Dear CJ... being criticized/attacked by a cacophony of opponents is never a bad day. Such experiences always hone one's own argument and they highlight any chinks in the polemical armour :)

Dear David...you did well :) glad you looked that up. I'm just amazed that CJ and Pericles didn't put in blazing screaming headlines "YOU LIAR" as they are want to do oh..like 100 times a day :) (exaggeration)

The problem was I trusted a Jewish site.. but further I looked at the reference which was Surah II.96 and thought it was surah "eleven" in fact it was surah 2 and the verse is there.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/002.qmt.html
Try Surah 5:82

<Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say, "We are Christians":>

Here Jews (you) are condemned along with CJ and Pericles and their ilk. Christians are here commended, wow..shock horror..but it doesn't last.. read 9:30 for the 'breaking news' on that. (Surah 9 is later, when Mohammad is powerful)

<The Jews say: "Allah's hand is tied up." Be their hands tied up and be they accursed for the (blasphemy) they utter.> 5:64

By the way.. speaking of 'holocausts'- running not far behind the Jewish was the CHRISTIAN one... Armenians and Assyrians under the Turkish/Kurdish Muslim jackboot. (9:29 and 9:30 applied Islam)

Weisenthal hunts down all Germans involved.. all I do is call for some decent HISTORY teaching.

BACK TO TOPIC. None of this changes the fact that State land should not be used for EXCLUSIVE and DISCRIMINATORY religious purposes.
If anyone wishes to take up the Scripture Union or the Shine program at the political level BE MY GUEST! I don't mind a scrap. That's what democracy is all about isn't it?

Finally, amid the hysterical self-justification, interwoven through the exhaustive religious quotes, we finally arrive at the truth:

It was the Muslims! Who, allegedly, have made exclusive use of state property.

Quelle Surprise.

Your claim: "None of this changes the fact that State land should not be used for EXCLUSIVE and DISCRIMINATORY religious purposes."

I notice that the 'elephant in your argument' is that you don't have a problem with Christian religious practices in state property in general, do you?

David F, it will not surprise you to learn that Polly/Boaz was indeed and perhaps still is a missionary in Asia.

Polycarp wrote: “Dear David...you did well :) glad you looked that up. I'm just amazed that CJ and Pericles didn't put in blazing screaming headlines "YOU LIAR" as they are want to do oh..like 100 times a day :) (exaggeration)”

I find your ideas offputting. However, you are something much better than a creation in the image of a god which we can’t be sure even exists. You are a genuine human being with human feelings. We human beings can treat each other with courtesy. I wish there was more of it in OLO and everywhere.

However, rather than keep going to Jewish or Christian websites with their cherry picking of ugly quotes from the Koran why not read the Koran so you can get the feel of it in its entirety. You focus on the ugly part of Islamic words and deeds and ignore the ugliness of Christian words and deeds.

The Muslim Turkish/Kurdish genocide of the Christian Armenians certainly set a precedent for the Christian Nazi genocide of the Jews.

Richard G. Hovannisian wrote “Denial of the Armenian Genocide with some comparisons to Holocaust Denial”. The Turkish government to this day denies guilt for the Armenian genocide, but Turks such as Orhan Pamuk are bringing the matter up. Many Christians to this day deny guilt for the Holocaust, but Christians such as Bishop Spong are bringing the matter up.

You object to my statement that the Holocaust was applied Christianity. If you knew more about the history of Christianity rather than denying its wrongs you might find my statement quite understandable. I suggest you read “Antisemitism” by Robert S. Wistrich. Christianity is not the only culprit in promoting this hatred, but it is the primary one.

Besides the history of Christianity you ignore both the good parts of the history of Islam and the Koran.

One very good part of Islamic history is the Golden Age of Spain when Islam was in control, but Jews and Christians were free to practice their faiths and practice whatever occupation they liked. Christianity can point to nothing similar.

Dear David F,

I'd like to give you a great
big hug.

Beautifully and rationally argued.

Bravo!

Polycarp, I did address the issue when I said, "Either no state land should be supplied for any religious purpose, or state land should be supplied to all religious purposes equally, if desired, without discrimination.
I prefer the former."
So basically, I don't really disagree with you.

However, while I don't disagree with you basically, I have a problem with double standards.
For example, you defended the Brethren's adventure park when they take advantage of tax exemptions and at the same time denying homosexual groups who are tax payers to utilise the park.

Because I had some extra space in my last post, I thought I'd do some cherry picking because you seem to have a liking for that.
I didn't mean any harm, I really did think that you were denying you moniker-change.
As I said, I don't object to people changing monikers, but wanted to show DavidJ that you are the same person as Boaz.

Celivia: << I don't object to people changing monikers, but wanted to show DavidJ that you are the same person as Boaz. >>

I agree. Of course, everybody can change their online identity as often as they like. My only objection is when they pretend they haven't, or use multiple identities simultaneously.

I note that Porky's never actually admitted that he's Boazy. When he does, I'll stop calling him Porky.