Jihadi violence is a new phenomenon.
Let’s assume for a moment, then, that Islam is especially predisposed towards violence. If that’s your view, then you’ll need to show why the history of jihadi terrorism is so very short: this is emphatically a late 20th and early 21st century phenomenon, yet Islam has been around since the seventh century.
Islam was founded in violence. It’s how it spread across the Arabian peninsula.
What about its wars of conquest? Well they definitely happened, but not in a way that marks Islam out from other cultures.
Other cultures grew up. The Christians decided that the inquisition was probably a bad idea. We no longer have blasphemy laws – although they hung round like a bad smell for longer than they should have. We don’t believe that apostates deserve the death penalty, for example. Nor do Christians or Jews issue death threats to those who lampoon their religion.
Aspects of Islamic teaching do indeed justify some kinds of violence. Islam isn’t a pacifist religion.
You don’t say?
But again, it has this in common with Christianity, Judaism and other world faiths.
They grew up. Islam hasn’t.
Since that’s the case, and since we know that violence in the name of Islam has waxed and waned, it follows that we cannot look simply to theology to explain recent Islam-inspired terrorism.
Sigh…
Isn’t mass immigration a ‘late 20th and early 21st century’ phenomenon too?
Indeed.
I’m intrigued. Which bits of Christianity call on adherents to slaughter unbelievers?
It doesn’t of course as it is a pacifist religion that specifically eschews the old testament.
Luke 19:27Revised Standard Version (RSV)
27 But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.
There maybe any number of arguments that this passage is taken out of context etc. etc. but that doesn’t mean that it won’t be used by certain people to justify their murderous actions.
As for the Old Testament there are numerous passages that can be used by any over zealous types to justify slaughtering foreigners and nicking their country as well as rooting out any unbelievers in your midst.
Historically Christianity has been just as nasty as Islam, as you say though, it grew up.
If the energy invested in manufacturing excuses for islam and shoring up shaky reasoning over muslim-inspired terrorism could be converted into heat and light then we wouldn’t have to pay any electricity bills for quite a while.
Heh!
You’ve almost got to admire the man’s balls at writing so blatant a lie it can be utterly refuted in less than thirty seconds with a quick Google search.
The big lie is as effective today as it was when it was first coined.