I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

konakat

Now if I had a dollar for everytime I heard that someone's going to hell if they don't accept Jesus as their saviour or follow their particular take on the teachings in the Bible -- I'd be rich!!

ananda8

We had lots of rain and tornado warnings, but the real surprise was a series of earthquakes last night.

No, I no longer live in California.  I live in North Central Arkansas in the Ozark mountains.  The epicenter was just north of Little Rock but we felt it 160 miles away!  The earth quake was most likely caused by oil and gas wells using the "fracking" process.  Not good.

Anonymous

1Athena1 wrote:

Sitting from my atheist's perch, I believe that anyone who tries to convert another adult from another culture to believe in God the way he or she does is an extremist. Sadly, must just don't realize it. The believe they are spreading the truth.

I can't think of a more gross violation of another human being from the philosophical point of view than unsolicited conversion attempts, often through psychological coercion and blackmail. Most every religion is probably guilty of it. It is abhorrent.

lindasa wrote:

There are extremists in most religions (I dare say, all). 

konakat wrote:

In my experience, the only people trying to convert people are Christians. 

konakat wrote:

Now if I had a dollar for everytime I heard that someone's going to hell if they don't accept Jesus as their saviour or follow their particular take on the teachings in the Bible -- I'd be rich!!

And none of those quotes is an attempt to sway anyone toward your way of thinking? 

Bren-2007

Notself .. that weather system is moving into my area now .. yikes!  Tim will call and tell me to hide out in the basement.  No can do.  There are bugs down there. 

Bren

konakat

Pat -- are none of your posts an attempt to sway anyone toward your way of thinking?

crazy4carrots

Oh well, PatMom, if you've decided that all our posts are designed to sway people to our way of thinking, then I guess we shouldn't be posting here at all -- and neither should anyone else I suppose, including you!

IronJawedBCAngel

One of my former high school teachers stated that she believed the next World War would not be started by Russia, Germany, China, or the United States, but by a religious based country or group of individuals, and in the name of God.  I believe she might be right.

Different topic, but found this interesting.  I can still hold out hope for invading Mounties!

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/112189/who-owns-the-us?mod=bb-debtmanagement 

Hope the earth stops moving in Arkansas!  Maybe it's a sign. I should go out and stock up on my emergency supplies.

rosemary-b

Bren

Tornados are worse than bugs. Take care of yourself.

Bren-2007

Ahh geez .. I've got nothing stockpiled, except some toilet paper!  Sure hope the tornadoes don't hit in this area!

Bren

Bren-2007

Okay Rosemary .. I'm keeping an eye on things ... if we get the alert to run, I sure as hell will take cover.

hugs,

Bren

Marple

I have brussel sprouts in the freezer if anyone needs 'em in an emergency.

bluedahlia

I'm stocked up on coffee!

1Athena1

Tornado watch here too.

Brussles Sprouts should be considered for their anti-sophistry qualities.

Edited to add: Tornado just took my signature!

Marple

Yes, I think a warning is more dire than a watch.

Edit~with the above edit my post makes even less sense than they usually do.

Marple

Warning~I have brussel sprouts.

IronJawedBCAngel

I would think that a frozen brussel sprout aimed at a temple could inflict great harm, something like the paintballs my son put in the freezer years ago when he was planning his great defense against my daughter's abusive husband.

I have bottled water, coffee beans, and very little else stockpiled right now, except for my Dad's bed pads.  The nurse and the aid keep double ordering, so we have boxes of the things.

Bren, you need one of those tennis racket bug zapper things.  Someone gave one to my daughter and it's all kinds of fun!  If it is a tornado watch, I think I would take my chances with the bugs.  However, if it is a watch, what the heck are you doing on the computer!

rosemary-b

Bren

Sorry to be such a mom but we'd miss you if you were swept away to Oz.

We have no brussel sprouts. All I seem to be stocked up on is meat-and stale cereal. Nobody in my house can throw out or eat stale cereal, apparently.

AnneW

Bren, considering a tornado could scare the you-know-what out of you, that extra TP could come in handy!

River_Rat

Bren and others stay safe, take a flashlight, some water and and a snack and wear some heavy bug stomping shoes and head for the basement if you are under a tornado warning.  

Ok, just gonna add my opinion, I don't differentiate between extremists, be they Christian, Islamic, Jewish, environmental, financial, etc.  An extremist IMHO is so blinded by their own beliefs that they feel they have "right" on their side and consequentially believes that "the ends justify the means" because their "ends" are "just and right."  

In a religious context it would be the belief that one's own religion is the only true way and so whatever is done to promote that is just.  

In an environmental context it would be the belief that the environment and saving it is of such importance that destruction of property and loss of life in protecting that environment is justified.

In a financial context it would be the belief that those at the helm of some of our financial institutions feel that their manipulations and contortions of the financial system are just because they are benefiting their Board and stockholders.

