Meanwhile a US Ally might be putting an eleven year old to death for Blasphemy.

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**Ahtman**

It depends, what kind of religious people are we talking about? That is a pretty broad term after all.

**Kovnik Obama**

Exactly, it is, and that's why people like CT who have an axe to grind against religious people, stating stuff like 'religion is the root of all evil', are just ridiculous.

Beliefs cause people to do stupid things. Religious beliefs are just as likely as others to cause people to start blowing each other up.

Or burn little girls. Frak. That's really horrible. Well, at least it gives me more wood for my 'cultural relativism is moronic' bonfire.

**Testify**

Ahtman wrote:
It depends, what kind of religious people are we talking about? That is a pretty broad term after all.

I find the disction between opinions, and opinions involving the word "god", to be entirely arbitrary and largely non-existant outside of the mind of Richard Dawkins.

**Kovnik Obama**

And Sam Harris.

As much as I like the idea to describe morality as a form of health, his 'religion is inherently sociopathic' stance is really annoying.

**dogma**

Kovnik Obama wrote:
And Sam Harris.

To express my disdain for Harris would require a publication length paper.

Alternatively, I can just call him a whiny little bitch who refuses obvious conclusions when his rhetoric might be compromised. Which would be fine if he did so with tact, but he is apparently incapable of such.

**Kovnik Obama**

His Ted talk was precious, especially the part where he *actually* shed a tear when bringing up female circumcision.

He did 'okay' in the God Debate 2. Probably more because Craig is an utter dolt...

**dogma**

Right, I now have 7 irrational pages of Harris hate saved on my HD. I needed to vent after typing his name into Google.

**Ahtman**

If we are going to talk about academics we disdain can we also talk about Naill Ferguson?

**dogma**

Ahtman wrote:
If we are going to talk about academics we disdain can we also talk about Naill Ferguson?

Yes please. Though I'm more concerned with people that assume position is indicative of competence.

**KalashnikovMarine**

youbedead wrote:
dogma wrote:
KalashnikovMarine wrote:
Daemonhammer wrote:
KalashnikovMarine wrote:A further point, do we blame the religion or the culture here? I know plenty of Muslims who would be disgusted by these acts of mob brutality and oppression but it seems religion is clearly their motivation. Blasphemy laws are an obvious and brutal restriction of free speech in a state ruled by dominant religion in the area, but is there some feasible argument to not offend these people that I'm not seeing? You know beyond "don't piss them off or you're going to be killed"?

Exactly my thoughts, they are allowed to come to Christian countries, preach and even set up their churches (mosques i think, correct me if im wrong). While our priests (a priest who is a friend of mine) told me that when he went to some muslim country he was not allowed to go there as a priest, was followed around the place and was getting weird looks from some people. I dont think were that bad, its not medieval times when the Inquisition was on a rampage burning heretics and non believers (and xeno filth ) i guess they havent moved past this stage yet like we did. in most places.

Also why were people checking her trash bag? something dosent sound right here.

That's the rub innit? When you think about it Islam still pretty much acts like it's the middle ages

Yeah, because neither of you hinted at that mode of thinking at all.

Nor are they familiar with Islamic history apparently

Actually just finished a paper on Islamic history in the middle ages, so that's what we call sarcasm and irony. Though the irony especially is that portions of modern islam does behave like the Roman Catholic church in the middle ages. Though they seem to tend more to the stoning for their execution method of choice instead of burning someone at the stake.

**Kovnik Obama**

KalashnikovMarine wrote:

Actually just finished a paper on Islamic history in the middle ages, so that's what we call sarcasm and irony. Though the irony especially is that portions of modern islam does behave like the Roman Catholic church in the middle ages. Though they seem to tend more to the stoning for their execution method of choice instead of burning someone at the stake.

I'm no history major, but to me that seems to misrepresent both the medieval Catholic Church and modern Islam.

**Frazzled**

dogma wrote:
Kovnik Obama wrote:
And Sam Harris.

To express my disdain for Harris would require a publication length paper.

Alternatively, I can just call him a whiny little bitch who refuses obvious conclusions when his rhetoric might be compromised. Which would be fine if he did so with tact, but he is apparently incapable of such.

Who's Sam Harris?

**Ahtman**

Frazzled wrote:

Who's Sam Harris?

He was the guy who sang "A Change is Going to Come".

**dogma**

Frazzled wrote:

Who's Sam Harris?

A noted* atheist.

*Noted for being both a douche and philosophically incompetent.

**Frazzled**

ok. thanks!

**KalashnikovMarine**

Kovnik Obama wrote:
KalashnikovMarine wrote:

Actually just finished a paper on Islamic history in the middle ages, so that's what we call sarcasm and irony. Though the irony especially is that portions of modern islam does behave like the Roman Catholic church in the middle ages. Though they seem to tend more to the stoning for their execution method of choice instead of burning someone at the stake.

I'm no history major, but to me that seems to misrepresent both the medieval Catholic Church and modern Islam.

It's a very strong simplification, but armies of faith, crusades, utilizing religion as a unifying political power, not quite a formal Inquisition but strong and violent reactions to anything that is perceived as heresy or a threat to the faith. (See: the Denmark comics, Salman Rushdie, etc) and again, that is not all or even a majority of modern Islam. For any one who doesn't know and is curious An Arab Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades by Usamah Ibn-Munqidh is a rather fascinating autobiography of sorts of a Muslim knight (Faris I believe) and provides an interesting window into Arabic culture at the time, and how the West compared.