Western Culture

[rinard]

Although religion is no longer dominates everyday life in Western society, Islam becomes the fastest-growing religion in America and in the world?


A NATION CHALLENGED: AMERICAN MUSLIMS; Islam Attracts Converts By the Thousand, Drawn Before and After Attacks
By JODI WILGOREN
Source: The New York Times: October 22, 2001, Monday
Section: National Desk

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/3016/fastest.htm

"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..." Hillary Rodman Clinton, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3

Famous people are affected too:

Singer "Cat Stevens" Hear his story as told him . . . read more
http://www.islamtomorrow.net/converts/yusuf_islam.htm

 

[PuShAkOv]

Umm.. ok.

For some reason people relate Islam to terrorism so that kinda slows its grows in Americas. Personally, I do not believe in religion that takes away your freedom to live your life as you please. Religion should enhance your life... not be or control it. Just my $.02

 

[Pink_Floyd]

ALL religion is the root of all evil! We can never even THINK of having any kind of relative peace or harmony in this world as long as religion, no matter what faith, is still practiced by the people of this earth. Religion was created out of the quest for knowledge, a way to explain the unexplainable. Later religion was used, and continues to be used as a way to control the people. I think no religion is better or worse than any other. In a world where no one can truely say who is right or who is wrong there is only one thing that we can distinguish between: Fact and Fiction. Any decision based purely on religion is a poor decision and the result of either a lack of facts or a lack of understanding. A government that is based on religion should not be allowed to govern it's people. Only when religion has completely vanished from this world can we begin to find ways to make peace with one another.

 

[PuShAkOv]

Jewish people seem to have one of those nice religions. They never cause trouble and promote good structural family life. Too bad other religions always target them for one thing or another.

 

[Pink_Floyd]

It still doesn't matter though. Nothing is ever going to get better in the world if people don't give up this whole notion of a mythical "God".

 

[junglestylz]

Religion is nothing but a crutch to help people cope with the fact that they are going to die someday.Civilization in general is completely unable to grasp the concept that once your gone, your gone. It's not just Islam. If you take any religion to seriously it will do the same thing. That is create completely biased societies, and eventually governments.It might be the fastest growing religion in the US because everybody is sick of the other religions, but they need something to guide their day to day lives because they are incapable of living their own lives on their own terms. I to practice a religion. I believe fully in the guidance and power of heathenism. I consider myself one of the clergy in this religious belief structure. As for the quotes, when has Hillary Rodham "imabad1forNY" Clinton ever said anything of even moderate intelligence¿ She comes off as this intelligent, well rounded figure, when in fact she has her head so far up her a$$ that she needs to go to a gastroenterologist to get her teeth cleaned! She spouts all of thius stuff about religion and doing what is right, but she is so deep in her own hippocracy that she didn't even divorce her useless husband after he got caught and confessed to bangin' that fat, ugly, intern. I don't blame him for this (I would have looked elsewhere if I had to sleep with that haggered on b!tch too). This is what I suggest. I am going to by a small island in the Carribean and start my own country. In this country there will be no religion, no oppresive government (to a point. eg. no murder ((unless the person was ignorant or prcticing religion)), no benefits for the stupid or lazy, and people will be held accountable for their own actions.) If you can't support yourself then you will be kicked off the island and a more usefull erson will take your place. There will be a minimal need for money, and it will be completely socially acceptable to have a beer at 10:00 on a friday morning to go with the 17 pounds of bacon you prepared for yourself and the prostitute that spent the night.

 

[wileycoyote]

Unless of course, everyone in the world converts to the same religion. Then there will be peace once again.

Which is exactly what you are saying, as no religion is in itself a religion.

I would hate to live in a world without religion (think 4th century Rome, 1940 Germany, 1960 USSR, those turned out great didn't they?).

"The fool has said in heart, there is no God."

 

[codex57]

I think only religious fanatics cause trouble. Oftentimes, religion helps people make moral choices (our laws were based on religious laws, whether you like it or not) and promote charity (whatever the motivation, it gets done). Religion isn't pure evil. It's pretty simple minded to say religion is the root of all evil. It can cause a lot of hypocrisy like junglestyle said though. What I find funny in particular is the various Protestant groups that fight amongst themselves. They're literally identical for all practical intents and purposes, but some members seem to regard other sects as cults instead of different branches.

 

[Pink_Floyd]

Unless of course, everyone in the world converts to the same religion. Then there will be peace once again.

Which is exactly what you are saying, as no religion is in itself a religion.

Give me a break. Having no religion is having no religion. Are you suggesting that everyone HAS to have some form of religion? If you don't believe in anything then you don't have a religion.

 

[PuShAkOv]

If there would be one form of religion it would be like a dictatorship. 98% of people would live in poverty and the sacred few would be religious gods.