Missed the Oscars, had to get up too early to stay up and watch, nothing interesting for dinner last night, but we did trap a raccoon in the yard overnight and DH was going to stop and release it on his way to work. 

iodine

Not so sure fracking is the problem in Arkansas, but the New Madras Fault that runs thru AK, Memphis and MO.  I'm from the area, originally, and they've been predicting "The Big One" for decades.  Sure hope this is not it for you. 

We have the "weather", too.  I'm home today and it sure is hard to avoid the couch and a nap in the storms and rain.  Hmmmm.  Ok maybe later.

Medigal

Extremists come in all kinds of packages but imo, the worse are the ones who call themselves "missionaries" for certain religions and verbally attack people who are not of their religion.  They evidentally are taught to do this by the religion they belong to and have no conscience about the hurt they cause to others in the name of "Holy Mother Church".  Unfortunately, one ran into me in Europe and I don't think she will ever again say to another what she said to me that day.  It was an ugly scene neither one of us (I think) will ever forget.   Religion is meant to "heal" not to "hurt" and when it is used to hurt, than it is no longer doing the Will of God.   I don't care what church any one belongs to or if they indeed do or don't belong to institutionalized religions.  What matters to me most is how they treat others and if they show love to one another.

Have a nice day, ladies.

1Athena1

Welcome back Medigal.

I just thought of another example of homegrown extremism - the Westboro church people.

But we know that extremism need no be religious in nature. Charles Mason's followers are one example.

Bren-2007

Medigal ... I'm so happy to see you .. .you've been missed!

Bren

Anonymous

NOW, READ CAREFULLY AND S-L-O-W-L-Y SO THAT YOU MAY UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION EFF ASKED.  I will quote her:

9 hours ago Efflorescing wrote:

Hi Everyone,

 Haven't posted in awhile but as a habit I typically do a search on Muslim or Islam to find topics that are relevant to me. Been reading some of the articles here and I see the word extremist being used quite liberally and often. I would like to ask those of you who use those terms to please define Muslim/Islamic extremist from your own words. What are the beliefs and habits of an Muslim/Islamic extremist? What differentiates them from a moderate Muslim?

Reserving comments pending clarification......

Thanks,

Eff~

And Bren you said this:

BinVA wrote:

I believe the Tea Party is the extremist arm of the republican party.

Bren

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She didn't ask about the Tea Party or Christianity or what one thinks of missionaries giving Bibles out or feeding the poor. 

Let's talk about Christianity.  Many, many, MANY churches open their door to the homeless when it's cold out or too hot out and feed them.  MANY, MANY Christians work in this area....my SIL did and it sooooooo opened his eyes.  He went to Haiti just a few months before the earthquake.

That WESTBORO "BAPTIST CHURCH" IS NOT A CHRISTIAN CHURCH!  It is nothing but a bunch of fools and perhaps they have 100 members who are mostly family.  I read and saw pictures where the idiot who's the head of the church campaigned for Al Gore.  I'm sure Mr. Gore would not endorse their behavior.  Neither do ANY Christans!

About idiots killing abortionists.  Christians DO NOT condone that behavior.  And, I don't condone doctors killing babies but that's another subject.

I could go on and on and on.  But I'll stop except for:

Extreme Muslim/Islamists.  PATMOM said it much better and thoroughly than I ever could.  When I know that Muslim/Islamists Extremists wage JIHAD (the Western definition) against our country or any other country they would like to conquer, I call that extreme.

Ladies, it seems that if some of you don't have a "tolerant" answer, you use "intolerance" toward Christianity.

Eff, I am not implying that all people of the Islam faith are extremists.  I would like to ask you, would or do you recognize that there are Muslim extremists whose goal is to take over the world?  Do you not see it in other countries?

The "extremists" are terrorists. 

Here's a video I would challenge all to watch.  I would like your interpretation to this video.  It's not long.  

http://www.terrorismawareness.org/know-about-jihad/

River_Rat

Lassie11, loved your link!

Medigal, I've missed you!

River_Rat

Shirley, it seems odd to me that you would say that a Christian extremist is not a Christian.  I don't think that you can absolve Christian extremists from that designation so easily.

You ask Efflorescing if she doesn't recognize that there are Muslim extremists whose goal is to take over the world.  Does this mean that you don't align yourself with those Christians wanting an open intersection between government and religion in the United States?  I've got to say that both groups make me nervous.

Bren-2007

Okay girls ..we've got a tornado watch .. so I don't think that is near as bad as a Warning.  Besides, the wind has died down.  Yay!

Back to work for me .. busy day today with reports to get out.

hugs,

Bren

otter

I think there are some brussel sprouts in the veggie drawer in the fridge, but there's no telling what sort of microbiology experiment is going on in there.  OTOH, we have a big walk-in pantry and we keep it pretty well stocked.

We, too, are under a tornado watch.  A "watch" is ... um, ... for watching, not stressing out and hiding under a desk in a corner of the basement.

