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Terror based on materialistic, violent and irreligious ideologies can only be beat with intellectual struggle.
Quran denounces terrorism and any kind of violence. You cannot force someone to do anything, if you are following the rules of Quran. Islam teaches friendship, patience, self-sacrifice, generosity, speaking the truth, being protective and caring others more than yourself. Although it seems like the people mentioned in the speech are Muslims, they are educated with materialistic, violent and irreligious ideologies. That’s why we should try to defeat these ideologies with intellectual struggle. Because you cannot defeat an ideology with bombs or weapons, you can defeat it just by truth and awaking the consciousness. Most effective way is spreading the concept of love, peace and respect by explaining Creation with scientific proof.
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Roy Bourque 20+
There are many who don’t see it this way.
I cite the following taken out of the Koran (English translation);
Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends. “The Table” 5:49
The only true faith in Allah’s sight is Islam. “The Imrans” 3:19
He that chooses a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him and in the world to come he will be one of the lost. “The Imrans” 3:85
Proclaim a woeful punishment to the unbelievers, except those idolaters who have honored their treaties with you and aided none against you… When the sacred months are over, slay the idolaters wherever you find them. “Repentance” 9:4
Those who make war against Allah and His apostle and spread disorders in the land shall be put to death or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides. “The Table” 5:33
The true believers are those who have faith in Allah and His apostle and never doubt; and who fight for His cause with wealth and persons. Such are those whose faith is true. “The Chambers” 49:13
Allah has purchased of the faithful their lives and worldly goods and in return has promised them the garden. They will fight for His cause, slay, and be slain. “Repentance” 9:110
When a person of faith believes that the punishment of God against the wicked is eternal torment in hell (and many do), then any act, no matter how vile, can be justified in the mind of a believer if its intention is to save souls from eternal torment. There is no earthly punishment that surpasses the concept of eternal torment in hell.
The three main religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, teach this doctrine. It has been the driving force for many acts of violence throughout history. It’s just a matter of determining whom the wicked are. How does your kind of truth address this problem?
scienTEDic DT
My answer is alittle bit long so, I will try to reply in 2 seperate parts.
First of all there is no oppression in Islam, and it is stated with verses.
There is no compulsion where the deen is concerned. (The Cow - 256)
Muslims have to be kind, compassionate and reasonable. They cannot be violent; the verses in your comment are reasonable only for defense, and protecting your family and poor-weak women, children and men.
Besides, the verses always direct the believers to forgive and help.
There are so many people who cannot even forget a single word. But in Quran it is stated that you should forgive and if you can, you should try to change the violent view of your enemy, even if he killed your friends and family.
At the times of the battle of Badr, prisoners were set free with ransom (as a deterrent factor) or by teaching 10 Muslims how to read and write. One has to spend time with his students to teach them something, and during that time he has to know them better, to teach them. And if one accepts someone who killed his family as his teacher, he has to leave his revenge aside and be respectful. This requires a strong faith, determination and sincere attitude. Some very sincere companions of the Prophet were against him in the beginning, but they changed. How could it be possible without love, friendship and compassion?
The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person FORGIVES and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah. (Counsel – 40)
Fight in the Way of Allah against those who fight you, but do not go beyond the limits. Allah does not love those who go beyond the limits. (The Cow - 190)
Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition, and argue with them in the kindest way. (The Bee – 125)
REST IS AT THE SECOND PART...
Obey No1kinobe 50+
How do you respond to the verses Roy raised. Do you just ignore and the sexist and slave keeping verses. And the pagan parts. And ultimately, does Allah still send humans to hell?
Suggest you can find good and bad in the Quran and bible. If promoting these as moral resources you don't get to cherry pick.
scienTEDic DT
Actually the threats in religion are for deterrence and holly books are for premonition and calling. That would be so primitive and ignorant to think that you are living this world to be tortured. One needs to recognize himself and without tests and effort he cannot know who he is. Have you ever thought why people love movies like Braveheart? Because everyone knows that constant courage and effort despite suffering is valuable. So, if there is no reason in one’s life, he cannot find the value of living. And everyone needs to find an aim and reason for his life, more than work, marriage, money or fame. When they cannot find it they lose the love for everyone and everything and especially for themselves. And this is the most miserable situation, because it leads to lose hope. So, in another perspective, some sufferings in one’s life could be a guide to find himself.
Obey No1kinobe 50+
Plenty of nasty such in scriptures, let alone human interpretations.
Not every religious person is as reasonable as you.
And you are stuck with the words in scriptures, not just traditions. When Yahweh coo ands the Hebrews to kill, when he is said to kill, and is intolerant, and jealous, and threatens eternal damnation......what would a person do to avoid eternal damnation. Would a person die or kill to please their god. Would they lock up their daughters.
Its really difficult to discuss and debate with someone who thinks they have the absolute truth.
The bible was used to argue for slavery leading up to the us civil war. There are verses that clearly regulate band endorse slavery. Sure there were economic rationales as well. But believing you have god on your side, that you have divine truth, following gods will exacerbates human problems.
