DivineHustle

The ideology in and of itself is an impediment to freedom and liberty. It's not what they have done, but what the ideology advocates to be done.

Kinda does, friend.

I'm not Catholic, so what Pope Francis has to say isn't relevant to me at all. I don't recognize him as being relevant towards my connection with God. I honestly don't care what's on our currency, and I think I speak on behalf of most other Christians. If they want to remove 'In God We Trust', then they can go ahead and do that. They are free to practice their religion, so long as it does not impede the freedoms and liberties of other Americans. A Christian knocking on your door isn't pushing their beliefs on you. It's literally no different than a political flyer or a Chinese restaurant's menu. If you believe that someone hanging something on your door is aggressive, then I would highly suggest that you never decide to purchase and own a home. Most of those so-called "aggressive, vicious, brutal" verses are direct consequences for acts of evil, in which I've addressed all of them. According to certain denominations of Christianity, yes. Under those particular denominations, being homosexual in and of itself isn't a sin, but having homosexual temptations or committing homosexual acts are sinful. It all varies from the different denominations. I'm not Catholic, so what Pope Francis has to say isn't relevant to me at all. I don't recognize him as being relevant towards my connection with God. I honestly don't care what's on our currency, and I think I speak on behalf of most other Christians. If they want to remove 'In God We Trust', then they can go ahead and do that. They are free to practice their religion, so long as it does not impede the freedoms and liberties of other Americans. A Christian knocking on your door isn't pushing their beliefs on you. It's literally no different than a political flyer or a Chinese restaurant's menu. If you believe that someone hanging something on your door is aggressive, then I would highly suggest that you never decide to purchase and own a home. Most of those so-called "aggressive, vicious, brutal" verses are direct consequences for acts of evil, in which I've addressed all of them. According to certain denominations of Christianity, yes. Under those particular denominations, being homosexual in and of itself isn't a sin, but having homosexual temptations or committing homosexual acts are sinful. It all varies from the different denominations. I believe that homosexuality is a mental disorder. Leviticus was written in the Old Testament, which was before Jesus Christ came down to Earth. Jesus Christ died on the cross so that we can ask the Lord to forgive us for our sins. Before Jesus died, the consequences of sin were merciless and the Lord was unforgiving. Jesus died so that we can ask the Lord for forgiveness, rather than be stoned and sent straight to hell.

No, it was not OK. Following the events of the slaughtering, church leaders actually condemned the violence.

That depends entirely on which Christian denomination you speak to. Some believe that homosexuality is a choice, some believe that it is a mental disorder, some believe that you're born homosexual and therefore it isn't considered a sin unless homosexual acts or desires are prevalent. That's a theological subject that's up for debate within the different sectors of Christianity. No denomination is taught to hate homosexuals, and any Christian that hates anything/anyone is in contradiction with the Lord's word, which is to love ALL. I personally believe that it is wrong and it is a sin; and will be dealt with accordingly by God. You've also got the numbers wrong. A vast majority of Americans identify as being Christian, yet simultaneously a vast majority of Americans support gay marriage. Most Christians can't believe that homosexuals should die if essentially most Americans support gay marriage, and most Americans are Christians. I'm asking for you to provide me with some sort of material evidence that Islam is, indeed, a religion of peace. I've said numerous times now that just because a Muslim isn't violent, doesn't mean that they don't silently condone acts of violence by other Muslims. Islam is an aggressive, vicious, brutal religion. It has no place in the world, period. Yes. It's no different a concept than girl scouts going door to door selling cookies. Most Christians don't necessarily believe that Christianity should be implemented into our system of government, but when it is, Christians aren't going to complain about it. Removing a few words from various parts of our government isn't going to affect the faith that Christians have. Christians would like it to remain but if it changes, we won't be hurt by it. You have every right to remain silent during the entire pledge if you choose to do so... and others have every right to call you out on it and criticize you for it. The school does not have the right to take disciplinary action against you for it. That's a completely different theological discussion that I'm not going to partake in right now.

I focus on what's relevant. The most dangerous and prevalent extremists in the world today are Islamic extremists. There are no "peaceful" passages of the Quran. It's all about worshipping Allah and doing his bidding. Islam doesn't command its followers to love others, lend a helping hand, and treat others with kindness like Christianity does. Islam is about absolute submission without question or hesitation. The slaughter was in response to Islamic aggression. They brought the deaths upon themselves, and rightfully so. People aren't the enemy, ideology is the enemy. Islam is that ideology.

Did you know that the Crusades were in response to Islamic aggression?

