular persuasion made them?