Article

2004-03-04 Down Under

When legal absurdity is watched world-wide

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Posted by tipper 2004-03-04 9:14:37 AM|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Perhaps the most telling moment to date came just last Friday when Pastor Scot was asked by the Islamic Councilâs barrister Debbie Mortimer to stop reading passages from the Koran and just give verses because the readings vilified Muslims. He replied: "If it is not for reading, it shouldnât be in the book."

Heh.

Posted by Robert Crawford 2004-3-4 9:31:42 AM|| [http://www.kloognome.com] 2004-3-4 9:31:42 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Debbie Mortimer to stop reading passages from the Koran ..... because the readings vilified Muslims.

Hilarious! And at the same time shocking!

Posted by phil_b 2004-3-4 10:01:19 AM|| 2004-3-4 10:01:19 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Relatively straightforward and accurate reports of the trial have been placed on the web by Pastor Scotâs church

What the address of the website? And before I forget: Bwahahahahaahhaha!

Posted by Charles 2004-3-4 10:55:29 AM|| 2004-3-4 10:55:29 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Typical cult behavior - "our religion is what we say it is, regardless of what you think or what's written anywhere". Islam has outlived any usefulness it may have ever had, and needs to be added to the garbage heap of history, along with dozens of other dead-end cults.

Posted by Old Patriot 2004-3-4 11:11:16 AM|| [http://users.codenet.net/mweather/default.htm] 2004-3-4 11:11:16 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Islam has outlived any usefulness

I think the acid test of a religion is how provides value to society/humanity. Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, etc may have their faults, but they do challenge people to do and be better. Look at how adherents have created advancements in science, arts, culture, etc. I see nothing of the sort from Islam. Either nothing, or worse, death and destruction.

Posted by PlanetDan 2004-3-4 2:04:18 PM|| 2004-3-4 2:04:18 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 I think the acid test of a religion is how provides value to society/humanity. Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, etc may have their faults, but they do challenge people to do and be better.
What was the quote from Hiwayee?
They came to do good and they done right well.

Posted by Shipman 2004-3-4 3:57:50 PM|| 2004-3-4 3:57:50 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Note rant tags. If interested, read what follows - it's just some honest observations, Joycian-style, from an atheist. I know some will flip, but so what? Many are permanently flipped, IMHO. I am not inviting a debate - take it or leave it as you please, but don't try to engage me over it, I'm not interested in rehashing the oldest hash known to man.

[rant]
As an atheist, I always find discussions and articles like this fascinating. Much is along the pot calling the kettle black line -- usually nit-picking trivialities, while ignoring the surrounding mass of obvious ooga-nooga bullshit.

BUT. I agree with PlanetDan - and many others: I believe a religion can serve a useful, if not noble, purpose - or I believe it deservingly dies out. Where the purpose is essentially positive, that it demonstrably does much more good than bad, it is to be applauded - and its believers protected from unwarranted persecution - and the law of reason determines the sum of that latter judgment. Where the balance goes the other way, it is a pestilence - and the adherents are carriers deserving no quarter. All religions I have encountered (with one notable exception) have a jewel (or more) of obvious truth. It's just the massive BS baggage that converts are expected to swallow along with the goodies that leaves me cold.

One reason why I have relatively few critical comments about Christianity is that there is an elegance and profoundness present in its practical tenets and application. I've read the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. I've read the Book of Mormon. The Qu'uran. The Upanishads. The Dancing WuLi Masters. A raft of books trying to explain Zen in words. The Zen of Motorcylce Maintenance came closest to what I saw first-hand in practice in Asia. And I've read much more. Not much of the Torah, yet, but I guess I'll get around to it someday.

Contrasting Christianity and Islam, the topic here... What strikes me about the Bible is that some of it is so simply written, yet profound, that it is breathtaking - and timeless. I find nothing in the Qu'uran that even approaches the same way of speaking or the self-apparent wisdom, much less the positive effects. Islam is that exception - and it propagates for reasons other than positive choice and beneficial effect. Where the Bible gives simple rules that have a profound effect (e.g. Do unto others...) with absolutely no negative fallout, the Qu'uran is a book of pure fear of retribution and it is laced with dictated hate. It is a rant of hate and threats - thus I must conclude the author was a twisted individual seeking revenge for slights, real or imagined. The most dogmatic dire pedestrian writings of the Old Testament are of the same ilk as the whole of the Qu'uran. It never fails to rise above that mark - but the Bible does -- and it does it without requiring some "official" of the faith to explain away what is written or fill in between the lines and spin it for consumption. The good stuff is there in black and white. I have found nothing in the Qu'uran to match it, no profundity or vision or anything inspiring or worthy of further study. Some will say that is a defect of translation. Bullshit - in practice it proves my point. In practice, Christianity has many positive effects that exceed the negatives - which make the news on occasion. The qu'uran is a book of do's, don'ts, and unrelenting fear. Most religions offer the intellectually-challenging lame promise of an ooga-booga afterlife (what a word) usually one full of Earthly hedonistic rewards (Gee - I wonder why...) and continued subservience to some entity. Yawn. For me, this is of no consequence - it's the practice on Earth that matters - for that is the only provable reality. Islam is utterly barren of reason beyond the enrichment and empowerment of its status quo - in other words it has all of the negatives of religion, but lacks any saving-grace positive. It is an excellent example of a system that fails to balance its negative impact - in any way. Thus, IMHO, it deserves to be exterminated as the human pathogen it daily proves to be.

This just my opinion. Take it or leave it.
[/rant]

Posted by .com 2004-3-4 7:56:24 PM|| 2004-3-4 7:56:24 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Charles
The web site you requested
www.catchthefire.com.au/

Posted by tipper 2004-3-4 11:21:08 PM|| 2004-3-4 11:21:08 PM|| Front Page Top

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