www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Persecution of Christians in Islam

Borislav:

Thank you for clarifying that you did not intend any personal disrespect to me or anyone else. I will take that statement at face value, and assume that you are being honest, since your typical straightforwardness (is that a real word?) with your feelings gives me no reason not to believe you. On the other hand, please understand that when one resorts to the use of adjectives like "ridiculous" to characterize opposing opinions as frequently as you do, it's not an unreasonable leap for others to conclude that you have no respect for their positions. Use of such characterizations frequently enough will soon have people concluding that your attacks are bordering on a personal nature, just as you made that assumption about me in a recent post in which you stated that you think I personally dislike you. If we actually personally knew each other, we might dislike each other; on the other hand, we might become the best of friends. I have many friends who are just as far away from me politically as you are. Political differences are inevitable-it is not inevitable that they cause people to despise each other. I would also add that I understand your passion for the positions you take-even though my own position is often different. I feel very strongly about my moral and political judgments as well. Also, I understand the temptation to "let loose," so to speak, when advocating for what you are convinced is the truth. I encourage you to continue to speak out for what you believe to be true-regardless of whether I (or anyone else on this Forum for that matter) agree with you or not. I believe that it is better for us to hear a broad range of perspectives and not continually seek the comfort of only those who parrot our own views. I simply suggest that you consider modifying your approach to dealing with those whose views are contrary to your own. I would never ask that you violate your own conscience by keeping silent when you believe that the truth is at stake.


I also apologize for any offense I have caused in my posts. Please forgive me.

In peace,

Ryan

Thanks Ryan.

You do have a point. I should limit the use of the word "ridiculous". I did not mean to say that you or anybody else is ridiculous. I was employing the word to illustrate that I feel strongly opposed to one or another comment.

And you're right. I am very straight forward. I say what I think, and think what I say.

I know this is going to sound like I am making excuses, which by the way I totally am , but sometimes because English is my third language I do not feel the strength of certain words...

Don't know if that makes any sense.

For what it's worth, I think you're quite competent in your use of the written English language.

Ryan

It's nice to see everybody kiss and make up.

I've noticed that many of us have been doing that lately!

Awww, Dr. Eric, would you like a hug to?



On a more serious note, it is the ability to take a step back, realize that you may be wrong and offer a sincere apology that separates Christians from other peoples! This is why I am so proud of being a Christian, and this is why I am proud of having such wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ.

Dear Ryan,

There is a problem here. If the majority of people within the Jewish state of Israel become Muslim, as the Muslims so desire, then it definitely will cease to be a Jewish state.

Now with that will come everything else. The holiday will not be Saturday, but (I believe), Friday. Sharia law will probably be imposed, and so on and so forth. A nation cannot become Muslim and yet retain any character other than Muslim.

So, going back in history, the only purpose of establishing a Jewish state was so that when the Jews are persecuted, they will have a nation to go to. Now as a Greek, I know that whenever Greeks were persecuted and ethnically cleansed either in Asia Minor, Egypt and later on those wanting to leave communism, they had a land to go to....thanks to the Greek war of independance. Because of this, anyone with a Greek last name, can freely immigrate to Greece. If the Jews do not have that homeland where will they go?


Dear Joe,

By the same account, the Greeks, (or Eastern Romans), lived in Asia Minor for thousands of years. Why not return that land back to Greece? What about the Armenians?

What I'm trying to say is that the same argument could be used for probably one third of the world. Why do the Palestinians in that case, need special treatment?

See the difference is that all these nations, were willing to take their own people in and help them become established. The Arabs are not willing to do so, because once land becomes Muslim, it must always be Muslim. The people must be sacrificed in order to retain the land. It is considered their 'fate'.

God Bless,

Zenovia

Sure, my Orthodox Doppelgaenger!

But, I guess if I'm truly going to be your Doppelgaenger, I'd better become a Subdeacon too!

Zenovia

You have some very good points. There is no doubt that the experience of the holocaust made the idea of establishing a modern Jewish homeland plausible. This is something for me to think about and I do understand what both you and Borislav are saying about the holocaust and the need for some kind of international response.

I do think, by the way, that we cannot go back and change the past. So, the modern nation of Israel is here to stay and we should not demonize either party in this middle eastern dispute. Crimes have been committed on all sides. But, our media and government is so one-sidedly pro Israel that the legitimate concerns of Palestinians are often overlooked.

Joe

What sounds better:

The Reverend Doctor Subdeacon Eric

The Reverend Subdeacon Doctor Eric

or The reverend Eric, Doctor of Subdeacons?

I think the first one is actually the correct one.

The Reverend Doctor Eric Garrison sounds like the Archbishop of Canturbury though!

Wait a minute...

Are you saying you're the Archbishop of Canterbury?

Different people have been trying to wipe the Jews off the face of the earth for over 2000 years. Why that seems acceptable has always baffled me. But there you have it.

For those who insist that Jews aren't real Jews because they believe that somehow the New Covenant has caused an end to their legitimate existence must contend with two problems. First, Jesus did not come to end their existence. He even said so on several occasions. Second, the Qur'an gives justification for the inferior treatment and eventual elimination of both Jews and Christians. Why doesn't the Qur'anic claim supersede the Christian claim if as you say Christianity ought to eliminate Judaism?

CDL

Unfortunately in the deluded minds of over a billion followers of the black Rock in Mecca, the Qur'anic claims do supersede Christians and Jewish claims and according to a poll which everybody and their mom has been raving about this past week 27% percent of young Muslims in America support suicide bombings to "protect their religion". In the light of the Mohammad cartoon riots, the killing of nuns and torching of Churches status post the comments made by the Pope we all have a good idea what they mean by "protecting their religion". Ofcourse I really don't unerstand what everybody is so surprised about. People need to read the Qu'ran and the Hadiths and they'll know all they need to know about Islam. It's baffeling to me that we are at war with an enemy that we as a nation know nothing about. I mean, the Qu'ran is not secret or anything. Heck, its available on the Internet for all to read.

Also this notion that we are at war with Terrorism is absolutely and completely ridiculous. Terrorism is a T A C T I C, employed by an enemy to accomplish a goal. Saying that we have a war on Terrorism is like saying that during the WWII there was a war on BLITZKRIEG. Blitzkrieg = tactic. Terrorism = tactic.
We are at war with Islamic Extremists, and since I believe that REAL Islam is EXTREME, I believe we are at war with Islam.

But wait... I can't say that... It isn't politically correct.

Borislav, now there is one claim that I wholeheartedly agree with. There is no war on terror. There is a war on certain groups of Islamicist terrorists. And, in fact, we should demand that our politicians speak this way, because a nebulous "War on Terror" with an anonymous enemy is easily a justification for never ending war and unlimited extension of state power.

Joe

Joe, unfortunately an all out war on Islam or as you say the Extreme Element of Islam which amounts to millions upon millions of black rock worshipers will be more expensive, more deadly and possibly longer than the current war we are in, but if we are to win, or even to fight this war we have to identify who the enemy is without hiding behind PC slogans and some kind of idea of Utopian multiculturalism which has become the new deity of Liberals and Secular Progressives all over our country.

The king of Poland stopped Islamic Jihadists at the gates of Vienna , and he did it in the name of the Lord. This was clearly a defensive effort, so it can not be qualified as a Holy war or offensive Crusade. This is the kind of effort we are going to have to have, and have it we will... eventually.... or we and our children will end up living in a brand new wonderful world of Sharia Law.