Religion IS crazy!

Greetings all again .

I thank you's for the warm heart felt welcome .

I think that I may be a bit overly optimistic , or maybe I just optimisticly think !
It is the most wonderful thing , to be alive , and a human , who can just sit and think .
If a person does not give up , there are readily available answers , to all of our modern 21st century
challenges . Hmmm . . is it ron IS crazy . . . or Religion IS crazy ? Or does someone think to much ?

Well , if we do come from the Primordial Soup and billions of years , then we are all descendants
from the same ancestors . We are all family . Mammal Family and Vertebrate Family members .
How huge is that ? Us Vertebrates , all the birds an all of the fishes , an the Marsupials , an anything
with a backbone ( I may need to check with the biology folks for something unexpected ) we are all
kinfolks . Survivors , right through to the Space Age.

There is an immense feeling of pride , and connection , that is so awaiting us Human Beings .

If we do not acknowledge that , then we can not celebrate that . This could be/should be , the next
great milestone , of our species growth . Billions of years , born in the water , to slowly crawl upon
the land , now able to walk upon the Moon , and now acknowledge that our individual independence ,
is so inter-dependent , on the rest of our species , and all of the other living things that biologically
support us large animals .

There are many ways of phrasing this . United we stand divided we fail , a successful Mammal family
member is entirely dependent on community , biologically we are symbiotic , our history of competing
for survival now needs co-operation for survival , human beings can reconnect with their roots and
nature , or Love thy neighbor and forgive their trespasses !

Unfortunately thinking of an answer and writing something up , is just a start in our democratic
society . Free will allows for so many differing opinions . It is such a part of modern society , that
someone has to " sell " or convince people , of an idea .

Still , we need a stable stock market and financial system , as things move forwards . Thus I hope
that these comments , may help readers to see brightness in our future .

Sincerely Ron

WOW!

Depicting 'a' prophet

Russell Crowe film Noah banned in Indonesia

His comments come as censors in Indonesia rejected the blockbuster film because of its portrayal of a religious figure.

The big-budget film, which opens in Australia on Thursday, has been blocked by censors in Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates because it could offend Muslim viewers by depicting a prophet.

Indonesia followed on Monday with a unanimous decision by the Indonesian Censorship Board.

Crowe says he understands the reaction of some countries but he’s angry that Noah’s biggest critics haven’t even seen the film.

‘‘When you know that in the Koran Noah is a prophet, and you also know in the Islamic world you’re not supposed to render any artworks or images of a prophet ... you know certain countries are going to be banning this film when it comes out, so you understand that.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/russell-crowe-film-noah-banned-in-indonesia-20140325-35f47.html#ixzz2wxOOKduQ

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Al-Qaeda urging ‘lone wolf’ jihadists to attack Queen Elizabeth II at British sports events

AL-QAEDA is urging jihadists returning from Syria to bomb British sporting events attended by the Queen.

The terror group recommends that “lone wolf” bombers use explosives linked to a timer or remote device to cause “maximum carnage” at events including the Epsom Derby, Wimbledon and FA Cup Matches.

The Sunday Times reported the grisly call to arms was outlined in online magazine, Inspire, produced by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

“This type of car bomb is not usually used to destroy buildings, but is very effective in killing individuals,” the group wrote.

It singled out high-profile sporting events in “crusader countries” England, France and America which are attended by “tens of thousands” of fans and tourists.

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http://www.news.com.au/world/alqaeda-urging-lone-wolf-jihadists-to-attack-queen-elizabeth-ii-at-british-sports-events/story-fndir2ev-1226862791252

Should we be worried?

Are we a "crusader country" ???

Heh, just doing a bit of an audit and noticed the very intelligent and comprehensive posts of ron09.

welcome to ASF.

On discussion touching the anger and agression of other cultures, many of those issues were created by our exploitation of thier homelands to feed our greed in the industrial revolution and business.

Now some of them come on boats to rightfully share the bounty.

Yes Ron, the planet belongs to all of us equally and the greatest religion is nature itself.

Saudi Arabia Doubles Down on Atheism; New Laws Declares It Equivalent to Terrorism

We’ve seen before how Saudi pundits find it easy to conflate atheism and terrorism, but now it’s official: Saudi Arabia’s new terrorism laws say outright that nonbelievers and others who commit thought crime are the same as violent terrorists.

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http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/03/31/saudi-arabia-doubles-down-on-atheism-new-laws-declares-it-equivalent-to-terrorism/

Crazy.....

The religion of peace.

DB008 said:

Saudi Arabia Doubles Down on Atheism; New Laws Declares It Equivalent to Terrorism



http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/03/31/saudi-arabia-doubles-down-on-atheism-new-laws-declares-it-equivalent-to-terrorism/

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That is really astounding and disturbing. Taking the extremism to a whole new level.

