Town to Behead People Who Don't Pray 5 Times a Day
 

I'm glad I don't live in this town. They will behead you if you don't pray 5 times a day.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C293...4817%2C00.html

Yeah, sorta like the town that not only threatened you but burned you alive or crushed you if you didn't admit being a witch...where was that again? Oh yeah...Salem, Massachusetts.

stir.....stir....stir....stir....the pot:D

Somer: everybody makes mistakes....I think it was just the old biddies trying to drive out the competition away from their menfolk!! But if we can hold Kerry and Kennedy responsible for it ....I'm all for it!!

Oh yeah. I think that was last week, wasn't it?

Just me saying the same thing that GPK is saying...

More or less

whats the problem?
rules are rules.

thats their religion, and that is what their religion requires.
they are being give THREE DAYS notice before the law is implemented.
that is ample time for anyone who does not want to abide to evacuate the city.

I admire the Sheik and his Islamic court.
at least they will know where everyone stands.


Repent

Good point!

Don't forget that the Religious Right is just as bad. Do you know how I know? I know because Rosie O'Donnel and Genuine Risk told me. LOL.

Don't forget to add my name to that list! Another piece of garbage from Repent, and I find it interesting that you agree! The are two "small" problems with that point of view...first, I believe these folks in charge came to power as part of the control of said area by radical militia forces, not because they represent the views of the town. So, they are imposing their bastardized "faith" on folks who lived there before them and believe differently...how again is that fair? But more importantly (and here is where I'll get incoming fire), they are indeed like elements of the so-called Christian right...a matter of degree perhaps but the same bastardization of religious principles! Lets make this simple so folks don't ask me what I'm saying....Belief in a set of religious principles DOES NOT give someone the right to harm another! In a free society...each person should be totally free to believe (or not believe) as their conscience dictates but belief DOES NOT equate to power over another!! There is only one moral justification for taking a human life...self-defense or defense of innocent others! Cutting off a person's head because they only prayed 4x one day instead of 5 does not quite qualify...I don't give a damn what their so-called canon law states! And wishing death on someone because they are gay or practice another religion doesn't make the grade either!! When religion is used as a justification for murder, it becomes malignant...and meaningless! Not the core principles of the religion itself, but it's use!

I agree for the most part, Somer... but Somalia is hardly a "free society." God will judge those who judge others... just my personal opinion.

No...not a free society at all, I was referring to the comments by another poster ridiculing the comparison of some elements of the Christian right to radical Islamists. The butchers in the Sudan, these murderers...all will be accountable for their acts but that doesn't mean we should do nothing! There is evil in the world and it must be fought...we will never defeat evil but we must defeat those who do it's bidding...to sit back and do nothing while innocent people are slaughtered is perverse!

Somer, I was totally kidding when I agreed with Repent and it is obvios that he was totally kidding.

The question of whether Repent is kidding or totally serious is NOT obvious by any means! He has consistently held similar views over a number of years...he may in fact simply enjoy "stirring the pot" but has NEVER admitted such therefore when he posts such garbage, it has to be answered...if that plays into his fantasy so be it!

There are times when I'm not sure whether he's kidding or not, but in this case I think it is obvious that he was kidding. I don't think there is anyone that could possibly agree with that new law in Somalia with the exception of the most radical people of that particular religion.

Well, he has repeatedly stated that we are all required, as "loyal Americans", to blindly follow Bush without question no matter the result...and those that don't are traitors and should be either exiled or put to death...not much difference I'm afraid!

I must have missed out on some exciting Repent posts... I don't even think I've ever read that one! LMAO

Trust me...I have a good memory! Repent and I go back a ways...I've talked to him on Messenger and other off-board places (never met him) and he has never recanted any of his comments to me! Maybe others (Coach, Jerry) who may know him better know whether he's serious or not but I sure can't say! He informed me at one point that he reported me to the FBI because I favored some socialist aspects...and he has threatened several others the same way! You think, "this guy must be joking!"...but no way to know for sure! He has supported killing various groups of folks numerous times...gays, liberals, socialists, communists...even Democrats!

Democrats? LOL Somer! I'm sorry, but it really is ridiculous when you think about it... if people spent half of the time they spend HATING others and putting that time towards CARING about other people, this world would be a better place. But no... it is human nature to hate and judge. Sad...

Rupert, kindly put me on the list of posters you ignore. If you're going to misunderstand my posts to that extent, you're not allowed to read them anymore. ;)

Yes, there is certainly a hilarious aspect to his rantings...there always is until someone who thinks that way finds themselves in a position of power...then it becomes something else entirely! The biggest lesson I learned from my years in the Civil Rights Movement was if you sit back quietly and don't challenge the rhetoric of hate...you are in fact supporting the evil and allowing it to grow! In SDS we had a slogan (ok, we had many but this one is pertinent)..."you are either part of the problem or part of the solution". That became bastardized to legitimize the bombing of physics buildings but the core principle is correct!

Funny, Timm, except I'm thinking you need to actually read up on the Salem witch trials and check out the gender of all of the victims. They weren't all women.

For the record, they weren't burned, either. Nineteen were hanged and one was pressed to death with rocks. And a few more died in prison while awaiting trial.

Yes, I'm a nerd. We know.

Now, if they'd hung them all for starting a wasteful big dig project... ;)

My bad! I always do that...I replace hanging with burning at the stake for some reason...I do always remember the poor guy who was crushed. I guess it goes back to the Burning Times...even though that's a bit of a misnomer as well!

He wasn't saying that all of the victims were women, but that the CAUSE of the witch trials was a bunch of old biddies.

