talking about Ferguson Missouri or Paris France or both?

Just asking......

"To all the extremists on all sides of all issues.. "

when oppressors have the power (whether it's capitalism or the streets of Ferguson) sometimes you have no other option if you really want things to change. Evidence - Russian or French Revolutions. Hell, our own revolution here in this country is an example of people being driven to the brink and declaring their independence. Would you argue that our revolution in 1776 was worthless?

That stuff about revolution and violence ... well, they happened over two centuries ago!

Don't forget...

Since the poster to whom I responded claims to be a Christian, I can be forgiven for assuming that this fact means he tries to be compassionate, following Christ's exhortation to turn the other cheek, or the example of Pope JPII when he publicly forgave his would-be assassin.

In other words, there is a whole back story involved here, relating to the disenfranchisement of French-born muslims and those who are ethnically North African, way beyond "if you kill for your religion, you're a douchbag".

Peace.

My question re the revolution against Britain? Are people any less dead if they are killed by gunshot via beheading?

I am not crazy about religious zealots in the least but I also don't think you're being very intellectually honest here.

unable to defend it's ideas with words, crossed an ocean at great effort and waged war to enforce their ideas. They fired the first shots, they rejected all compromise, they took the notice of divorce badly and got hostile. Had the Crown not enforced their power with violence, there would have been none.
So the analogy is not as clever and airtight as you might wish for.

And no response. Aggressor? They were an ocean away and levied tax.

The question is very simple: why is it OK when WE the USA use violence (drones anyone?) But it's not ok from others?

Read some Zinn about our wonderful revolution. It was all in the service of the rich. If we'd stayed colonies we'd basically be Canada now. Would that have been so terrible?

And might even agree with you. What gets me is the hypocrisy of damning some violence while allowing other violence if you decide it is worthy.

All of the wars fought to figure out who's rules we're going to live by. Violence is what has made the reality that we live in. The only way society functions is by violence, or at least the threat of a penalty for non-compliance.

Sadly, extremists on ALL sides - everywhere - are probably not listening.

Including those who claim to worship that Individual known to many as "the Prince of Peace."

and violence done to people in the name of Christianity.. was anything but following the Prince of Peace.. it made the faith worthless.. to those abused buy its tenets..And no one can blame them..because it was worthless to have to be forced and excluded..

Just as practitioners of the Muslim faith are not terrorists because they practice their faith..but the extremists who use it for their own insane violent need to make people think exactly as they do or they will kill them .. have put them (innocent practitioners of a faith) in the middle and they are abused...


Yep.. extremists on all sides are so busy protecting their philosophical point of view, that many times they do not even realize what they have become.

No one has the right to force another person to believe anything against their will..

And a person has the right to believe any thing they want.. but they do not have the right to kill, or force other people to believe as they do..

Christianity doesn't get off with a freebie on this one, either. Not by a LONG shot.

HORRIBLE. When the phrase "Jesus wept" was first coined, who would imagine it would still apply this very week - heck, this very DAY?

Religion made it worse.

Of the Ten Commandments, for example, only three are required for civilization: the bans on murder, stealing, and lying. These three existed long before Christianity.

Of the remaining seven: four tell us how to worship God, and the remaining three comprise a "wish list" about personal behavior.

When agriculture and raising livestock emerged people no longer had to be nomadic and started living in villages and later in larger cities. Organized religion emerged around the same time as a control mechanism.

I imagine you have to have some of the time that civilization buys in order to organize a "religion" on any sort of scale, but I would think both pretty much go hand in hand, and would reinforce one another, as each one is a resource concentration mechanism.

Glad you're here. It's just such a huge blow to struggle with. "Religion is the opiate of the people." When it isn't a frickin' bee up the ass for some of 'em.

to respond with their own speech. They look like us, eat like us, and shit like us... but their brains are hardwired for violence and they don't have an intellectual bone in their bodies.

...you could make the argument that the Western world is trying to enforce their ideas that mockery and insults are a good thing no matter what the majority of the world thinks.

Food for thought, no?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Birds are territorial creatures.
The lyrics to the songbird's melodious trill go something like this:
"Stay out of my territory or I'll PECK YOUR GODDAMNED EYES OUT!"[/center][/font][hr]