Nigeria Islamists kill 68 in two village attacks: witnesses

(Reuters) - Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 60 people in an attack on a village in northeast Nigeria, while a separate attack killed eight people at a teacher training college, witnesses said.

Boko Haram, which wants to carve an Islamic state out of Africa's most populous country, split roughly equally between Christians and Muslims, has killed thousands since launching an uprising in the northeast four and a half years ago.

Witnesses said the gunmen attacked the village of Kala Balge, near the Cameroon border, on Thursday, from several different quarters, shooting sporadically as terrified residents tried to flee.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/13/us-nigeria-islamists-idUSBREA3C0PP20140413?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

Wow.

I think if it hadn't been for oil, this country would still be in the Bronze-Age.

In Islam, there's more than one way to be an 'atheist'

Saudi Arabia has declared atheists to be as bad as terrorists. But does this mean those without faith cannot live happily in the Muslim world?

Saudi Arabia recently declared atheism and Islamist terrorism equal crimes in the eyes of the law. To the Saudi government, not believing in God, and fighting in his name – although polar opposites – represent the same threat, a challenge to the religious consensus. What is it about atheism that it finds so challenging? And are different types of atheism possible in the Muslim world?

Despite the prominence of the image of a hunted apostate supported by western atheists and villified by Islamic institutions, there are atheists of Muslim heritage who would not necessarily identify with this stereotype. I would make the distinction between individual atheism as a matter of belief, and the position of publicly declaring oneself atheist – or, more potently, "ex-Muslim". The former is a personal position, the latter a political one that seeks to challenge authority.

In my experience, when it comes to atheism in the Muslim world, there is a conspiracy of sorts, akin to the "don't ask don't tell" principle on homosexuality in the US military –if a Muslim has lapsed, and no longer believes in God, there is no censure of that as long as one does not proselytise. Indeed, a 2012 poll by WIN-Gallup International found that up to 5% of Saudis polled identified as atheist, according to Sultan al-Qassemi, a number "comparable to the US and parts of Europe".

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http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/05/islam-atheist-saudi-arabia-terrorists-faith-muslim-world

DB008 said:

I think if it hadn't been for oil, this country would still be in the Bronze-Age.

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I view such oppression of non-belief as a logical extension of theocracy. Religious leaders know that the only real power they will ever have is right here on terra firma, and this is what they truly desire, power on earth to dictate what people should believe and how they should live their lives (aka religious tyranny). The modus operandi of the major faiths, Christianity and Islam, is to establish a theocratic order in society based on the imprimatur of religious authorities. In this regard, the motives of Islamic leaders are just more transparent than their Christian counterparts.

At long last, Britain is starting to act against FGM.

Woman arrested at Heathrow on suspicion of conspiracy to commit FGM

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/09/woman-arrested-suspicion-conspiracy-commit-fgm

My Comments: I often read in articles or on blogs that those who criticise Islam are Islamaphobes. That Islam is no different to other religions and like the others, there are always some bad apples. I have often seen used a US (some security agency) figure that puts the number of Islamic terrorists in the world to just a few thousand. Negligible when compared to the total number of Muslims worldwide.

But I bet they don't include among their list of terrorists those who support or directly partake in the government of Sudan. Government officials, judiciary, law enforcement officers and those section of the populations that help to keep the government in power. Are they not terrorists too, even though their targets may not be the West, but those within their own population that fall foul of Sharia law? The same could be said of many other Islamic states; Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc. We may see terrorism as some armed group murdering innocent civilians by suicide bombing and the like. But for minorities and in may cases just civilians within these countries, the terrorists are their own government and the bureaucracy that supports them. End of my comments


Sudan: ‘Abhorrent’ death sentence for woman on grounds of her religion

http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/news...sentence-for-woman-on-grounds-of-her-religion

The decision of a Sudanese court to sentence a heavily pregnant Sudanese Christian woman to death by hanging for ‘apostasy’, and to flogging for ‘adultery’, is truly abhorrent, said Amnesty International today.

Meriam Yehya Ibrahim is eight months pregnant and currently in detention with her 20-month-old son. Her death sentence was handed down this morning after she refused to recant her religion.

“The fact that a woman has been sentenced to death for her religious choice, and to flogging for being married to a man of an allegedly different religion is appalling and abhorrent. Adultery and apostasy are acts which should not be considered crimes at all. It is flagrant breach of international human rights law,” said Manar Idriss, Amnesty International’s Sudan researcher.

“Amnesty International believes that Meriam is a prisoner of conscience, convicted solely because of her religious beliefs and identity, and must be released immediately and unconditionally. The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which includes the freedom to hold beliefs, is far-reaching and profound; it encompasses freedom of thought on all matters, personal conviction and the commitment to religion or blief.”

Pregnant Pakistani woman stoned to death by family

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/27/pregnant-pakistani-woman-stoned-to-death

And if we think that these are extremists........

