Goddess

I lived for 8 years in a predominently Muslim area. I rarely saw the women outside. In the heat of summer, the little boys would be running around outside all day playing in t-shirts and shorts and flip flops. The little girls, (5-8 years old) would be dressed in tightly wrapped headscarves, blue jeans, running shoes and long sleeve shirts. I noticed that they would only be outside playing for short bursts at a time, because it was too hot to be dressed like that. I'm of the same mindset as you - let the children be children! And I have an issue with any religion that basically "slut-shames" 5 and 6 year old girls simply for being girls. In the same area, I had a freind who told me about a Muslim man who recently joined his warehouse crew. As they introduced him around, he was fine. But when they introduced him to his female boss, he refused to shake her hand, look at her or talk to her. My friend's concern (and his female boss's concern) was that if there was an emergency in the warehouse, would this Muslim man be of any help to his female co-workers? Likely not. Huge safety issue. I don't know how you can educate these men to accept women/girls as actual human beings, but I agree with your statement above.

I suppose there could be gods that don't require that people love them.....maybe I should check those ones out. Suggestions?

All of them. I'm kind of like Homer Simpson: "But Marge, what if we pick the wrong religion? Then every time we go to church we're just making him madder and madder."

I was always taught that God is "Our Heavenly Father", a parent. It made me think about what I want for my children. When they were small, I told them what to eat, what to wear, when to do things, I managed every aspect of their lives. As they grew, I managed less and less of what they did. It made me proud that my children grew up to be strong, empathetic, independent people who did what was right and did good to other people because they were taught well, not because of a fear of punishment (literal or an imaginary hellfire or whatever). When they were small, they asked for my direction on even tiny matters, but if they were still doing that now, I would be very disappointed. It would mean they were not developing psychologically. I don't want them to consider ME first in everything they do in their lives. I'm happy when they do (becasue they are good kids who consider my feelings), but I would be disappointed if they felt that every decision in their lives had to be what " I " wanted. I imagine it's the same with God (if there was one). Religion is like the baby food of life. Pablum. If there is a God, I believe he expects us to eventually "grow up". I think he/she would be very disappointed in a person who still needs to be told what to eat, what to wear, what to do every second of the day. Seeing no progress in your children would be disappointing to me as a parent. Religion/Faith can be a good thing - provide a social structure for elderly people, comfort when someone dies, etc. But do we really need to have our life micromanaged by a deity? Is he really such a control freak? Is he such a small person that he needs every human praying/worshipping/adoring him every second of their lives? Just my 2 cents.

This is false. Check any website for breastfeeding and there are instructions/tips for breastfeeding without having given birth.

This is the problem: What constitutes "self-defense"? They are offered to convert or pay the tax. If they refuse those options, then killing them is viewed as "self-defense" by Muslims.

Dialamah, you make some good points, but I agree, they are still a bit naive and wishful thinking. Even the Muslim girl on here who claims to only interpret the Koran in loving ways agrees with everything it says about hating and killing Jews. I'm surprised you don't see the massive disconnect between her 2 statements.

I don't understand why people always use the Old Testament to justify what the Koran says. Jesus took all of that away, there is a New Testament, no more stonings, no more warring with their neighbors, obey the Golden Rule, "those who live by the sword will die by the sword".....etc. There is no New Testament equivalent in the Koran. This is the problem. Christians can easily show this difference/change in thinking. Muslims cannot.

If you are allowed, I recommend the book "The Magic of Reality" by Richard Dawkins. It's made for children, but is a good read for adults too. It answers and explains scientific things in simple layman's language.

You may want to check out the "mathematical" possibilities, if you are allowed to. It makes me sad to hear you say so emphatically that this is "impossible". So young for such a closed mind and no desire to find out the answers, content with getting your science and biology information from a religious book written over a thousand years ago. You remind me of a 40 year old man who recently told me that the proof that we were created by God is the "fact" that men have one less rib than women. I'm not even kidding.

Many things, (in the past and before modern advances in science) that people didn't understand the "why" about were attributed to supernatural causes. As science discovers new things, those supernatural explanations have all been replaced with concrete scientific explanations. Do you think that perhaps the things we still don't understand about the universe and life, might one day also be explained scientifically? I will give you an example of what I mean: My grandmother was very religious and sometimes experienced what she concluded were "demon attacks" at night. Her religion had taught her that she possibly had bought a used item that had a demon attached to it. So she would immediately get rid of anything she had recently bought. When I became an adult, I also experienced these same "demon attacks". Fortunately, I had a friend who suffered from SLEEP PARALYSIS (You can look that up if you wish, it is quite scary) so the first time it happened to me, I understood right away that there was nothing supernatural happening to me. As man evolves and gains more understanding, we will eventually drop all these childish explanations. But it seems to me that Islam is generations behind the rest of the world in this regard.

This is changing rapidly. I have a friend who is a gnostic bishop and she works closely with the Catholic Church and is accepted by them very nicely.

Thank you. I was just checking to see if I had missed something major in History class.....

I'm not sure honoring the death of someone whom many believe sacrificed himself for the benefit of all mankind is quite the same..... Everything that critics say they don't like about Christianity, from slavery to women's issues, is not only a tangible part of Islam, but usually magnified.

Yes, that was the one.

I recently saw a video taken in an Islamic school in Toronto where the children enacted a beheading. Start 'em young.....

A scientific "theory" has a different meaning than when we normally talk about a theory. Something is a scientific "theory" when it has been established. Gravity is not a "theory" in the layman's sense of the word. It is a proven scientific fact.

Actually, what Dog said is true. 57 Islamic states united in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation rejected the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that views all people as equal and free. They replaced it with the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam (CDHRI) that views people as neither free nor equal. Their declaration limits the right to freedom of religion according to what Sharia permits. Women have less rights than men, as do non-Muslims than Muslims. Slavery is allowed, it is still not abolished in Islam. Human rights in Islam are almost non-existent and the most barbaric punishments are implemented against women and non-Muslims. The majority of Muslims polled want this.

Yay?

Nice thread, Altai. I'm a flamenca, the music sounds a bit the same as flamenco in parts.

I'll have to watch for them. I like-y.

Not sure......The band is named Waster (he also plays in Danger Cat). Those 2 songs are "Rocket Rider" and "40 Creek and 40 Speed" Their reviews generally compare them to Pantera.

** blink, blink ** This coupled with the statement that Islam is innovative......I don't even know what to say.

I've again been listening a lot to my son's band lately, as they are putting out another cd soon. These 2 songs are my faves from a past album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7yjfKrIuyU&list=PL04EF4D7E720D374D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kdy74OUPUpc&index=3&list=PL04EF4D7E720D374D

Of course they don't want us all dead. Who would pay them jizya then?