Dear Yabby,

What makes you
think that I know nothing about Islam?

I will try to get hold of the book that you
recommended even though I've already read
several texts and various analytical works
on the topic. My favourite still remains -
"Islam," edited by John Alden Williams years
ago. It was part of the series published in
New York called, "Great Religions of Modern Man."
A friend of mine gave me the complete set as a gift.

Anyway, I trust that this will suffice for you.

That's an interesting approach, Yabby.

>>But to understand it at its core, you have to go back to its origins, why it was founded and how<<

Would this apply to everything?

Sinn Fein, for example?

Are Sinn Fein's objectives the same now as those at the time of their founder, Arthur Griffith? Or perhaps those of the Sinn Fein that took part in the Easter Rising in 1916? Or those of the Sinn Fein that supported the IRA in 1919? Or the Sinn Fein that spawned the Provisional IRA terrorists in the 1970s? Or the present Sinn Fein, outwardly peaceful, but led by the ex(?)-IRA leader, Gerry Adams?

Which is the "core" Sinn Fein, do you think?

Or if you are only referring to religion, which version of Christianity do you see as its "core... its origins, why it was founded and how."

Its origins were in the Jewish communities of Palestine. Is that the "core" you have in mind? Or was it the Pauline Christianity that supported slavery? Or did it all (conveniently) start when Constantine turned it into a political, as well as religious movement, in 325?

http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/christ/early/index.html

It is all very familiar, the cry from this forum "Christianity good, Islam bad". But it would help things along if not quite so much time was spent waving away the less palatable elements of the one, while emphasising the less palatable elements in the other.

That's odd, Bazz

>>Lexi said; The flavour of the month in terrorism in Muslim. I wonder why ?<<

I was absolutely positive that the flavour of the month, terrorism-wise, was Norwegian. Specifically, white supremacist, fruit-loop terrorism.

Silly me.

*It is all very familiar, the cry from this forum "Christianity good, Islam bad".*

That has never been my approach Pericles, for of course I am one of
OLOs biggest critics of the Catholic Church!

I am also aware of the fact that the Catholic Church used to burn
people like me for heresy, for expressing my honest opinion.

So I appreciate the hard fought for freedoms that we have today, to say
what we think and why, without death threats or charges of blasphemy.

Sadly if I had been born a Muslim in any Muslim country that I have
come across so far, I would not have that choice.

I was not aware that Sinn Fein had a holy book, which they believe
are literally the words of God. I have challenged many Xtians on
this, asking them if I should kill my neighbour for working on the
Sabbath, but they all tell me that those arn't the literal words of
God. Not so with Muslims, when I ask about the Koran.

Personally I actually feel sorry for many Muslims for having been
indoctrinated as children into their religion and being unable to
say what they really think. But it was only after understanding
the history of the Koran, Muhammed's life and what they believe and
why, that history started to make sense to me. Just bad luck
that more wern't born in Buddhist countries, for that is a much
less divisive belief and as far as I know, not a violent one.

Dear Yabby,

The following website might help:

http://atheism.about.com/b/2010/01/25/religion-violence-recognizing-violence-in-buddhist-history.htm

Dear Lexi,

The following quote from your website might help:

*Our intention is not to argue that Buddhists are angry, violent people--but rather that Buddhists are people, and thus share the same human spectrum of emotions, which includes the penchant for violence.*

There is a huge difference between people with a penchant for
violence and people being violent and divisive because their
religion promotes it and encourages it.