miditek wrote:"Whistling through the graveyard" is apparently a favorite pastime in many parts of the world these days, particularly in Europe. Stalin did this even as he signed off on the Nazi-Soviet pact, and only to be engaged in ferocious combat not long thereafter.
I have no idea what you're saying here.
That was self-deprecating humor, wrapped in a thin cloak of irony. My initial invocation of the word oui was simple sarcasm. You didn't pick up on it, I guess.
Speaking French is something I would never have pride in.
Yeah, I didn't pick up on it, I guess.
It is unfortunate, perhaps, that e-mail does not always translate or provide an effective way to express the tone of sarcasm in one's voice. This was not intended (as your assessment would seem to indicate)- as some sort of academic "pole vaulting", but was simple satire of the EU, as well as their atheist and Pagan allies. I'm well aware of atheists non-beliefs, as well as Pagan leanings. Moreover, public acknowledgement of God certainly does not constitute a theocracy.
Noted. Peculiar shorthand, but alright. I disagree with your assessment of the EU, but we've already established that, I think.
NordicStorm wrote:You assume too much about my having no knowledge of foreign languages though.
I said
a foreign language, French.
Really, we are talking about two dramatically different concepts here. The Muslim Jesus is not accorded the status of Deity, unlike the Christian version. That is a significant theological difference. In fact, it is "replacement theology" from a Christian viewpoint. The bulk of what is written about Jesus in the Koran directly contradicts what Jesus Himself claimed to be, which is the Son of God.
...which doesn't contradict that Jesus does, in fact, exist in the Muslim faith.
Muslims also believe that the Old and New Testaments of the Bible came from God, but again, the Koran is intended to function as a vehicle of replacement theology because the former testaments were somehow 'corrupted'. So which is it? Old and New are legitimate scripture or corrupt and misguided epistles and allegories?
...which is relevant, how exactly?
Sura 4 157 claims that the crucifixion itself was a falsehood or a lie; yet you will see many moderm imams and clerics criticizing the Jews for killing Christ. Well, which part of that story is true? Did the Jews kill Christ, or did they not?
...so, Jesus does figure prominently in Islam?
My Muslim friends often say, "Sorry, no offense man, but this business about Jesus being able to forgive your sins is complete bullshit." I then hear about how he was an important prophet, yet they cannot recite anything important that He was supposed to have said.
Well, I guess if Scandinavia is "Christian in name only", does your Muslim friends thus qualify as "Muslim in name only"? But I will commend you for befriending Muslims, despite their supposed radical jihadist tendencies!
If casting doubt on my own theological and eschatological knowledge and experience provides you with some sense of moral or intellectual superiority, than by all means, please do so. You are really starting to sound a lot like Baghdad Bob.
I lay no claim to any superiority. You write a bit sloppily, I misunderstood what you were saying. No biggie. Happens to the best of us.
How much do you know about Islam?
Some. Obviously not enough to tell them to move back to the desert, but...
How many Muslims do you know and interact with on a daily basis?
3 - 4
When does Ramandan start?
This year? End of September, I think. It's the ninth(or tenth?) month of the Muslim calendar.
When does it end?
A month later.
What must a good Muslim do during this period?
Fast.
How frequently do the Muslims you know discuss Jesus?
Unknown. In fairness sake, I'm unaware of how often they plot to kill me as well.
Just what is this Sunni vs. Shiite thing all about?
The ultrashort version: Muhammad's successor.
What is a Dhmmmi?
A non-Muslim living in a Muslim state.
What are the five pillars of Islam?
Testimony, prayer, charity, fasting, pilgrimage.
Who is the Mahdi?
A descendant of Muhammad. Will in the end times establish a fair kingdom on earth prior to the judgement.
Read the Koran lately?
A few years ago. Not my favourite read. In Swedish, no less!
How many times a day must a Muslim pray?
Five.
What day of the week is the Muslim Sabbath?
Fridays.
What determines if food complies with Halal guidelines?
How it's slaughtered, simliar to Kosher
It's great that the world has you to assist in policing the thoughts of others, and not to mention to tell other people how or what to think about the opinions or comments of others. Great. Everyone now knows you successfully passed your PC-101 course at university.
I flunked that course, actually.
But I thought I was cowering under the bed with fear; and now I'm ready to launch the Fourth Reich, or at least, the Second Crusade? I'll call former Lord Mayor Manfred Rommel in Stuttgart tonight to check on the progress of our battle plans for tomorrow's world domination.
Of course, you'll defer the actual warring to your leaders. Just keep in mind I want Poland, and NeonVomit got dibs on Denmark!
