Anti-Muslim video sparks new outrage against Denmark

I love this ridiculous secular notion of “equal mockery” for all religions. It’s pretty clear that these cartoons are meant to “ease” the underlying tensions perceived within the Danes’ own society as well as from the proximity of Denmark to the Middle East.

It’s farcical. Some reasons why include:

• gross cultural insensivity. By extension of the Quran, Muslim identity lies directly in Muhammad. “There is one God, Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.” Putting his head on a stick, or a camel for that matter, is NOT going to be funny to them – not to say that they lack self-deprecation, but it comes out in arguably far less intellectual ways and arguably far more emotional ones.
• “equal mockery” is essentially a thinly-veiled pretense for mocking religions “of the Book”. Eastern religions are subject to close to nonexistant gainsay simply because a lot of people in the west don’t understand how their own senses of identity within one might relate.
• it tends to spawn more xenophobia.

In short, it’s a double standard that reveals some of the baser elements of secular humor – that of both narcissicm and self-preservation. In fact, FindLaw’s Julie Hilden has a good article articulating these points and more. Read it here.

So if you’re going to mock religions, do it on equal terms. Then maybe you’ll find out that, in fact, your underlying basis for why you find cultural insensitivity to be humorous will be changed.
via the Independent.

By Stephen Castle, Europe Correspondent

Published: 10 October 2006

Danes have been warned against travelling to a number of Muslim countries after the release of a video showing young members of an anti-immigrant party mocking the Prophet Mohamed.

Images drawn by members of the youth wing of the Danish People’s Party, and shown on television and the internet, were condemned by Islamic leaders in Egypt and Indonesia, threatening to reawaken the furore over cartoons published last year in Denmark.

“Wondrous Miracles” Grow Pastor’s Church

This article was posted back on 7/25 on the GFA website, but I was reminded of it when I read the last article they sent me.

And it made me think back to a class the adult group in church was having on euthanasia in bioethics. The “lecturer” proceeded to inform us about the Terri Schiavo case insomething like this:

Life is precious. [Therefore, we should seek to preserve all life.]

Seemed pretty secular to me. Firstly, no one is going to argue that life isn’t precious. Even the Extremist Muslims in the Middle East feel that life is precious. Unfortunately, they just have a different view of what that means for them on earth. To segue, secondly, Jesus’ idea of life was entirely different than the one secular humanism believes in.

Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matt 10:39

In any case, because this particular man was a doctor, I’m sure he thought (as I learned, through a heated discussion) that his experience in the field would thereby lend credibility to his case. But here were my questions: what about the will of God and the power of God?

Wouldn’t God have allowed Terri Schiavo to live if he so chose? Wouldn’t prayer and a sincere heart for God have worked a miracle? I doubt he would’ve answered yes.

Moreover, it is indicative of an increasing self-reliance vs. reliance on God.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

Matt 7:24-25

Miracles are in no short supply! They just don’t tend to happen where people have little to no faith.

http://www.gfa.org/gfa/latestnewsarticle?wid=DnfnePbS0lVrA3ABz0HrmA

Pastor Darpan’s church is thriving.

“God is using Pastor Darpan vigorously and doing wondrous miracles as he ministers and prays for the sick and needy who approach him,” writes a GFA correspondent.

Fury as Berlin Opera Cancels Performance

Europeans no doubt have it much harder on themselves given the bulk of immigration from Arab states tends to be going towards them instead of the US. This article in Spiegel demonstrates just how seriously Islam is perceived as a threat to civil liberties and other traditionally democratic ideas such as the freedom of speech.

If there are any Muslim readers out there, I’d be happy to dialogue on how it indeed is or isn’t. Does the Quran permit freedom of speech? Did Muhammad? Do you see it as being a good thing or bad?

Also to the Buddhists – what do you think about the artistic statement of Budda being beheaded?

Berlin’s Deutsche Oper opera house is under fire for cancelling a controversial production of a Mozart opera which shows the severed heads of the Prophet Muhammad, Jesus and Buddha. Politicians have condemned the cancellation as self-censorship and cowardice.

jim Open Thread

AND THIS IS WHY YOU MUST “study” to prove yourself unto god and thats
great to know for “WHEN YOU GET TO HEAVEN” meanwhile here on EARTH you must live each day with a great display of common sense, 1 such being:
if a group of “FANATICS” is holding a knife to your throat asking you to chose between what you belive and what he thinks you should believe…..what are you gonna do ?????

Jim I’m not entirely sure of your position. Could you clarify a little bit?

