All Comments (20)

factorial jumfru nigritudinous slidingly glasswort wheel influxible dipicrylamin
http://www.stock-market-investing-24-7.com >Intelligent Stock Trading
http://www.business-in-asia.com/

anal free gaping sex xxx http://werwewee.makeforum.org >free interracial xxx picture [url=http://werwewee.makeforum.org]free interracial xxx picture[/url]

buy viagra on line

nkdjcy jiadgvb wgxbuntl yngqkxerf goyp udote hwunvkfdb

nkdjcy jiadgvb wgxbuntl yngqkxerf goyp udote hwunvkfdb

nkdjcy jiadgvb wgxbuntl yngqkxerf goyp udote hwunvkfdb

debt relief

Rabbi:

Your assessment of the situation seems to be correct. There is the eternal struggle between extremes and moderates that comes and goes throughout history like the tide. Perhaps it's the number of people involved that's the problem.

From the outside looking in, Jews seem to be the most homogenious of all the religions but I'm sure there are differences of opinions within. There just isn't that many Jews as compared to other faiths.

It's a monumental, perhaps impossible task to get all the different oipinions within Christianity and Islam to agree to anything for any period of time. Those that point out how violent some Muslims are today and even the violent roots of Islam express no hope at all. They have very short memories. It wasn't that long ago that Christian nations were ridding themselves of Jews, in the name of God of course.

It's like the volcano. At the present moment the Islamic volcano is erruppting, a violent act that spreads ash over us all, threatening to bury us. The Christian and even Jewish volcanos are dormant at present but likely to errupt at any moment. There are plenty of hot heads in the American evangelical movement as I'm sure you also notice.

There's an expression that dates the American revolution, "We must hang together or they will hang us separately." In the excitement of incorporating all the religions into one humungus faith are we losing sight of the fact that there are an awfully lot of those who would hang the lot.

There's an estimated 42 million Americans to say nothing of 1.2 billion Chinese that are likely to adopt the hanging frame of mind. Then there are all those places where Islam is being a real thorn in the side of government, Russia, Phillipnes, Malasia and others. Errupting volcanos are a nuisance. This is not common ground but common reason to be reasonable. Religion is an option in the USA. Let's keep it that way is what they say. Perhaps good example by Americans of great faith would help a place to begin moderation as you seem to advocate.

ANDY and JIM C mirrored my own intial response to your statement Rabbi, the microcosm illustration and soundbyte mentality that reflect the sensationism hungry readership here and the public at large.
As a moderate muslim, I find very little outlets and available resources for public epression, perhaps you have some valuable instruction in that regard.

But Asim raised the hard questions that are seminal to every discussion being held over the world today. And I fear that moderates hesitate to tackle these real and what should be, only important questions. The driving force behind the actions of the extremist behavior. If i dare even breathe the sympathetic sentiment that it is always the victims being blamed, then it seems that i will relinquish my right to call myself a moderate.
Having a strong belief or sharp critique of injustice from the point of view of any other religion is laudable. When a muslim expresses this they are relegated to the fringe as an extremist so that people can feel comfortable ignoring this elephant in the room.
Although my heart can yearn for peace, and my spirit be patient and self-critical first- it is easy to be run over by the bullies and any response at all is attacked so vehemently that i wears the moderates down. Anger creates a great energy that will sustain a fundamentalist past the point where the reasonable leave the conversation.

I can be passionately against evils being perpetrated against innocents- as long as those innocents arent muslim. When I express outrage on behalf of muslim victims- I become a terrorist.

so i will say as i always do--peace

rabbi
could you answer this question, what does you religion say about slavery?

Mr. Saperstien is correct. Somtimes I think that because the world is now buitlt around media ratings and sound-bites that it is harder for moderates to be heard. But we do seem to making progress. Maybe our country is waking up to the chaos that can be cause by narrow minded zealots being in charge.
Asim also raises good points. As a Chrsitian I try to follow in Christ footsteps and refrain from violence, verbal or physical. If I was born in a refugee camp in Gaza I'm not sure how well I would live up to Jesus example or teachings. The fact that religon is used as a tool by the powerful in Arab lands should not suprise us. Western Civilzastion if full of examples.
Religous speech can play to our best selves or our worst selves. Maybe if we all aknowledge that our grip on truth might be less than absolute, that would give us enough humility to listen to others. Maybe insisting that I am right and everyone else is wrong reveals an insecurity in my faith. How great would God be if he had to rely on the narrow minded.
Jim

Rabi Saperstein,
I think your approach is essentially sound and positive; however and considering that violence should never be condoned or accepted, you overlooked two critical factors that would help solve the problem:
1//we must deal with the root causes of violence which are essentially Political Grievances: brutal military occupation which drives some people to desperation and violence, observe the 60-year occupation of Palestinian lands and the eviction of millions Palestinians in forced exile; the disastrous war and occupation of Iraq, the denial of self-determination to Kashmiris, Chechens and Kosovans.
2// what about state violence? Is it exempted because the killers are uniformed and their weapons are more sophisticated and painted in nice colors? Or because they control the UN Security Council, for example?

What I want to emphasize unequivocally is that violence has no religion and no color as some war mongers and Islam bashers claim: was the extremist who assassinated Rabin following orders from the Torah? I am sure not. This is political violence.
Is the Arab-Israeli conflict about religion? Absolutely not. It's political about land.
Of course those who commit violence will try to use religion to justify their acts.

The three great Abrahamic faiths Judaism, Christianity and Islam abhor violence and advocate peace and harmony but some of their adherents resort to violence when desperate. Still no excuses for violence for individuals, groups and states alike.

Let us pull the carpet from beneath the feet of extremists by depriving them of any justifications: deal with their grievances once and for all-just talking to the moderates won't do the trick.

Why strengthen moderates when their faith is hypocrisy. It would be better for people to consider the scriptures for the different religions and choose the one that is the only truth. They cannot all be right because they contradict each other.

Yes America unleashed an atomic weapon on Japan AFTER we were attacked and after we fought a long and bloody campaign in the Pacific. Did you know we firebombed Tokyo, killing 30,000 and still Japan fought on.

The Radical Islamists want death to everyone who doesn't believe as they do. This is a huge difference.

To date, the only group that has loosed WMDs on the world is the Christian nation of America.

Unfortunate, but true. So let's lose the WMD arguement. It's just a tactical diversion to undersanding

I am blind to many things. I struggle to see the light.

Have people who are raised Christians ever commit terrorists actions?

Has anyone ever used nuclear weapons before?

You're blind to suggest that Christians are trying to attain a nuke to kill millions of people. Only radical islam is a TRUE threat.

Countries of many different beliefs have WMD's and that is a threat to everything on Earth. Many beliefs have started wars, colonized other lands and oppressed people.

Complex problems have complex answers and when we point at others, I think that sometimes we are pointing in the mirror.

I think spending time with ordinary people of other faiths expands your mind.

I'm sorry for our suffering.

The On Faith forum has illustrated in microcosm the hurdles that exist to moderate voices being given the attention they merit. Predictably, moderate statements by On Faith panelists have been often been met with hostility by commenters who apparently feel threatened by the idea of mutual understanding and respect between people of different traditions or even between movements within one tradition. What is more disturbing is that such comments have often led to a chain of recriminations that dominates the discussion. This mirrors the tendency of the media to publicize mainly the most provocative voices addressing religion.

Sir,

Muslims are the one's killing and setting the world on fire. They have been since Mohammed first attacked and killed "disbelievers." in 624 AD. If you want credibility with me as a reader, be honest with me. No other religion is currently threatening the whole world with WMD like Islam.