A "warning" is when the wind starts whipping around and blows the trees sideways.  But we don't hear the siren 'cause we're too far out of town; and the intense rain makes our satellite TV signal pixelate and lock up so we can't change channels to an OTA signal; and we turn on the NOAA weather radio but the monotone computer voice is reading the long-range forecast for next weekend in northern Georgia. (We don't live in Georgia.)  That's a tornado "warning".  <sigh>

Somebody asked about 15 pages ago whether elk tastes like venison.  It does, sort of.  The elk was "processed" by a packer in MT, so I didn't see it until it arrived in white packages via FedEx.  The elk burger is fantastic -- like really lean hamburger.  The steak we had last night, not so much -- it had a "wild" taste.  Our venison is local. I spend a lot of time picking the fat out of the roasts and steaks before we freeze them.  (We do it all ourselves.)  My theory is that the reason why some wild game tastes "gamey" or "wild" is because of the fat.  Take out the fat, and it's just pure, lean, "organic" (albeit red) meat.

How do I define "extremist"?  Well, first, I would never apply that term exclusively to religous beliefs or behavior.  As others have said here, there are political extremists, economic extremists, and, ... well, pro-union extremists, ... anyway....  I suppose my generic definition of "extremist" is someone who is at the far edge (either direction, BTW) -- representing a very small fraction -- of people who hold certain common beliefs. 

Thus, there are people who believe in protecting the environment; and others who pour sugar in gas tanks of bulldozers and burn down homes that are under construction.  There are people who lobby to improve the welfare of lab animals; and there are those who vandalize animal research facilities and "liberate" the white rabbits.  There are people who make their living grazing cattle on public range lands; and there are ranchers who shoot wolves and leave the carcasses on the doorstep of the local game warden's office.  There are people who believe the less government, the better; and there are true anarchists who advocate the violent overthrow of the government.  And, vice versa.

I do not like prosletyzing, especially the religious variety.  But, that's because of where and how I was raised, and the religious denomination to which my family belonged.  Even so, I don't consider religious prosletyzing to be a form of extremism, no matter how much it might offend me personally.  The reason is because, where I live now, the majority of people are of a religious faith in which prosletyzing and missionary work are expected of them.  They see it as an obligation of their religion.  I might not like it, and it might make me uncomfortable; but that doesn't make it extremism -- certainly not here in the Deep South.

I guess that means my definition of "extremist" is conditional.  It depends on some norm, which can differ depending on who we are and where we live.  I do agree with others here that an "extremist" is someone who employs violence or inappropriately aggressive behavior to get his/her point across, even if that behavior violates the principles of the belief system the person is trying to promote.

I am fresh out of big words.

otter

1Athena1

Shirley, I am sure that people you say are not Christians would wholeheartedly disagree with you. The Westboro church people consider themselves Christian, every bit as much as Osama Bin Laden considers himself a Muslim. You belong to a religion based on your affiliation with it - not if you follow its every tenet, otherwise nobody in the world would qualify for any religion.

It always strikes me as amusing when people say, of others who do bad things, "that person is not a Christian." If that person is a Catholic or Protestant and believes in the tenets of Christianity, then he or she is a Christian - even if also an extremist or simply a bad egg.

Muslims don't get to choose their followers. Nor do Christians. Organized religion is a man-made concept. It isn't some sort of biological state of being whereby a person can be identified as being or not being of a specific faith.

And we have plenty of extremist pastors in this country preaching outrageous things, telling congregants, for example, that 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina were God's retribution against, amongst many other things, gays and lesbians. You may think it is un-Christian to say that, but the pastors who have uttered such words think of themselves as very Christian indeed. Muslim extremism abounds in many countries too. As do shiik extremists and some of those settlers on the West Bank who cite the bible to build their house.

There is no religion, I think, that doesn't have extremists.

3monstmama

Bonjour! 

Back from Paris and just checking in to say hi. [no we didn't get to Mr. Morrison's grave on this trip--sorry!]  Lots of yummy meals and medicinal red wine and dark chocolate. . . no elk but bunny on multiple occassions.

Extremists are found in all religions [though I can't think of any particular Buddhist extremist in modern times] and none, to my mind, is worse than any other.  The Westboro folks are no worse or better than the Islamic or Jewish extremist and I agree that none of them believes themselves to be anything but a loyal [insert name of your religon here].   Yet if you read the primary religious texts of all the various groups, it becomes evident that each group is twisting the words of their respective holy book to support their perspective.  And that holds as true for Christian extremists as well as Islamic or Jewish extremists.

For anyone interested in learning more about everyday non-extremist Islam, there is a great book called "The Muslim Next Door" written by an American Muslim woman named Sumbal Ali-Karamali.  I enjoyed it greatly and found it very informative.

And now to call the eye doctor about my new glasses as the problem is clearly the glasses and not me adjusting to progressives.