Are you a practicing Christian? If so, what do you consider to be a practicing Christian?

Barry G. open thread

Barry,

In the spirit of my two other posts I’d like to open up a discussion about the problems I see in neoconservatism (which I’m assuming you are).

I take it that you’re:

1. “moral”
2. Pro Israel
3. Pro America (a nationalist)

I believe in neither 2 nor 3 due to the fleeting nature of civilization. Moreover, I firmly believe, as prophesied in the Bible and consistent throughout history, that mankind will meet its eventual end.

In the case #1, if you’re going to dictate Christian ethics to me, give me verse and context. Otherwise you’re just being dogmatic.

re: Comment Commandments revisited/soccermomunplugged open thread

This is in reference to Comment Commandments revisited and the previous Pope to Muslim Fanatics: Why bother? posts in soccermomunplugged.

Cate implicates my comments in the “Pope…” post are inflammatory and purely malicious in nature.

– are inflammatory without addressing the issue of the blog

– are purely malicious in nature

Going by this definition of malicious, I fail to see where I am acting out of pure malice. Also, if the first few posts are any indication, I am sure that my characterization of your (Cate’s) generalized opinion of ME Arabs is on the mark.

I believe you (Cate) and I reached some sort of commonality of spirit at the “end” of our discussion, but judging by your last comment of the night, I believe it was built on false pretenses or a false unity, hence your post and following ban.

Allow me to illustrate:

No I didn’t forget that Jesus would know. But I am making the point that we all generalize. How aboutwe concede that we both reacted adversely to our triggers.

We are both probably on the same side of the issue anyway. You and I both want Muslims to be seen in a better light. Only I want the fanatics to stop doing everything in their power to reinforce negative stereotypes and you want President Bush and I not to generalize and create a hostile environment for innocent Muslims. Got it. I’ll make sure my Palestinian friend and her family feel welcome when they come for dinner on Tuesday evening.

Good night, Albert. (#97)

Pope Benedict Apologizes in Person for Muslim Offense

It seems a lot more has happened in the past two weeks than I originally thought. Also, apologies on missing the chance to post on 9/11.. no doubt much of what is written here could be arguably centered around.

9/11 post will come in time. But this article should have been renamed “Catholic Church Figurehead Issues Muslim Apology” with the subheading “Religious politics play out in Europe between Pope and Muslim world”.

It’s foolish and frankly speaking, heretical, to claim you represent God AND speak on behalf of the entire earthly kingdom/church politically (or, having representative power). God doesn’t play politics… at least this much should be ascertained from the Old Testament. This is part of the reason why I believe Catholicism in practice (orthopraxis) is far from the truth of knowing who God is and true Christianity in general.

It also speaks of the extent to which ecumenism (or, in this context, false unity) is taking over every facet of the modern world. Pantheism anyone?

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Matthew 7 :14-15

http://tinyurl.com/nygq5

By Andrew Frye and Jackie Andrews

Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) — Pope Benedict XVI apologized in person today for causing offense to Muslims with a university lecture last week implicitly linking Islam to violence.

Did World War III start yesterday morning?

A beginner’s attempt at WWIII speculation. I think it can be said that there are many more options besides blasting each other to kingdom come at the world’s disposal as compared to the past, right?

via EnergyBulletin link. http://tinyurl.com/hmtu3. 
The great thing about predicting human events is that you are so often wrong. In this case, nothing would make me happier than to be in error. But, G-d help us all, I think the odds aren’t that bad that I’ m right. It is possible that yesterday morning, we started World War III.

The beginnings of wars are often hard to identify. Which act lit the spark on the tinderbox? Which straw was the final one? Like peak oil itself, the beginnings of war are often visible only in retrospect. Why today? Why, when we might make the case a world war war began when the US invaded Iraq? Why when this particular cause might turn out to be just another brush fire?

Israel destroys home of Hezbollah leader

For those wondering why crude prices are so high, here’s a partial reason.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060714/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel

By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Israel destroyed the home and office of Hezbollah’s leader Friday and tightened its seal on Lebanon, blasting its air and road links to the outside world to punish the guerrilla group — and with it, the country — for the capture of two Israeli soldiers.

Hezbollah’s Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and his family were safe after the Israeli missiles demolished the two buildings in Beirut’s crowded southern neighborhoods,

“You wanted an open war and we are ready for an open war,” Nasrallah said, addressing Israelis in an audiotape played on Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television. The speech apparently was prerecorded and did not refer to the missile attack.