It’s the fact that those countries are ran based on what’s literally written in the Quran. Like, literally written word for word.... and millions of Muslims are perfectly content in residing within those countries. The countries are controlled by leaders that run their countries by what the Quran literally has written. It’s not an interpretation, it’s based on what’s being commanded. You say any other countries with basic freedoms. That’s the thing, a lot of those Muslim countries have no basic freedoms, hence women receiving no education and non-Muslims being punished by death and imprisonment. Sounds like Sharia Law to me, you know, what the Quran commands. I don’t believe that comparing the Japanese imprisonment is valid. That was a World War and an attack on US soil, for starters. Secondly, the Japanese didn’t have some book or God commanding them to attack Americans. There’s nothing wrong with being Japanese, and someone can’t control if they’re born Japanese. You can’t obey Japanese, or follow Japanese or worship Japanese. That’s an outrageous comparison. I challenge you to show me some scripture of the Quran that can help prove your point that they’re not violent. All you seem to be doing here is pointing the finger at something else as a double-standard. The Lord commands us, Christians, to educate people on his word and allow the final decision to be up to the individual. He does not want us to force our religion on others, and that’s where Islam and Christianity split. Any Christian that forces Christianity on you is in violation of the Lords will, and they'll answer for that when they die. Because that's not what God wants us to do as Christians.

Yes, freedom to practice your religion so long as it does not impede the freedoms of others that don’t practice your religion. You’re free to be Muslim, but don’t share your Quran with me and don’t talk about Sharia Law. Last I heard, those of you in Europe were having some issues with that stuff. I’ll have you know that my view of Islam wasn’t always this extreme. The more research I conducted on Islam, the more I read the Quran, the more I witnessed how aggressive and violent the religion commands its followers to be, the more I began dislike the religion. It’s far from a religion of peace. Even Christianity is more compatible with the developed world. Islam is, by far, the most incompatible religion in the developed world. Muslims are commanded to live how the Quran directs and practically all Muslim majority countries do. God forbid you reveal yourself as being anything other than Muslim, because in some of those countries that’s an offense punishable by a painful death. I also find it ironic that you support freedom to practice a religion where women have no freedom. That’s why that girl that @Giordano mentioned was shot in the head. Because she went against what the Islamic faith dictates on women receiving education. I’d love to see statistics on the number of women that convert FROM Islam after being educated. That probably has a direct link to the statistical fact that those who know least about Islam show a more favorable opinion of Islam. Funny how that works, huh. I also challenge you to answer @c13 Go ahead and name one Muslim country that you’d love to live in. Well, that’s because there’s plenty of statistical evidence that restricting guns won’t solve the problem. That evidence has been presented numerous times and all we, gun supporters, receive in rebuttal are nasty ad-hominem attacks, responses generated through sentiment, irrational hypothetical scenarios, and outrageous comparisons between gun control systems.... rather than logic and sound reasoning.

No, I'm condemning them for their religious beliefs. I have no issue with the person, I have an issue with their ideology.

Do you understand that not committing a violent act doesn't necessarily mean that you don't silently agree with violent acts?

That's because none have come to slaughter you, that's exactly right. Fly over to Afghanistan or Syria and it'll be a different story.

That is completely false, and anyone of any religion (except for reformists) would disagree with you. The Bible and the Qu'ran are literal teachings and commands of the respective God. No Christian or Muslim would blatantly disregard the teachings of the Bible or the Qu'ran. Scripture from both books is still preached, taught, and followed by followers of both religions. I encourage you to walk into a Church or Mosque and ask them if they've grown away from their holy book or if they still follow the teachings of it. As previously stated, the only people that don't follow the teachings of the book are reformists, and they're a tiny minority of both religions. Reformists a practically disowned by a majority of the religion's followers. Exposing a (supposed) double standard doesn't render the former argument invalid. What you're doing is saying, "Hey, this is similar to what you're saying is bad but no one is criticizing this." Okay, that's fine, but it doesn't make the former argument invalid. Islam is still a violent religion regardless of if Christianity or other religions are violent. Most terrorist attacks worldwide are committed by Muslims. Most countries that punish non-believers are Muslim dominated countries. A man or woman that acts as though they can accurately determine a person's future, or act as a middle connection between the individual and the Lord, will be put to death. Nothing about being a non-believer. If a man commits a homosexual act, both men will be put to death. That sounds about right with any major religion, and this is already known. Homosexuality is a sin in practically every major religion on the planet. Nothing about being a non-believer. This one is self-explanatory. Anyone that rejects the verdict of the Judges or Priest (who represent the Lord) will be put to death. If you violate the law of Israel and reject the verdict that the Priest or Judge's give you, then you will receive the death penalty. Nothing about being a non-believer. This is similar to something else you posted. If a man tries to tell the future on behalf of the Lord, he will be put to death. He is lying in the name of the Lord. Nothing about being a non-believer. This is saying that if a fellow citizen decides to leave and take other citizens to worship some other god, carefully ensure that that's actually what's transpiring. If that's the case, completely destroy the civilization that they have created in offering to the Lord, while not keeping any of the valuables for yourself. Then the Lord will forgive them and turn them into a great nation. That's just me interpretation though. This can be interpreted in several different ways depending on the denomination of Christianity, and it's also written differently throughout the various versions of the Bible. It's all a matter of which Bible you read and which denomination you speak to. This isn't a command to slaughter non-believers, this isn't even a command at all. This was a decision that followers of the Lord made. When they were in the presence of the Lord, they came to an agreement to kill anyone also in the presence of the Lord that did not desire to seek the Lord. This isn't commanding Christians to go out and kill non-believers. This was a decision that they made at that moment, hence the past-tense of the verse. If someone does evil or worships other gods in a town that the Lord has given you, then investigate and ensure that that's what's actually true. If it is true, exile them from the town and kill them. This doesn't command Christians to go out and slaughter non-believers. This is saying that if you do something evil or worship another god in a town that the Lord has provided to you, you are to be removed from the town and killed. Don't do evil or worship a false god in a town that the Lord has given to you. If you worship another god, you are doomed. Self-explanatory to me. Doesn't command Christians to kill non-believers. A lot of the verses that contain violence are directed towards Christians doing wrong, rather than a non-Christian doing wrong. Most of what you've posted is also in the Old-Testament, which is before Jesus Christ died for everyone's sins, protecting everyone from the wrath of an angry and displeased God. That's where the whole cross thing comes into play. Jesus died so that people who violate the teachings can ask for forgiveness and salvation for their wrongdoing, rather than suffer the harsh consequences that the Lord had originally put forth.

