07-28-2003, 11:39 PM
"You just spouted a bit of Mohamaden propaganda, or did you not realize that?"
I would be in a very unusual position if I was, since I no more believe the Islamic faith than I do the Christian faith, or the Jewish faith. However, it is theologically accurate that, while the Christians saw fit to introduce a Three-in-One god, plus a whole pantheon of heavenly creatures (angels, seraphim, whatnot) and enough saints to fill the Hindu pantheon, Islam remains more or less committed to a One God, One Religion standpoint. The Jews... well, their religion has evolved with their context. Now it is Monotheism, in a more or less pure form. Then? Their god was the biggest, not the only. His grace was reserved for his Jews, not for whomever should believe in him. He was the god of the Jews first, god of the universe second. That, to me, seems to be a lesser concept, at least in terms of a just religious order. This is, of course, from the standpoint of someone who only cares about the social impact of beliefs, not their accuracy.
This is not propaganda. This, as far as I can see, is theology.
The rest, I think we've hacked out as far as it's going to go, without detailed theses on middle eastern history, which I, for one, am not educated enough to provide.
Jester
I would be in a very unusual position if I was, since I no more believe the Islamic faith than I do the Christian faith, or the Jewish faith. However, it is theologically accurate that, while the Christians saw fit to introduce a Three-in-One god, plus a whole pantheon of heavenly creatures (angels, seraphim, whatnot) and enough saints to fill the Hindu pantheon, Islam remains more or less committed to a One God, One Religion standpoint. The Jews... well, their religion has evolved with their context. Now it is Monotheism, in a more or less pure form. Then? Their god was the biggest, not the only. His grace was reserved for his Jews, not for whomever should believe in him. He was the god of the Jews first, god of the universe second. That, to me, seems to be a lesser concept, at least in terms of a just religious order. This is, of course, from the standpoint of someone who only cares about the social impact of beliefs, not their accuracy.
This is not propaganda. This, as far as I can see, is theology.
The rest, I think we've hacked out as far as it's going to go, without detailed theses on middle eastern history, which I, for one, am not educated enough to provide.
Jester