Provocative and thoughtful as he usually is, Hitchens opines on anti-semitism for The Atlantic:
There is, probably first and certainly foremost, religious anti-Semitism. Unlike other nations or peoples, Jews were among the witnesses to the alleged lives and preachings of Jesus and Muhammad, and turned away from men they deemed false Messiahs. It is inconceivable that [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Muslims'
Hitchens on Anti-Semitism
September 2nd, 2010 · No Comments · Axial Age Religions, History of Religions
Tags:anti-semitism·Christians·Christopher Hitchens·false messiahs·false prophets·Jesus·Muhammad·Muslims
Koran Burning & Christian History
August 21st, 2010 · 2 Comments · Axial Age Religions, History of Religions
The inaptly named Dove World Outreach Center (an evangelical church) in Gainesville, Florida wants to create a bonfire of Korans but has been denied a permit by the fire marshal. Incredibly, Gainesville’s “burning ordinance” prohibits the open air torching of books — either some city councilman was worried about global warming or wanted to prevent [...]
Tags:apostasy·book burning·burning ordinance·Christian Bible·Christian colonialism·Christian history·Christian imperialism·content neutral·Crusades·Dove World Outreach Center·First Amendment·Florida·Gainesville·heresy·Inquisition·intolerance·Islam·Islamic colonialism·Islamic imperialism·Koran·Koran bonfire·Muslims·Nazis·Ten Reasons to Burn a Koran·Thirty Years War·zealotry
The Hydra Head of Islam
July 22nd, 2010 · No Comments · Axial Age Religions, Globalization and Religion, History of Religions, Philosophy of Religion
Over at HuffPo Religion, Cynthia Boaz has written an earnest piece that implores Americans to think harder about Islam and not simply demonize it. I agree with much of what she says but the unfortunate fact is that her plea will fall on few or deaf ears. Not many religious or political extremists are reading [...]
Tags:authenticity·authorial intent·Christopher Hitchens·Cynthia Boaz·fear·interpretation·interpretive communities·Islam·jahiliyya·jihadist·John Calvert·Koran·madrassa·Milestones·misconceptions about Islam·multiplicities of Islam·Muslims·oppression of women·Pakistan·political extremism·reader response·religions of the book·religious extremism·religious writings·Sam Harris·Saudi Arabia·Sayyid Qutb and the Origins of Radical Islamism·singular Islam·Stanley Fish·truth·truths about Islam·violence·zealotry
Ground Zero is “Sacred Ground”
July 21st, 2010 · No Comments · Civil Religion, Definitions of Religion, Emotions and Religion, Power and Religion
In yesterday’s post on the religion of nationalism, I noted that Ground Zero is sacred ground for the believer-patriots of American national religion. If you questioned this assertion, doubt no more — the GOP has produced an incendiary video which declares that Ground Zero is “sacred ground” and that an Islamic mosque cannot be built [...]
Tags:American national religion·blasphemy·Christian America·Civil Religion·Ground Zero·Islam·jihad·Kill the Ground Zero Mosque video·Muslims·nationalism as religion·patriot·patriotism·radical Islam·sacred ground·sacred site
Religious Wars and Nationalism
July 18th, 2010 · No Comments · Cultural Evolution of Religion, Economy and Religion, History of Religions, Power and Religion, Religion as Evolutionary Adaptation, Religion as Evolutionary Byproduct
Over at HuffPo Religion, Matt Rossano has written a thought provoking piece — which some may find surprising — on the relationship between war and religion. In Why Religion Does Not Equal War, Rossano begins with the common knowledge that religious differences often lead to war, or that religious differences are often used to justify [...]
Tags:aggression·Arabs·Civil Religion·conflict·Cyrus the Great·Darius the Great·Egyptian pharaoh·God & War: An Audit & An Exploration·god-kings·Greek-Persian wars·Greg Austin·group cohesion·Israelis·Jews·kinship·Matt Rossano·Muslims·nationalism·religion·Religious War Audit·religious wars·Thom Oommen·Todd Kranock·war·Why Religion Does Not Equal War·Xerxes the Great
Sunday Sundries — Spiritual Odds and Religious Ends
June 6th, 2010 · No Comments · Axial Age Religions, Cognition and Religion, Cultural Evolution of Religion, Daily Devolutions, History of Religions, Morality and Religion, Ritual and Religion
As usual, lots of weird news from religion land. Let’s start with this AP report about a Baptist minister in St. Cloud, MN who paid for a newspaper ad stating that Muslims “seek to influence a nation by immigration, reproduction, education, the government, illegal drugs and by supporting the gay agenda.”
This minister clearly knows nothing [...]
Tags:altruism·beatification·canonization·Catholic saint·compassion·ecumenical·Family Research Council·intolerance·Islam·James Dobson·James Verini·JC·Koran·liberal religionists·Muslims·Reverend Dennis Campbell·sainthood·Sharia law·South Park·Tenzin Gyatso·toddlers·wife beating
Tea Parties and “Monkey Gods”
May 20th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Axial Age Religions, Daily Devolutions, Emotions and Religion, History of Religions
Avoiding politics and political arguments is a passion of mine, but total avoidance would require something like a monastic life (which at times sounds fairly appealing, given the vacuity of American politics). Add a bit of religion to the mix and the results are positively toxic.
While I do not know much about Tea Partiers other [...]
Tags:animals of Allah·fear·Islam·Mark Williams·monkey god·Muslims·religious right·Tea Party
