Two Kinds of Fanaticism: Religious and Secular
The Muslim world is threatened by religious fanaticism. The Western world is threatened by secular fanaticism.
Both seek to dominate society and to use state power to do so. Both seek to eliminate the Other — for Islamic fanatics that means non-Muslim religions and secularism; for secular fanatics it means Christianity and virtually any public invocation of God. The Islamists impose sharia law; the ACLU, and the Left generally, impose secular law. The Taliban wiped out public vestiges of Buddhism in Afghanistan; the ACLU and its allies seek to wipe out public vestiges of Christianity in America — as it did, for example, in Los Angeles County when it successfully pressured the County Board of Supervisors to remove the tiny cross from the county seal. A city and county founded by Catholics — hence the name “The Angels” — was forced to stop commemorating its founders because they were religious.
This fanaticism has been on display most recently in the state of Rhode Island. This past Christmas, Governor Lincoln Chafee renamed the state Christmas tree a “holiday tree.” Though Christmas is a national holiday, for the secular fanatic, anything Christian — or, as we shall see, anything that relates to religion or God — must be banned from public life.
The latest expression of the secular equivalent of Islamism is the lawsuit brought against a Rhode Island high school, Cranston High School West, for allowing a banner, written by a seventh grader in 1963, to remain hanging on one of the school walls. An atheist student along with the ACLU brought the lawsuit and a judge ruled that it is unconstitutional for it to hang in a public school.
The initial sentence should have read, "The Muslim world is threatened by religious fanaticism. The Western world is threatened by secular fanaticism, and Islamic fanaticism."
-GuestYou left out Christian fanaticism.
-davesThe difference is the:
Christians teach their religion and if you do not accept we will walk away. We teach that you must make up your own mind, believe or reject.
Islam use threats, terrorism, force…. if you do not accept the least they will do is put you in jail. They will beat you, they will kill you, they will confiscate every thing you have ever earned……………..
-MyrtlelinderSuppose you hear in one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you that some worthless rabble among you have led their fellow citizens astray by encouraging them to worship foreign gods. In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find it is true and can prove that such a detestable act has occurred among you, you must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock. Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the street and burn it. Put the entire town to the torch as a burnt offering to the LORD your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt. Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the LORD will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a great nation, just as he solemnly promised your ancestors. "The LORD your God will be merciful only if you obey him and keep all the commands I am giving you today, doing what is pleasing to him." (Deuteronomy 13:13-19 )
-davesYou are dead wrong! First of all you know nothing about the Bible! It is much like other books, in one way, you can't take a few verses and get the meaning of what the Bible is teaching, just as in any book you cannot read two or three paragraphs and know what the book is telling you. To understand the Bible, you can not just look at the cover, you MUST READ IT AND READ IT, AGAIN. YOU MUST STUDY IT, LISTEN TO GIFTED BY GOD, LEARNED MINISTERS PREACH IT, TEACH IT. THERE ARE MANY REFERENCE BOOKS YOU CAN GET WHICH WILL HELP YOU TO UNDERSTAND IT.
No, I do not hear about any towns the LORD GOD will give me, but I promise HE give me so much, there is no way to explain it to someon who is so bent on to hating HIM, not willing to listen to a word of truth about HIM OR HIS WORD
-MyrtlelinderGiven the hundreds of different translations of the bible and the thousands of different Christian sects who all read, study and teach the bible and are completely convinced they do understand the bible, it is obvious that your comment is without foundation.
-Jeff DixonI love my Jesus. Please try to explain to me what this verse means.
-daves