@Skybird: All religions I know about, specially the catholic, try that their followers have as many sons as possible. It is a form of brutal demographic expansion and thus hopefully an equal expansion of their religion. When Spain was governed by Franco, and the Opus Dei was able to rule the public life, population was continually encouraged to have more sons, resulting in what we know here as the "Baby Boom" generation in the late 60s and early 70s. There are still various religious ultracatholic organizations in Spain and latinamerica that still operate like that and try that their followers act accordingly. The Islam tries that, as well as the chritians and jews, so this is still something way usual in our lifes already.
You have set a premise you won't be willing to change: That there is no possible peaceful and tolerant interpretation of Islam. And as long as you start from that argument and it remains unchanged, obviously it does determine the result of any other argument constructed upon it. Same as the Avon Lady did before, you are confusing the methods with the pursued result. Radical Islam is not doing anything different than what other religions do in terms of will to expand and dominate. If it would depend on Rome's will, I can assure you that many things would change in the world RE public and private life. Those of us who have lived under the national-catholicism of Franco know well that. There were rules about how women should dress, what they should do in their life (Be loyal housewifes and have sons like rabbits) and much more. All this blessed by Rome, who labelled our country as the perfect catholic estate.
What is different in Islam is that it also has groups of radical terrorists that draw all atention.
I can agree with you in that currently there is no will to make a tolerant interpretation of Islam in most of Islamic ruled countries like Arabia, Iran, etc. But I can't agree in that there is no chance of doing a tolerant interpretation of Islam. Millions of muslims in Europe show daily that it is certainly possible, even if other millions don't want to. It depends upon us to mark the limits and allow those who respect them to cohexist with us. Otherwise we would be acting as the radical muslims we critisize so much.
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Today, Islam in europe just needs to pick up those people that were driven away from the churches, that felt disgusted, and saw no convincing orientation in Christian religion, as interpreted by corrupted churches, anymore. Some fall victim to spiritual mass-tourism. Some fall victim to Buddhist sects that have not adopted their teachings to Western living surroundings. Some fall victim to islam that promsies them to be striuct and strong in giving them orientation by total regulation of all levels of life. Most people fall victim to materialism and nihilism, beeing no thrwad to Islmaic expansion into the West anymore – they are weak.
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I couldn't agree more with that, Skybird!
It is obvious that the human being has a terrible tendency to deny his dignity and allow others to set the rules for him. Probably since thinking is the most energy consuming activity of the body, it is sistematically refused. Dostojewsky prtrayed this beautifully in the Karamazov's brothers, through the parabole or monologue about Christ meeting the general Inquisitor in Seville.
People who throw themselves in the arms of any religion are many times people who have refused to asume the responsability of their actions and want someone to take it for them. Since you are following a set of rules created by another or by God, you are free of the moral responsability. If those rules also do legitimate your hate and the explosion of violence acumulated in your interior, the better for many.
The only thing that can save Europe and the whole world from radicalisms is the education and teaching the people to think. This is a huge effort, and I understand that it looks easier to cut any attempt of a "foreign" religion to get those disenchanted people who step out of the church. But the alternative to radical Islam in our lifes today is only consumism and lack of morality, and that ends up burning a human sould sooner or later. We can't pretend that this alternative is much better than radical Islam, Skybird.
Cheers
