religious extremism

Subject: religious extremism
To: schaggi
Sent Date 09-12-2006 2:37:10 PM
From bill dality <@yahoo.com>

Whoever demeans /diminishes another human being with hatred or by calling him "infidel" cannot claim to serve God. God is present in every creature!
"All creatures are members of the one family of God" "Verily Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in their heart"-- Mohammed.
We are called upon to love every creature as ourself .
The essence of every authentic religious faith is love, compassion and non-violence.Every world faith has some version of "the Golden Rule": "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
There is but one God and one religion and that is the religion of love. It is not so important that we worship correctly but rather that we live correctly!Correct belief/dogma does not redeem or justify incorrect conduct!
Where does it say in the Quran or in the teachings of Mohammed (or any religious faith) that it's okay to kill innocent people?
No just or loving God would condone such action.
To justify the taking of life is a perversion of the Islamic faith (that is not what Mohammed taught!)and of any belief in God.Those who seek to spread Islam (or any other ideology including "Democracy" ) by the sword are in grievous error.
The misuse of religion to justify murder in the name of God (whose command is: "Thou shall not kill!")and to achieve political objectives is wrong/immoral.As is the distortion, falsification and denial of scientific facts in the service of religious and political ideology.Dogmatism and zealotry are the cause of a great deal of human suffering.The practice of divisive (versus "unitive") politics is a common political and individual ego-defence strategy.It's purpose is to distract one from internal negative qualities by projecting them outward upon an external "evil enemy"(see "the outsourcing of evil").The real adversary that we must overcome is within ourselves.
We do not help ourselves by debasing/dehumanizing others!
Dehumanization is the essential nature of war.Dehumanization is the first step in the commital of all manner of atrocities.
When children are taught/indoctrinated to hate rather than love and to respond with violance to perceived threats...such teachings transform men into beasts.
The Jihadists no more represent the spirit of Islam than the American Christian Right (JudeoChristian Fundamentalists)reflect the teachings and values of Christ.
Intolerance and fundamentalist/religious extremism are not exclusive to Islam.Hatred is the enemy within.Hatred is not the monopoly of Islamic extremists;it is an emotion wch every human being is capable of ,and wch we must each struggle to exorcise/overcome.
Every religion has an extremist element/faction wch distorts the true spiritual message of love .. for it's own self-interested goals.
God is love! He who claims to love God yet seeks the destruction of His creatures is a lier!
Without love there can be no life!
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"Every new child that is born is evidence that God has not yet given up on human beings"--Tagore

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