religion facts

[Athena]

http://www.religionfacts.com/ This is the best religious site I have ever seen. What a wonderful way to come to understand history and how we got to where we are today, and to contemplate what the world might look like when there is no more oil.

We must understand the divisions of Islam if we are to understand the violence and why we can not just walk out of Iraq now. Islam is not one religion, any more than Christianity is one religion. To complicate matters, Arabs and Persians do not like each other, but they are joined and divided by different Islamic groups.

A note to Christians, Jesus said we should know our enemy, and only by pursuing this study of religions, and especially Islam. Arabs and Persians, are you obeying what Jesus told us to do. He sure as blazes didn't tell you to be as the pharasees, so start studying.

[Prometheus]

Quote by: Athena and to contemplate what the world might look like when there is no more oil.

tru dat

God (or the figurative god for you atheists) must have a sence of humor. Put the worlds most valuable resourse in the middle of the most tumultuous region of the world. Right in the middle of a 2 millenia old, three way religious war of ideologies.

[CJFreeman]

A note to Christians, Jesus said we should know our enemy, and only by pursuing this study of religions, and especially Islam. Arabs and Persians, are you obeying what Jesus told us to do. He sure as blazes didn't tell you to be as the pharasees, so start studying.

Really? I was under the impression He told us to "love [our] enemies" (cf. Luke 6:27, 35). In fact, both instances of the verses I've referenced for you, the word is άγαπατε (ag-ap-ah-te), which is the present active indicative, second person plural form of άγαπη (ag-ap-ay). In other words, Jesus is making an imperative in the present that is to continue into the future -- an ongoing action. If He were to have said, "know your enemy," the verse would've looked more like this "γνωσκετε τους εχθρους υμων" (you know the enemies of you) rather than what it actually says in the earliest manuscripts, and is currently in use in the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, "αγαπετε τους εχθρους υμων" (you love the enemies of you).

Anyway, all that to say that Christ's injunction for His believers to love their enemies does not preclude knowing them, to be sure, but the command is to love not to know. Hence if a person fails to know their enemy, they are not released from the imperative to love them. Most likely this has to do with the fact that loving others is superior to simply knowing them; even the pharisees knew other people, but because they did not love those who were against them, they were lacking.

Christopher J. Freeman

[rez]

Quote by: CJFreeman Really? I was under the impression He told us to "love [our] enemies" (cf. Luke 6:27, 35). In fact, both instances of the verses I've referenced for you, the word is άγαπατε (ag-ap-ah-te), which is the present active indicative, second person plural form of άγαπη (ag-ap-ay). In other words, Jesus is making an imperative in the present that is to continue into the future -- an ongoing action. If He were to have said, "know your enemy," the verse would've looked more like this "γνωσκετε τους εχθρους υμων" (you know the enemies of you) rather than what it actually says in the earliest manuscripts, and is currently in use in the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, "αγαπετε τους εχθρους υμων" (you love the enemies of you). Anyway, all that to say that Christ's injunction for His believers to love their enemies does not preclude knowing them, to be sure, but the command is to love not to know. Hence if a person fails to know their enemy, they are not released from the imperative to love them. Most likely this has to do with the fact that loving others is superior to simply knowing them; even the pharisees knew other people, but because they did not love those who were against them, they were lacking. Christopher J. Freeman

I love you even though I have no clue who the hell you are. That sounds logical.

[JimmyCocoPuffs]

shut up matrone

[CJFreeman]

Quote by: rez I love you even though I have no clue who the hell you are. That sounds logical.

Well, using your sarcasm, does it sound logical to remain neutral, dislike, or even hate those who are your enemies before you know them? And what could be more logical than to love others, despite who they are?

Christopher J. Freeman

[CJFreeman]

Quote by: JimmyCocoPuffs shut up matrone

Who are you talking to?

Christopher J. Freeman

[Technosoul]

[quote=Athena]http://www.religionfacts.com/ This is the best religious site I have ever seen. What a wonderful way to come to understand history and how we got to where we are today, and to contemplate what the world might look like when there is no more oil.

We must understand the divisions of Islam if we are to understand the violence and why we can not just walk out of Iraq now. Islam is not one religion, any more than Christianity is one religion. To complicate matters, Arabs and Persians do not like each other, but they are joined and divided by different Islamic groups.

A note to Christians, Jesus said we should know our enemy, and only by pursuing this study of religions, and especially Islam. Arabs and Persians, are you obeying what Jesus told us to do.