 

[Big Daddy]

I think only religious fanatics cause trouble. Oftentimes, religion helps people make moral choices (our laws were based on religious laws, whether you like it or not) and promote charity (whatever the motivation, it gets done). Religion isn't pure evil. It's pretty simple minded to say religion is the root of all evil. It can cause a lot of hypocrisy like junglestyle said though. What I find funny in particular is the various Protestant groups that fight amongst themselves. They're literally identical for all practical intents and purposes, but some members seem to regard other sects as cults instead of different branches.

The most accurate information in this thread so far! What was the purpose of this thread? Hillary Clinton quotes from 1996? Give me a brake.

 

[Wadula]

i share codex view as well. religion itself is indeed a positive thing. human kind is not able to live without havin faith in something. it's just the majorities nature. a religion, no matter which one, is in all cases know peacefull. read the koran, read the bible, read whatever hindus use. it is all about the people and how they read the contents. it's all about interpretation. with the right, respectively wrong, interpretation you can have a tremendous influence on masses of people. that is the danger.

as far as i am concerned, i do not believe in god or spirit or sort of things like that. i believe in physics, economy and feelings. that is my guide.

 

[Big Daddy]

i share codex view as well. religion itself is indeed a positive thing. human kind is not able to live without havin faith in something. it's just the majorities nature. a religion, no matter which one, is in all cases know peacefull. read the koran, read the bible, read whatever hindus use. it is all about the people and how they read the contents. it's all about interpretation. with the right, respectively wrong, interpretation you can have a tremendous influence on masses of people. that is the danger.

as far as i am concerned, i do not believe in god or spirit or sort of things like that. i believe in physics, economy and feelings. that is my guide.

Also well said!

 

[Wadula]

thanks dan!

 

[Abdoman]

Pink_Floyd you couldn't be more wrong. Religion is what has established the moral choices for the majority of the people in the US. I wouldn't want to live in a world without moral boundries. I can only imagine what would happen when people do what the want, when they want.

 

[wileycoyote]

Give me a break. Having no religion is having no religion. Are you suggesting that everyone HAS to have some form of religion? If you don't believe in anything then you don't have a religion.

Depends how you define religion, but basically, yes that's what I'm saying. But you're missing the point. The danger lies not in the religious fanatic, but in a society that persecutes dissenting views. In fact, the extremes helps society define boundries.

 

[PuShAkOv]

Pink_Floyd you couldn't be more wrong. Religion is what has established the moral choices for the majority of the people in the US. I wouldn't want to live in a world without moral boundries. I can only imagine what would happen when people do what the want, when they want.

I disagree. I don't follow any particular religion, yet I still have my own morals and beliefs.

 

[junglestylz]

I would just have an extremely hard time justifying letting any belief structure that is both hippocritical, and biased set my morals for me. An eye for an eye. Thou shalt not kill. Dododedo. Schmakity, schmakity. Blah, blah, BLAH! Christianity in general has some serious weak points. Take for instance the fact that the bible was written more than 400 years after all this happened¿ Who the hell can remeber an 1100 page story and pass it on for 400 years without messing something up, or adding something on¿ Drinking is against the way of god¿ but Jesus turns water to wine. If it is a sin, then god set his son up by giving him the power to turn all these people into sinners! Here it is, your soul is energy. When you die, that energy is transfered to something else. Therefor, reincarnation would be the best example of a somewhat sound religious belief. Sorry for getting a little off track but I had a thought and I couldn't let it escape It doesn't matter if it is religion. Any belief structure when taken to seriously will most likely end in hate or violence. Take ofr example skinheads, Black Panthers, KKK, anti abortion activists, etc. The fact of the matter is that these people are not able to support their own train of thought, so they have to turn to an alternate source of strength. Having a dead set certain set of values and beliefs turns you into a robot, not a human. You can believe in some points of a religion, but as soon as you try to live up to them all, you are no longer unique. What makes somebody say "F*ck individualality, I will let a bunch of paper run my life"¿

 

[Abdoman]

junglestylz - it's obvious you haven't taken the time to read the Bible. You really should before you start spouting off crap. I have read the bible - every page. If you had, you would realize that drinking is not against God. No where in the Bible does it tell you you shouldn't drink. Maybe you should develop your opinion of Christianity by reading the Bible instead of grasping at bits and pieces you hear from TV or your friends. The hypocrites of this world have always given religion - any religion- a bad name. The Bible is a collection of stories written over several thousand years, beginning with the Old Testament. Actually some of the stories were believed to have been written as little as 40 yrs after Christ's death.

guessgirl - Where did your morals come from? If you were born in the jungle and no one to learn from, how would you know what is right or wrong? Look at our government - set up with the separation of church and state- based on the Protestant (Christian) beliefs. This allows all of us to believe whatever we want without being prosecuted for your individual beliefs.

Under God We Trust!

 

[PuShAkOv]

I agree that if I was rasied in a jungle I would have a diffrent outlook on whats right and wrong, but I don't think my morals are based on religion. This isn't much better, but I a lot of my morals came from what is accepted by society, still a lot I think from my own beliefs.