Support for Severe Laws

Pakistanis overwhelmingly favor stoning people who commit adultery (83%), and comparable percentages favor punishments like whippings and cutting off of hands for crimes like theft and robbery (80%), and the death penalty for people who leave the Muslim religion (78%). Support for strict punishments is equally widespread among men and women, old and young, and the educated and uneducated.

Even those who say they identify with the modernizers in a struggle between Islamic fundamentalists and those who want to modernize the country support these measures. About nine-in-ten (91%) Pakistanis who side with the modernizers favor stoning adulterers. A similar proportion of those who side with modernizers (89%) favor punishments like whippings and cutting off of hands for theft and robbery, and 86% favor the death penalty for people who leave Islam. These views are virtually identical to the views of those who identify with Islamic fundamentalists.



http://www.pewglobal.org/2009/08/13/chapter-2-religion-law-and-society/

And there is also this, which I may have posted before.......

An American TV evangelist showing his disappointment that stoning gays to death is no longer an option

http://www.queerty.com/pat-robertson-thinks-jesus-never-would-have-baked-a-gay-wedding-cake-20140326

“If you look carefully at the Bible, what would have happened in Jesus’ time if two men decided they wanted to cohabit together?” Roberston asked. “They would have been stoned to death. So Jesus would not have baked them a wedding cake nor would he have made them a bed to sleep in because they wouldn’t have been there.”

Robertson then added: “But we don’t have that in this country here so that’s the way it is.â

sydboy007 said:

An American TV evangelist showing his disappointment that stoning gays to death is no longer an option http://www.queerty.com/pat-robertson-thinks-jesus-never-would-have-baked-a-gay-wedding-cake-20140326 “If you look carefully at the Bible, what would have happened in Jesus’ time if two men decided they wanted to cohabit together?” Roberston asked. “They would have been stoned to death. So Jesus would not have baked them a wedding cake nor would he have made them a bed to sleep in because they wouldn’t have been there.” Robertson then added: “But we don’t have that in this country here so that’s the way it is.”

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This particular story is a non-event.

He said that Jesus wouldn't have baked them a cake and that they would have been stoned before that.

When he says, " that's the way it is today though" he is referring to gay marriage. He is basically saying in that society it wouldn't have even come close to happening but today it does (and is probably expressing disappointment that that's the way it is).

Media beat up, slow news day... Call it what you like.

I hate journalism in general.

Their primary goal is to create controversy, hate and make people look stupid.

Unethical job.

pavilion103 said:

I hate journalism in general.

Their primary goal is to create controversy, hate and make people look stupid.

Unethical job.

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That doesn't seem quite reasonable. There's some excellent journalism around. People like Hedley Thomas who have investigated matters no one else was prepared to touch and who has ferreted out much that people would have preferred stayed hidden.

I understand what you mean, however. The tendency to ignore what is important in favour of getting hysterical about minutiae is beyond irritating.

Julia said:

That doesn't seem quite reasonable. There's some excellent journalism around. People like Hedley Thomas who have investigated matters no one else was prepared to touch and who has ferreted out much that people would have preferred stayed hidden. I understand what you mean, however. The tendency to ignore what is important in favour of getting hysterical about minutiae is beyond irritating.

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I agree. There are obviously some good, ethical dedicated people out there.

I'm talking majority. It really upsets me to be honest. Most people believe it; whether it be the article above or another issue altogether. Everyone has their agenda. I just don't like the twisting of words that is characteristic of most mainstream journalism. Sad that this is the society we live in and sad that many believe such reporting.

pavilion103 said:

This particular story is a non-event.

He said that Jesus wouldn't have baked them a cake and that they would have been stoned before that.

When he says, " that's the way it is today though" he is referring to gay marriage. He is basically saying in that society it wouldn't have even come close to happening but today it does (and is probably expressing disappointment that that's the way it is).

Media beat up, slow news day... Call it what you like.

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[video=youtube_share;uzctJPEVFuA]http://youtu.be/uzctJPEVFuA[/video]

Watch the video and see if you agree with his views, especially how he goes on to say homosexuality and abortion are the devils work to get us to deny the reproduction of the human race. I mean seriously, equating the two is just wrong on so many levels, and to call homosexuals oppressors is just a laugh as well considering the level of violence still targeting us.

I also find it sad he says a same sex relationship is a meaningless exercise because it can't go anywhere ie the only reason for a relationship is procreation. That kind of thinking might have been Ok 100 years ago, but surely we've become a little more enlightened around not only sexuality but much broader in how we view human relationships. He'd be right there with the Heffernan condemning all barren women. I also find it a rather silly concept when there's already over 7B of us and we're pretty much on the road to extinction if we keep on the exponential population growth we've been on for millennium.

ps. i do think Jesus would have baked a cake for gays because he was all about inclusion and did his best to bring everyone into his grace. If he still had a physical presence in this world I'm confident in saying you'd be more likely to find him in a shanty town somewhere, or giving solace to the ill, the weak than he would be to appear on TV and condemn people.