After your first response of insulting tone, I ignored the rest of your commentary. It's unfortunate that what started out as an educated and polite debate has now degenerated into your snide remarks. I would have been happy to address your questions if you had just left the sarcasm at the door. Incidently, where you're asking me to "prove" certain hypothesis with backup, I could equally ask you to disprove them with backup as well. Ah well, it was good while it lasted.
I was quite direct and, perhaps, harsh, I admit. But insulting? No, I have no need to insult. A discussion of the facts alone would suffice for me. The one sarcastic remark I can see is a joke about using four-point font. But, seriously, what did you expect? Simply asserting that Islam IS tolerant would be enough to convince me? No, my friend, I require a little more than that. Generally the way it works is you're supposed to back up your assertions with evidence. Just a convention most people tend to adhere to. As for disproving your assertion that Islam is a religion of peace, I think I've done that quite sufficiently. A religion that can so easily be interpreted as promoting war cannot be fairly termed a 'religion of peace' without diminishing the meaning of the phrase. This is a copout and you know it.
It's not a cop out just because you say it is. I was enjoying the conversation in this thread - particularly with the others. When you entered, I had my doubts, but you quickly responded in an equally polite manner. Then it took a turn for the worst. Just because you consider your wording to be fine doesn't mean it is. I was disappointed to stop the discussion, but I'm not going to get involved in yet another flame war with yet another troll looking to pick a fight, as occurs in just about every other thread on this board. Regardless, you may have the last word - since it's obvious you will speak until you do. Should you wish to re-engage in a civil debate, let me know some time.
Is our Constitution about freedom and protections of freedom? Has Herr Bush followed that Constitution? Do we blame the Constitution for the way people interpret it to promote their violent authoritarian agendas?
Fair enough. But that tells me that you know very little about Islam. If you'd care to backup your commentary with why you believe this is the case, I'd be interested in listening.
What I do understand is that they are killing people in Iraq, Israel, Somalia, India, Afghanistan, and here and there in many other countries. And everytime I drive in the North Side of town the black muslims selling newspapers turn away from me so I can't see the hateful anti-white headlines.
Okay, bro, if you were sincerely offended, then I apologize. I can't deny I find myself (and the truth, as I see it) seriously at odds with what you claim, and in that sense I suppose I was overzealous in cutting you down. But believe me, a 'flame-war' is the last thing I had on my mind. (And honestly, I just can't see how anything I said can really be termed a 'flame' - I never attacked you, as a person, only your arguments, however unaccountably harshly I did so.) I don't really wish to retype everything I said and if you do wish to maintain this discussion, I'd ask you to re-examine what I wrote as I'm sure underneath whatever you found insulting there are real questions and counterpoints there for you to address. Come on, bro, Slav to Slav.
Well, I don't know anything about the newspapers you claim have hateful headlines, but when you say "they're killing people" in all those countries, I think you'll find this has to do a lot with occupation issues more than religious issues, although it is also to do a lot with the fight over which faction, if you will, of Islam is the "right one". Blood has run in all religious revolutions in the history of the world. This is yet another one. It is easy to see why people would believe that Islam is all about bloodletting. But if you truly understand the teachings of the Prophet, you would understand that war is not a large part of Islam - at least no more than it is a part of, say, Christianity.
Activist justices have proven, quite conclusively, that the Constitution can say anything you want it to.