Thanks for the info, though... I had no idea about the one that was pressed to death with rocks. :eek:

His name was Giles Corey...accused of being a Warlock (which is an incorrect term for a male witch by the way)...well, here is info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giles_Corey

GR: Hey..I was just going by a movie I saw once. In the immortal words of Sgt Schultz "I know nothing"! I never was a fan of the lynch-mob mentality. And yes...you are a loveable nerd!

And again, he should do a little research-- not because I don't appreciate Timm's sense of humor (I do, Timm, very much!) but because the original accusers were nine-year-old girls, who fell into convulsive fits, and when prodded by their elders, accused a beggar, an old woman and a slave of being witches. It's actually really interesting stuff and worth reading about. Not for nothing Arthur Miller used the Salem Witch Trials in order to comment on McCarthyism in "The Crucible."

One of the theories now is that the hysteria might have begun as a result of a fungus that infected the rye crop that year-- some of the side effects of ingesting this fungus are hallucinations and convulsions.

Here's a link with a fairly brief summary of the trials. It's so-so on info, but reasonably accurate, though there were many more accusers than the three girls:

http://witches.monstrous.com/the_salem_witch_trial.htm

Thanks for the info! What is the correct term for a male witch? :o

Jaimie,
You might need to be seated to read this.
Seems to me that you and I are thinking alike.
Yup!
Hating vs caring.
Somerfrost makes some good points. I even thought about staying out of this thread and just sit back and watch everyone else fight it out.
In my humble view, if I'm reading Somer's ideas correctly, he, like me have been threatened by that guy on the old board and told we'd be reported to the FBI. My response was "GO AHEAD!"
Unless people "care" enough to show others how to "hate" less, the story will continue.
Native Americans will be slaughtered by "good" Christians so they can take their land, Japanese people will be rounded up to detention camps, not because they weren't born in the USA, just because they might "look different". Black people would still be riding in the back of the bus and drinking from a water fountain near the backdoor of the school.
I could go on and on.
Thankfully, folks like Somerfrost, Genuine Risk, Brian, and now you, see through the hatered. It's how we show we care.
DTS

Awww... big hugs, Timm!

Witch. It's a gender-neutral term when used as a religious identification.

Oops... see how much I know. LOL :o

"witch'...it is a non-gender-specific term! Those that know a bit about Wicca would understand that we don't separate genders much...The One is not given gender, instead The One is seen as two separate entities encompassing gender-specific roles...the God and the Goddess (or Lord and Lady).

Don't feel bad...it's a common misconception...even Joss Whedon got it wrong in Buffy! In Charmed they fight Warlocks but I don't think they ever call them male witches (could be wrong as I don't recall all episodes as I do Buffy).

I think (if I may be once again permitted to push my nerd glasses up on my nose) that it's not so much human nature to hate and judge as it is human nature to fear what we don't understand. Which I think is much bigger than a human nature thing; I think it's a survival mechanism for most living things capable of fear-- how often do we see horses freak out at something new? It's an excellent survival tactic in the wild, but in our civilized world, I think it gets turned into anger and violence.

I had a very different opinion on homosexuality as an 18-year-old college freshman than I did as a 19-year-old college sophomore. And what changed me was watching an extraordinary, amazing college professor die of AIDS over that year (this was a few years before the pro-tease inhibitors came on the market) and having a classmate who was gay and willing to answer any and all question I could think of to ask him about himself. I got past the fear of the unknown and so moved to a point where I could never see someone else's orientation as a reason for hatred.

On the other hand, you have my uncle, who on some level, I think is so unwilling to risk having his mind changed that he won't even watch Ellen DeGeneres' talk show. I think that is the fear instinct, coupled with a drive to protect oneself, taken to the unfortunate end in a civilized society.

The difference between us and most animals (primates are awfully bright), though, is that we can ask ourselves why we hate something; why it provokes an emotional reaction in us. Because it's bad or because it's different? And we can choose to go out and talk to people who have different opinions and maybe make a fuller, more informed decision about what deserves to be hated and what needs us to understand. But it's hard. Fear is hard-wired into us, so it's tough to work past it. But animals do it all the time (here I think of BuffyM's Buck and the scary bush) and so can we.

Which is why I love this board. It's also human nature to cluster into groups that are like us, and not venture out and look at anything different. Survival, in a more primitive time. But not now. But see? Look at all of us! The only thing we all absolutely have in common is that we love horse racing. The rest we'll discuss and hash out and argue but not resort to hate. Hey! The way to world peace is through Derby Trail! I knew it!

No need to be embarrassed at all! My old roommate had to explain the difference between Anglican and regular Protestant to me. I felt pretty stupid; I didn't know there was a difference.

GR, Do I need to remind you what your quote was yesterday? Your quote was that "Fundamentalist Christianity and fundamentalist Islam are more alike than they are different." That was your quote.

And now you get mad at me when I say that you said the Relgious Right is just as bad as the extreme Muslims? I don't get it.

LOL Nicole...

I don't disagree with all that you just posted, but if I may...

I have a hard time accepting the notion that ignorance and fear of the unknown causes people to resort to violence and anger. I believe that it IS human nature to take the easy road, and the easy road in a lot of cases is to be filled with contempt. It is HARD WORK for me to look at the world with rose colored glasses... it really is. I am not a hateful person, but I honestly have to work at being patient and kind. (If you're ever in a car with me, you will know this. :o ) With that said, I try to be a good person and respect others, even if I don't agree with their viewpoints. I think that if more people at least ATTEMPTED this, we would be in a better place.

*Jumping off of my soapbox.* :D

double double toil and trouble
fire burn and cauldron bubble