News from a sane, peaceful religion

I do not recall how old I was when Salman Rushdie wrote The Satanic Verses. I do recall reading a blurb about the book and having a complete lack of interest in reading it. I also recall the furor in the Muslim world over the slight to their prophet...and the death sentence pronounced on him that was taken seriously enough that he went into hiding.

About the same time, relatively speaking, there was an artist who titled his artwork with a title so blasphemous that I refuse to repeat it, but his "work" was taking a cup of urin and putting...was it a cross or a so-called picture of Jesus in it? I don't remember for sure and, much like the Rushdie work, I had no interest in it.

The "right-wing zealots" of the U.S., much like the Muslim world, quite upset, reacted by trying to get such projects defunded so instead of their tax dollars paying for deliberately offensive "artwork" it would be used elsewhere.

Just stop for a few seconds and consider the differences in demonstrations of "hate". "We will kill you for offending us" compared to "I don't want to pay for you to deliberately offend me." Yet the "fundamentalists" of "Christianity" are compared to the "fundamentalists" of Islam. Forget the differences...such as the Bible that so-called Christians follow having commands such as "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", "Love your neighbors and prey for those who persecute you" and "Insofar as it depends upon you, be at peace with all men" as compared with the Koran which justifies lying to kafirs (unbelievers) until you have the upper hand, killing those who refuse to convert and so forth. As obnoxious as some of the more outspoken members of groups such as The Moral Majority or the 700 club or those heinous butcheries of Scripture to be found on TBN might be...their efforts pale in comparison to the efforts of the representatives of Islam.

Examples abound. You have the killings between and of Sunnis and Shiites. The Eleveners and Twelvers have no tolerance for each other even though they allegedly follow the same book (yes, I am eminently aware of the wars of catholicism, and should anyone ask I am more to happy to demonstrate conclusively with extensive historical documentation the difference between catholicism and any form of Christianity, although there are segments of that which have almost equally disappointing records in regard to following Scripture. However, history is also replete with stories of groups who strive to follow Scripture...groups such as the oft-maligned Hugenots who were so intent on following Scripture's peaceful tenents that once, when fleeing for their lives, some of their number threw stones at the pursuing soldiers. The leaders were so mortified that they sent a letter of apology to the King of France for this act unbecoming Christians. THAT is how Christianity should be.)

Fortunately, the tide is turning. Islam is becoming more reasonable. The death fatwa for Rushdie's book was thrown out. Instead they wish war with England and death to Rushdie because he is being knighted. Good to see they are becoming more reasonable...