There's so much evil in the world- that we don't even have time to worry about what's going on in the other hot spots- such as the Congo or Ivory Coast. Darfur- no, not important, at least not right now; we first must stop homophobia!
Tell that to Matthew Sheppard. Your feelings about homophobia are duly noted. I'm glad someone is finally taking notice of the genocide in Sudan, though!
No, not at all. I wouldn't accuse you of that, although there are actually some other people that need no introduction that do come to mind, and would have no problem with that idea.
No, really, feel free to be a bigot. As long as there are Muslim terrorists out there, it's perfectly okay if we hate all Muslims, right?
Thank you, St. Nord, I am sure that world is a much better place now.
Oh, I'm a saint now? Just a few posts ago I was a "Christian in name only." Thanks for the promotion!
Besides, if you were to try and counter every bigoted statement that had ever been made on this forum, you would be typing well into your retirement years.
True enough.
So essentially, my alleged bigotry is worse than that of a radical jihadist.
Nope. I didn't realise radical jihadism gives one
carte blanche (there's that French again! Aaargh!) to be a bigot, though.
Morality is so much clearer when it gets routed through your filter. al-Jazeera must have placed a satellite dish too close to your house, and its radiation is affecting what you type!
I really hit a raw nerve there, didn't I?
Taking Tehran and Damascus to task for their activities and holding them accountable now is apparently is a far worse notion than Israel being blown off of the map.
On the contrary. I just don't understand how this world war you're hyping is going to make anyone, including Israel, safer.
For all the talk of the horrors of bigotry, I'd love to see your government nominate a foreign minister of African descent, or perhaps a defense minister of Asian extraction.
I would too. I didn't realise you were a government, though.
Thanks for setting the parameters of polite conversation, as well as the reminder and tips on what it takes to be PC. I'm sure that all of the altar boys that have been abused are jumping for joy.
You lost me here. Are you saying it's okay to be anti-Christian and spew anti-Christian bigotry because of pedophile priests?
While you are waxing philosophical about fairness, there are at least a thousand or more imams at this very moment that are reminding the faithful of Muhammed's words; "Negotiate with your enemy until you are strong enough to destroy him."
Aah, back to fear mongering then.
Sounds like an al-Qaida recruting infommercial, if there ever was one. The only real fear that I have is running out of ammunition when the shit finally does hit the fan over here. Should I standardize on 5.56mm NATO, 7.62mm Warsaw Pact, or 5.45mm Warsaw Pact? Decisions, decisions.
Okay, okay, we get it, you're not afraid, you're Rambo. Good luck with that summer blockbuster of yours.
Again, holding Tehran and Damascus accountable now does not constitute a declaration of war against 1.4 billion Muslims. The imams have already declared that the war on terror is a war on Islam itself. My Muslim friends have also said; "what is this war on terror? That's a stupid assessment. This is a religious war, anyway. How can Bush be so stupid as to label it otherwise?"
Holding to account is one thing, telling people they ought to move back to the desert is another. Or claiming that a majority of them aren't productive citizens. Still, I'm not quite sure why you would befriend people who apparently have sworn to destroy you and your way of life. It's very Sun Tzu of you.
Christians also live with the belief of the ultimate victory of good over evil in the end. That is something that a Christian looks forward to. If I were afraid of Muslims in general,
Oh, I see. You're actually looking forward to the apocalypse and seek to hasten its arrival. So this obsession of yours is not because of fear, it's just a general desire to tell us all how we are on the brink of extinction. Okay then. Well, in that case, thanks for your public service, I won't have to bother paying the phone bill then.
I certainly would not work with them (as well as have others for clients) on an almost daily basis. I would not answer their questions about Christianity, either. I would not steeply discount my normal fees to my Muslim business partners, either.
Is this before or after you tell them to move back to the desert?
I'm glad to see that someone knows what's controlling my life. Post some comments critical about radical Islam? Now I'm a bigot. Too many Euros think that they have a monopoly on PC speech- to paraphrase Donald Rumsfeld, "goodness gracious me! I guess they've never heard of Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid!"
"Critical"? Sure. There's criticism. Which I have no issue with, and in fact probably agree with much of it.
Then there's telling people that a majority of them aren't productive citizens and they ought to move back to the desert.
I will concede that it's possible you're not actually a bigot, you just expressed yourself rather clumsily (or even the remote possiblity that I read it clumsily, I've been down with some nasty bug for a couple of days [Karma, no doubt!], so everything is a bit of a blur), in which case my reaction was unnecessarily harsh. It was obviously unfair of me to jump to conclusions about you based on what you were writing. Of course, I'm held hostage by atheists and wiccans and pagans and muslims and christians in name only and french people alike, the pressure clearly must have gotten to me.
