Jesus

Optimus says... there's nothing epic about this thread!

If everyone was Buddhist there would be no wars whatsoever.

Thats the kind of attitude that I call Dawkinsism. If that were true, medieval east asia would've been a paradise on earth, southeast asia wouldn't have been the home of Muay Thai, and the Burmese government wouldn't be one of the most violent military dictatorships on the face of the planet. Its grossly misleading to judge people on the basis of their religious beliefs, or a religion from the acts of the people who claim to practice it.

On the other hand, the Buddha did encourage more independent and rational thought than most religious figures:

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

"No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path."

"I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act."

etc.


Edit: Though you do have to ask what kind of buddhists the Burmese officials are, beating, imprisoning, and torturing the monks who supported the recent democratic uprising.

Even thought this thread is made of fail juice from concentrated fail I'll add my thoughts.

I think if Jesus were never born, we'd have world peace by now because there would be no holy wars.

Nobody cares what you think.

If everyone was Buddhist there would be no wars whatsoever.

See above.

How can you possibly know how the world would be if she wasn't religious?  How can that statement be anything other than mindless speculation?

"I'm not a social worker. I don't do it for this reason. I do it for Christ. I do it for the church."
Her own words.

She was not devout in her faith at all.

She did not constantly feel the presence of God and suffered from depression. See above quote.

As it happens Stalin trained to be a priest before becoming a dictator instead.

Don't grasp at straws. Many atheists were once religious, would you attribute their good works to their former religions?

I oppose authoritarian communist states for the exact same reason I oppose religion - because they're not based on reason and evidence, but on how we'd like the world to be.

You know what else is not based on evidence? Human rights. Take a picture of a human and show me where their rights are located. Unless evidence is found should abolish all human rights.   

I thought most of the wars against Israel were caused by the United Nations displacing Arabs from their homes and property in order to give the land that is Israel to the Jews. How silly of me  .

Not to mention the fact that Israel will not STOP her expansionist behavior. "We have a right to exist!" and they then redefine their boarders. Again, and again, and again. Only THEN, does the scenario you mentioned take place. Naturally, this pisses in many bowls of cereal. No brainer.

You left that out, I thought I would slip that back in there.

Quote from: The Dedicated Theist on October 20, 2007, 11:06:14 PM

I thought most of the wars against Israel were caused by the United Nations displacing Arabs from their homes and property in order to give the land that is Israel to the Jews. How silly of me  .

Not to mention the fact that Israel will not STOP her expansionist behavior. "We have a right to exist!" and they then redefine their boarders. Again, and again, and again. Only THEN, does the scenario you mentioned take place. Naturally, this pisses in many bowls of cereal. No brainer.

You left that out, I thought I would slip that back in there.

Yeah, I would agree with that. Thank you for adding.

Quote from: Midnight on January 02, 2008, 03:16:49 AM

Quote from: The Dedicated Theist on October 20, 2007, 11:06:14 PM

I thought most of the wars against Israel were caused by the United Nations displacing Arabs from their homes and property in order to give the land that is Israel to the Jews. How silly of me  .

Not to mention the fact that Israel will not STOP her expansionist behavior. "We have a right to exist!" and they then redefine their boarders. Again, and again, and again. Only THEN, does the scenario you mentioned take place. Naturally, this pisses in many bowls of cereal. No brainer.

You left that out, I thought I would slip that back in there.

Yeah, I would agree with that. Thank you.

You'll have to go all the way back to the Balfour Declaration for the history of a creation  of a "homeland."  And you can thank the League Of Nations*, not the U.N., for the British Mandate in Palestine.  The British left around 1948 (and who could blame them) and it's been a mess ever since.

*or the Versailles Treaty

Quote from: The Dedicated Theist on January 02, 2008, 09:23:37 AM

Quote from: Midnight on January 02, 2008, 03:16:49 AM

Quote from: The Dedicated Theist on October 20, 2007, 11:06:14 PM

I thought most of the wars against Israel were caused by the United Nations displacing Arabs from their homes and property in order to give the land that is Israel to the Jews. How silly of me  .

Not to mention the fact that Israel will not STOP her expansionist behavior. "We have a right to exist!" and they then redefine their boarders. Again, and again, and again. Only THEN, does the scenario you mentioned take place. Naturally, this pisses in many bowls of cereal. No brainer.

You left that out, I thought I would slip that back in there.

Yeah, I would agree with that. Thank you.

You'll have to go all the way back to the Balfour Declaration for the history of a creation  of a "homeland."  And you can thank the League Of Nations*, not the U.N., for the British Mandate in Palestine.  The British left around 1948 (and who could blame them) and it's been a mess ever since.

*or the Versailles Treaty

Are you saying that if the UN Mandate had not divided the territory into a Jewish and an Arab state that the same kind of war would still exist in that reigon of the Middle East? Or are you implying that the Arabs would not have found a way to bring the territory to peace after the British withdrew the mandate?

The Palestinian people have been living in that area for thousands of years, I think the introduction of foreign Jews into an areas that were predominantly Palestinian is one of the main reasons that "it's been a mess ever since".

You can argue that pro-Zionist intentions have been around since before the founding of the U.N., but the actions of the U.N. are directly responsible for Israel becoming a state.

I'm saying the UN mandate was an attempt to deal with the status quo which predated the UN.  The hand was dealt in 1917.

I'm saying the UN mandate was an attempt to deal with the status quo which predated the UN.  The hand was dealt in 1917.

The state of Palestine was not much changed under the British Mandate from its state under Ottoman Rule and even before. Palestinians were still a majority population, and transjordan was still sparsly populated by anyone, Jew or Arab. The only change was the it was under the leadership of Britain.

When the UN was introduced to the situation the most sensible plan was to hand the territory to the Arab Higher Committee, not make a partition. It was during the period after the UN mandate that the Jews finally populated those areas partitioned for them.

One could argue that the modern concept of a Jewish state originally belonged to Neoploen who intended to start a Jewish state in Palestine during his campaigns there.

What I am saying is that I think you are placing too much emphasis on the state of Palestine when the British left it and not enough on the actions the UN took afterward.

I think we can both agree that the question is less than simplistic, which is what prompted my post.

I think we can both agree that the question is less than simplistic, which is what prompted my post.

Yeah, I can agree to that. I admit that my original post was an over-simplification.

As was mine. 

I am not simple.

I am not simple.

No, you most certainly are not. But I, on the other hand am both simple and moronic, else I wouldn't have made that blunder "less than simplistic" when I meant the opposite.  I believe the physical explanation would be a brain fart?

ooh, a brain fart and you have 666 posts.

coincidence, or Anti-Christ?

Oooooh, unaware, I have summoned Armageddon!  Supreme power at last.

Oooooh, unaware, I have summoned Armageddon!  Supreme power at last.

Nah, just cooler. :-P