---- "Kyle R. Mcallister" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Cutting to the chase, here.
... > I am sick and tired of this self hate. The people over here living cushy > nice lives while badmouthing the self-same nation that lets them enjoy that > life are the ones who should be driven into the deep blue sea. If you want > to say that I am just Muslim bashing, don't even try it. None of what I have > said is half as vitriolic as the garbage I have heard people spouting about > Jews and Christians. > > If I seem angry, you're right. I am. > --Kyle I can sympathize with your sense of outrage. However, are you willing to acknowledge the sense of outrage that also exists on the other side as well? It's possible it may not have been your intention but from my perspective you seem to be involved in religion bashing. To that I would say, bashing any religion, be it Muslin, Judaism, Christianity, or whatever misses a crucial point. It only fans the flames. The kinds of spectacular carnage most rational human beings abhor, such as flying commercial airlines into buildings, or walking into a public place and blowing themselves up, are performed for the most part by fascists and extremists. They are not religious acts, even though I'm sure the perpetrators have convinced themselves that their actions are motivated by religious faith. Such acts of carnage are performed as the result of having nurtured a unique blend hatred to the extreme, one that has been carefully cultivated and then given an outlet, all to suit the goals of a small collection very shrewd extremists whose own goals are to assure that their own kind, their particular way of life, is vaulted to the top of the pecking order. In order to legitimize their special brew of hatred these fascists and extremist have hijacked the local religion. Any religion will do. It's just that typically it's the one they grew up in that that gets hijacked in order to legitimize the ne! ed to act on their predilections. The point I'm trying to make is to bash any particular religion is a fruitless endeavor that reduces one to endless finger pointing. It is likely to be a more productive endeavor (and, unfortunately, a far more difficult task) to get to the root of what makes individuals transform their mind, body, and soul into the mindset of an extremist who sees personal glory in transforming themselves into a cruise missile. In the collective sense I think it would wiser of us if we were to try to find ways to help promote more productive outlets in which such predilections can express themselves. I realize my suggestion is likely to sound a tad esoteric or possibly even naïve by some. Nevertheless, a population that is better educated, a population that understands the issues as they exist on BOTH SIDES of the border is more likely to begrudgingly acknowledge the fact that both sides will need to perform an equal amount of sacrificing. If both sides can acknowledge to each other, and especially to themselves, that an equal amount of personal sacrifice IS transpiring on both sides of the border, that is more likely to foster a lasting peace. Better education is also more likely to keep the extremist elements and their particular need to act on their predilections better in check. The alternative would be to continue participating in random acts of religion bashing, to act on their particular brew of predilections, and that is just plain stupid. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/OrionWorks
