There is lots of inflammatory stuff in this thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wretched34
Agreed, Religion does not make people crazy.
But combining crazy people, with religion, can be dangerous.
Religion gives them a reason and self justification to take drastic measures.
It's no coincidence that this newly found muslim decided to behead people in protest. That is what the religion preaches, so, he felt he was within his religious right, or duty, to do just that. Maybe if he hadn't been Muslim, and was Catholic, he'd have crucified his victim(s) instead...
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You are wrong here on several counts. In the first place,
we don't yet know what the connection is between the perpetrator's religious beliefs and his condemnable actions.
It may very well be a coincidence, and I would urge everyone to exercise some restraint in where they choose to direct the blame for this specific incident.
Second, you have made a statement about "what the religion (in this case, Islam) preaches," that I suspect originates from a straw man of Islam that you have constructed from your impressions of what the religion is about from watching the news and from horribly prejudicial stereotypes that are disseminated in popular western culture. If I am wrong, then please feel free to correct me. If I am right, then I further recommend that you abstain from making declarations about the intricacies of Islamic doctrine and theology.
Third, why do you believe that the assailant was performing "within his religious right"? Please enlighten us about the right that he was invoking in this instance to legitimise this heinous act.
Fourth, you have also impugned Catholicism by suggesting that an appropriate Catholic response in this same incident would have been for him "to crucif[y] his victim(s) instead." What an outrageous assertion. What religious motivation would a Catholic have to murder his co-workers, and furthermore, why would it be sensible for a Catholic to crucify anyone?
I understand that people's feelings about religion are strong. And I understand that many people who have been harmed either directly or indirectly by their own religious experiences have absolutely valid reasons to be highly critical about what they perceive to be "religion." But these types of incredulous misrepresentations and fallacious projections about what religion is or is not, or how culpable it is or is not don't do anyone any good, and only end up further alienating a whole multitude of deeply sincere and commendable people who qualify as religious.