He sure as blazes didn't tell you to be as the pharasees, so start studying.[/

QUOTE]


Perhaps someone will correct me if I am in error, but the pharasees were those who believed in the bible word for word, and who were Jewish people. So if we study we would become like the pharasees who belived in litteral words in books. Needless to say the scribes and pharasees were not Persians, nor Arabs, nor folks from other then the Jewish faith.

Hope you do not mind my mentioning thise.

Technosoul.

[Athena]

Quote by: Technosoul QUOTE] Perhaps someone will correct me if I am in error, but the pharasees were those who believed in the bible word for word, and who were Jewish people. So if we study we would become like the pharasees who belived in litteral words in books. Needless to say the scribes and pharasees were not Persians, nor Arabs, nor folks from other then the Jewish faith. Hope you do not mind my mentioning thise. Technosoul.

Huh? There are Jews, Christians, Muslims who do nothing but study their holy book. Jesus opposed this or there wouldn't be Christianity and then Islam. He basically told the pharasees they were following men's laws, not God's law, and he proceeded to tell of a very different God with very different rules. Instead of a jealous, revengeful, fearsome and punishing God, that needs sacrifices, he says God is loving and forgiving, and there is an end to Jewish sacrificing and rituals. But as we go down the road, Jews are doing their Jew thing, and Christians are doing their Christian thing, and Muslims and doing their Islam thing- all trying to literally interpret and follow their holy books. This is so not Jesus! Jesus put an end to going by the book, and said to know thy enemy. But is anyone following him? I don't think so. I wouldn't be attempting to stop the terrible talk about those Muslim "terrorist" that is completely devoid of any knowledge of them, if people were actually doing what Jesus told us to do. People are acting like self rightous pharasees not Jesus.

[Athena]

Quote by: CJFreeman Really? I was under the impression He told us to "love [our] enemies" (cf. Luke 6:27, 35). In fact, both instances of the verses I've referenced for you, the word is άγαπατε (ag-ap-ah-te), which is the present active indicative, second person plural form of άγαπη (ag-ap-ay). In other words, Jesus is making an imperative in the present that is to continue into the future -- an ongoing action. If He were to have said, "know your enemy," the verse would've looked more like this "γνωσκετε τους εχθρους υμων" (you know the enemies of you) rather than what it actually says in the earliest manuscripts, and is currently in use in the Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, "αγαπετε τους εχθρους υμων" (you love the enemies of you). Anyway, all that to say that Christ's injunction for His believers to love their enemies does not preclude knowing them, to be sure, but the command is to love not to know. Hence if a person fails to know their enemy, they are not released from the imperative to love them. Most likely this has to do with the fact that loving others is superior to simply knowing them; even the pharisees knew other people, but because they did not love those who were against them, they were lacking. Christopher J. Freeman

This has to be a male understanding of love. You may be right, Jesus may never have said exact;y that we should know the enemy. It is just self rightous, and very unwise, to think we can love without knowing the other. Moving along, the following comes from the Internet.

Politics & Religion: Know Thy Enemy

This interesting treatise is making the rounds of left wing Liberals - particularly amongst the Christian Humanists. I am not, nor have I ever been a Christian. But I find this one fascinating:
http://journals.aol.com/olddog299/Da...e/entries/1906

[Athena]

Quote by: CJFreeman Well, using your sarcasm, does it sound logical to remain neutral, dislike, or even hate those who are your enemies before you know them? And what could be more logical than to love others, despite who they are? Christopher J. Freeman

Yes, and this is exactly what is happening! Relgious fanatics who know nothing about each other are killing each other and justifying killing each other. All they know is that other is not one of them, and that some how violence has broken out between this other and them. It is also what racial prejudice is all about. And rape, and comments like "shut up matrone". For whatever reason, it seems natural for humans to target a sex, or race, or religious or ethnic group for the hatred, and to lash out freely whenever coming across the target of their hatred.

The talk of the terrorist, is that these people are ignorant and improvished. But, the Terrorist living in the US and Britian do not exactly fit this discription do they? The Israelis displacing the Palestinians any way they can, are not ignorant and improvished people.
Racial prejudice and laws that prevent a race or ethnic group from having full and equal rights, is not the result of ignorance and poverty.

[Chris the Chees]

Quote by: JimmyCocoPuffs shut up matrone

Please do not respond with one liners like this, which offer no value for debate, this comment is also rather unpleasant, please avoid such remarks in future.

Thank you very much,

Chris.