Even if a minority of Muslims don't support violence, it's definitely much higher than just 1%. I don't really care what Muslims think of violence, I am against the violence that Islam encourages and commands. It doesn't take much research to find the verses of violence. It's far from a religion of peace. Ironic, considering that Islam has generally always been the aggressor throughout history. What you're doing is called "strawman". The subject matter isn't Christianity, it's Islam. Therefore, none of what you've posted is relevant to the discussion at hand, because no one said anything about Christianity. There's also a fundamental difference between the Qu'ran and the Bible. The violent verses of the Qu'ran are based on commands to slaughter non-believers. The violent verses of the Bible are direct consequences of sins, such as adultery, theft, etc. I hope you realize that the religion is literally based entirely on the book that is thousands of years old.... Healthcare isn't a right, by the way. No one has the right to a service provided by another person because you can't force that person to provide their service. Speech and religion are rights, healthcare is not.

Quran (3:56) - "As to those who reject faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help." Quran (3:151) - "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority". This speaks directly of polytheists, yet it also includes Christians, since they believe in the Trinity." Quran (8:65) - "O Prophet, exhort the believers to fight..."Quran (2:191-193) - "And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah [disbelief or unrest] is worse than killing..." Muslims are commanded to slaughter the non-believers. Just because someone isn't actively killing others doesn't mean that they don't silently agree with those that are. ISIS is only doing what they're being commanded to do.

No, Islam is the issue. I'm just a proud American sitting behind a computer screen providing facts and statistics that you (evidently) couldn't find yourself. I don't have a problem with the people, I have a problem with the ideology. I haven't read the entire Qu'ran because I was completely appalled at what was written inside of it. Statistically speaking, those that show less prejudice towards Islam tend to know less about Islam. As they become more educated on Islam, they begin to be more unfavorable of it. Funny how that works, huh.

N/A

We have this debate on literally every topic related to guns, and it ends the same way each time. The anti-gun people end up being shut down by facts, evidence, and statistics that quite simply contradict everything they say. "It worked here so it should work there. The Americans care too much about their constitutional rights. How dare they want to be a free people with liberties under a Constitution that they actually hold dear to them." I'll sit this one out on the sidelines because its tiring when people are presented with facts and evidence, and either change the subject completely or present insane and illogical solutions that clearly wouldn't work. I'll just show my support for those that actually have the patience to participate in the argument once again.

Not really. According to Gallup, the number of parents that fear for their children's safety is actually at an all-time low. I'm not sure how you can know that most Americans are afraid and worried.

This church has every right to do this, but it's inconsistent with the theology of Christianity. According to scripture, the Lord tells us that we're allowed to have weapons in church depending on the context of the weapon's presence. Irrational (and rational) fear is contradictory to the word of the Lord. Having weapons present for the sake of having weapons present is also a contradiction to the word of the Lord.

So then how do fix the problem?

I don't mean to bump this topic because it's relatively old, but I'd also like to note that this fixed my issue. I was also experiencing lag when using various functions of ELS, and unplugging my Corsair wireless headphones fixed the issue. If you're having this issue, and you use Corsair wireless headphones, you'll need to use stereo speakers or headphones that aren't Corsair and wireless in order for the issue to be resolved. That's my conclusion to this.

It's actually kind of funny. We can't talk about anything in this category without it turning into a debate and the topic eventually being shut down.