If we saw religion as a human construct and just took the good we would be better off in my view.
scienTEDic DT
I hope I could be reasonable. And any reasonable thing you read from my comments comes from the moral values I tried to gain with faith. If there were any irregularity in the way I experience faith, I could not believe it.
scienTEDic DT
Also, Christians and Jews are our FRIENDS; and we accept their prophets as our prophets and books as holly. People belong to other religions can feast and have dinners together, even they can marry. And if you marry someone, it means that you trust her, and let her raise your children.
Only argue with the People of the Book in the kindest way – except in the case of those of them who do wrong – saying, ‘We have faith in what has been sent down to us and what was sent down to you. Our God and your God are one and we submit to Him.’(The Spider - 46)
They are not all the same. There is a community among the People of the Book who are upright. They recite Allah’s Signs throughout the night, and they prostrate. (The Confederates – 113)
Those who have faith and those who are Jews and the Sabaeans and the Christians, all who have faith in Allah and the Last Day and act rightly will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (The Table -69)
You will find the people most affectionate to those who have faith are those who say, ‘We are Christians.’ (The Table – 82)
...And the food of those given the Book is also halal (lawful) for you and your food is halal (lawful) for them. So are chaste women from among the Muslim and chaste women of those given the Book before you... (The table -5)
The people who practice wrong don’t change the fact. I think if someone looks without prejudice and with conscience can see the aim here.
Roy Bourque 20+
You and I share similar feelings. I wrote a book refuting the controversy between religion and science based on misconceptions. It’s called “The Merging of Two Worlds”. I never saw science and religion as controversial, only two different expressions of reality. Science deals with physical structure whereas religion deals with thought and spirituality.
Explaining creation with scientific proof doesn’t deal with the spiritual side of creation. The scientific community wants physical evidence. You can provide physical evidence for the evolutionary buildup of physical phenomenon, but you cannot provide physical evidence for spiritual experience. That is the issue with atheists. The atheist wants to do what you propose with the intention of eliminating religion altogether. Have you thought about that side of things?
scienTEDic DT
Also, science leads me to belief. Because I see that there are serious gaps about the evolution of highly complex molecules and phenomenon. I have studied evolution at the micro level for at least 6 years in the lab and I can say that a cell is very very very complex to be the product of coincidence. A cell is more complex then London, New York, Istanbul and somehow it is acting conscious. Because natural selection is not enough for making a meaningful DNA structure and mutations do not cause beneficial results. Mutations are harmful or at least silent. When we consider how living cells emerged on the ground, it causes a deep silence, because they contain meaningful DNA codes and patterns producing proteins. And proteins are so fragile and delicate that their abilities and aims are very interesting and you need tens of other proteins to produce just one. It indicates that they all have to be emerged at the same time, because one cannot continue its existence without the other. I’m just telling that, if evolution has the explanation for that, it has to be a serious one, not depending on rain and storm or wind…
Roy Bourque 20+
Rosicrucian doctrine claims that the individual cells of our bodies are not much more advanced than simple micro-organisms, but they operate together as a collective whole as the organs and systems of our bodies because there exist conscious levels other than our own consciousness. When we go to sleep, we are not aware of our own existence, yet there are processes going on in our bodies all night long. Rosicrucian doctrine teaches that this is not just simple chemistry. The body knows what it is doing even though we don't. It is repairing itself and preparing for our next day's work. And it knows how to do it because it is aware of what it is doing. We are not consciously aware of that ourselves because we operate on a different level of consciousness. Advanced Rosicrucian disciples became aware of this because they were able to alter their own conscious levels. Not only are there lower levels, but there are higher levels as well. The entire universe comes from a singular source - quantum fields that emerged from the big bang. In higher levels of consciousness, one is able to glimpse the collective whole. It produces extraordinary insights into what the universe is capable of, and it is where the idea of God emerged.
Heather White 10+
1) Both the Bible and Quran are full of contradictions and violence.
2) Holy books were written by human beings who made mistakes by changing the original meanings as their moods dictated.
3) Finding the loving message within religious texts is the key to their study.
4) Holy texts need very careful discernment and interpretation by skilled teachers to protect our young people from others who worship violent death and terror.
Bobby Ghosh’s Ted Talk hits the spot. We all need to be vigilant regarding any outbreaks of local hate talk - no matter what faith group we belong to.
Roy Bourque 20+
I agree with your points. Not only are they true with religious literature, they are also true with social media. People are easily led astray when they allow themselves to be.
My nephew is a linguist whose job it is to infiltrate foreign people to discover how they think. What he has discovered is that most Muslim terrorists are illiterate, or at least have never read the Quran and are being taught by leaders who use them to do their dirty work. The quotes I listed in my first comment are the kind that are being taught to these people. The fact that they are there is an issue in itself. The fact that they are being singled out to fire up these people to do the things that they do is why the holy books speak about evil. It's not that they protect you from it, but that they make you aware that it exists.
You make very valid points, particularly your last two. I hope that others get the message.