With the debate still raging on regarding the proposed Muslim Cultural Center in a particular section of New York City, I've read a lot of comments from some Christian who are trying to distance themselves from the rancor of the anti-Islamic faction. The one comment I have seen over and over again is that the people who identify as Christians but hatefully oppose the center are not REAL Christians. REAL Christians, we are told, respect diversity and love thy neighbor.
In other words, we non-theists are urged not to judge the entirety of the Christian religion because of a few "bad apples."
I might be tempted to accept this argument IF many of these same people didn't turn around to contradict themselves in the same breath! In their mind's eye, Islam is a violent and hateful religion because we all know that the people who flew planes into buildings on 9/11 were Muslims and many of the "terrorist" acts around the globe also are committed by Muslims. Consequently, anyone can easily discern that Islam is a b-a-d religion.
But wait just a minute. If you don't want me to judge Christianity because of what you believe are a few "bad apples," how can you judge Islam without considering that the terrorists may be the "bad apples" of the Muslim world?
By and large, most Muslims are peaceful, law abiding citizens. If you ask most of them, they will tell you that Islam is a religion of peace. Just like you, they don't like those individuals who they believe have subverted the will of Allah for violent and hateful purposes.
I mean, fair is fair. If you ask for certain dispensations in relation to your belief system, it is the hallmark of hypocrisy to deny this same standard of reasoning to other belief systems.
Aah, but you say. Have you read the Koran? I've seen passages that explicitly advocate violence, ones that urge followers to kill non-believers. MY religion isn't like THAT at all.
Have you read the Bible closely? There are many passages that explicitly advocate violence and strongly suggest that it's God's will that believers kill non-believers.
If you tell me that passages in your holy book need to be read in full context so that a person fully can understand their meaning, then the very same principle applies to the Koran as well! It is wholly inconsistent to argue that their holy book must be read literally word-for-word and then to turn around to argue that your holy book should not be.
Besides, isn't your belief system the one that states that each of us should treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated? If you want me to give YOUR religion a wide berth, then you must do the same for other religions and belief systems.
In other words, we non-theists are urged not to judge the entirety of the Christian religion because of a few "bad apples."
I might be tempted to accept this argument IF many of these same people didn't turn around to contradict themselves in the same breath! In their mind's eye, Islam is a violent and hateful religion because we all know that the people who flew planes into buildings on 9/11 were Muslims and many of the "terrorist" acts around the globe also are committed by Muslims. Consequently, anyone can easily discern that Islam is a b-a-d religion.
But wait just a minute. If you don't want me to judge Christianity because of what you believe are a few "bad apples," how can you judge Islam without considering that the terrorists may be the "bad apples" of the Muslim world?
By and large, most Muslims are peaceful, law abiding citizens. If you ask most of them, they will tell you that Islam is a religion of peace. Just like you, they don't like those individuals who they believe have subverted the will of Allah for violent and hateful purposes.
I mean, fair is fair. If you ask for certain dispensations in relation to your belief system, it is the hallmark of hypocrisy to deny this same standard of reasoning to other belief systems.
Aah, but you say. Have you read the Koran? I've seen passages that explicitly advocate violence, ones that urge followers to kill non-believers. MY religion isn't like THAT at all.
Have you read the Bible closely? There are many passages that explicitly advocate violence and strongly suggest that it's God's will that believers kill non-believers.
If you tell me that passages in your holy book need to be read in full context so that a person fully can understand their meaning, then the very same principle applies to the Koran as well! It is wholly inconsistent to argue that their holy book must be read literally word-for-word and then to turn around to argue that your holy book should not be.
Besides, isn't your belief system the one that states that each of us should treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated? If you want me to give YOUR religion a wide berth, then you must do the same for other religions and belief systems.
Really? You are going to now start lecturing about the hypocrisy of Christians and how they don't treat other religions with respect when over half of your blogs bash Christianity?
ReplyDeleteYou've been awesome enough to admit that not all Muslims are terrorists, so why can't you admit that not all Christians are fanatics? And then take that a step further and admit that some of what you are saying does not apply at all to some Christians.
Because a lot of this stuff that you are writing does not apply to me. I am not against the Muslim's putting up a Mosque near Ground Zero, I don't care if gay people want to commit themselves to each other as long as it doesn't infringe upon my rights to disagree with their lifestyle, and I hate the idea of a death sentence or any legal killing of any kind.
So you want respect from Christians. I respect you, although it is hard to keep up that respect when I know you do not respect me.
Actually, I spend far more time "bashing" Christians than the religion itself (though I could certainly bash much of what is found in the bible).
ReplyDeleteI live in a society in which Christianity is shoved down my throat everyday. Since you're a Christian, how would you feel if Islam or Hinduism was shoved down your throat? I think you wouldn't like that.
I don't care if Christians respect my beliefs or not. That's their business. I merely want them to respect the fact that not everybody agrees with their worldview.
Finally, since neither you nor I knows every single person in the world, almost anything that a person writes on his or her blog is based on generalities. If you say some of the things I'm writing about don't fit you, then they don't fit you. Ignore them.