Sandy Braille wants to join in, but he's saving his 1000th post for something special.
I believe I understand your argument:
If a faith is deemed that which God has declared the path of righteousness to Jannah, then how does it make any sense that one can read the Quran, and manage to go and commit things like pressure-cooker bombings in Boston? How is it that an interpretation of killing non-Muslims be taken from a book that is supposedly-sacred? If there is a God, and Islam is the guide in which He wants us to live, then technically all those who follow its path should all be good citizens in this world.
I have thought about this question, but have yet to piece-together a very intuitive, non-loopholed answer. So you'll have to wait on that
In the mean-time, I have a question for you:
Question: Why is it that Islam has been doing this (which I have bolded) to countries in this particular century, and not for the 1300 years preceding it (relative to other faiths)? How is "modern Islam" different than 7th-20th century Islam? What changed, exactly? The scriptures are the same, the races observing the faiths have not changed dramatically.
I find your willingness to scrap the past and focus on the present logically-sound, but from a sociological-standpoint it solves zero problems. If we are dealing with Islam being one of the fastest-growing faiths in the world, perhaps we 'shouldn't' scrap the past-- rather, we should try and see what they did, and see if we can go against the many senseless interpretations of Islam running rampant.
The answer to this question is actually quite simple, if you're not a believer. But let me first say that Islam prospered for NOWHERE NEAR 1300 years. They managed to create a progressive empire focused on the good of its people for about 400 years. Until Muslim radicals like AL-Ghazali decided that Islam isn't being followed as insanely as it should, and they created a divide that stopped their march toward a possible Renaissance hundreds of years before Europe's (and to nobody's surprise, he's one of TBS's favorite thinkers).
But it's irrelevant. There have been many great civilizations. Muslims have no monopoly on that. Do you attribute the accomplishments of the Ancient Greeks to Zeus? The Persians to Ahura Mazda?
The Muslim nation prospered DESPITE of Islam. It worked because there were so many thinkers who were indifferent to religion and worked to create a good society based on reason. Islam had nothing to do with the invention of algebra or the advancement of medicine. In fact, it stood in the way. And whenever a fanatic Khalifa took power, the empire would have to suffer the oppressive stagnating reign until he's replaced.
The thing with religion is that there are no rules. Not really. A Muslim can claim that Islam is the essence of religious freedom, while another can claim that the murder of heathens is fully endorsed in the Quran. They would be both be correct. Actually, all claims on what Islam is are correct, because that's what religion is; whatever you want it to be.
Take the Sharia law on adultery. If two married people have sex, then Islam demands their death. During the time of the Islamic nation, some rulers took it to the heart, like Saudis do now. Others almost completely ignored it. Both sides used justifications from Islam. The side that ignored it hid behind the requirement for 4 witnesses. Four witnesses must have witnessed the actual penetration for it to count, they said. While the other side said that the spirit of the law is to punish adultery with death. And claimed that the strict witness interpretation is dishonest manipulation. And this applies to everything else in every religion. Nothing is the same. Christianity today hardly relates to Christianity of a hundred years ago. Same with Islam or any other religion.
That is the main reason why ALL religion is pretty much a thorn in the side of building a decent society. It clings to its irrationality in the name of faith, and once society overcomes the countless obstacles religion presents, the religious will evolve to more closely resemble the zeitgeist. Very few remember the role of religion in opposing civil rights. And those who do point out to the role it played in supporting the issue. But that's insignificant. The vast majority of Western secularists will quickly accept the logic of expanding human rights to everyone. The same is happening with gay rights and women's rights nowadays. And the religious will lose the battle. But then nobody will remember they played a part in it at all.
But I do know what you mean. Islam is spreading rapidly regardless of my complaints. That's true. And I don't know if anything can be done about that. Maybe it won't turn out that badly. Turkey is doing okay. Maybe others will modernize as well. But maybe they won't. And maybe we will all turn into the Muslim world. And that is something to fear, despite Islam's success in the early middle ages. We wouldn't even want THAT Islam. Who the **** wants a "progressive" nation that allows non-Muslims to stay in their homes as long as they pay protection money? Or one that considers a woman to be legally equal to half a man? That nation was impressive for the time. But it's pretty much garbage by modern standards.
