shifterknob

Did I hear my name being spoken in vain?

Sabine Grant

Atheists and christians have their humanity in common... they both can experience fear, grief, anger, despair.. they both can provide comfort, empathy, compassion. They both can become a best friend to someone else, a father or mother to a child, In the face of tragedy they both work side to side to rescue another human being.
Their minds is what causes the division and mostly the claims to be " absolutly right". They are both extraordinary creatures. They both benefit of a conscience which should lead them to contribute to mankind. Whether thru humanism or by faith, there is much to accomplish.

philechat

Thank you, Sabine, of acknowledge the common humanity in people regardless of religious beliefs. It would be much better than simply dividing them up into believers and non-believers, as though such a distinction could divide the human from the non-human, to see the individuality in each person, to understand them from many perspectives. I find any distinction from one category alone to be extremely dehumanizing, and thus should be avoided at all cost.

Starboy

GeoTheo, your mathematics assumes your brand of Christianity is correct and every other religion is wrong. A more unbiased calculation would assume that there have been at least 10,000 religions over the history of man, so as a Christian you would rate .0001 and as an atheist I would rate as a .0000. Not much of a difference really when compared to 1.

Starboy

JLennon

Sabine Grant can you look at Israel and really believe that horse shit? I think not. The jews thoroughly hate all semites.

Sabine Grant

I know... I had to stay in tune ( so to speak ) with the OP. I will echo the famous line given to Scarlett " Frankly my dear I do not give a damn... " religion, lack of, race, nationality, lifestyle, etc...behind each characteristic there is the individuality of a unique creature with a unique experience and so much to learn from. That understanding from many perspectives you mention cannot be achieved unless we accept diversity and recieve it as an enrichment.
I wish each person could devote so many years of his or her life just traveling abroad, mingling and bathing in other cultures. You then appreciate what is different. You find a bit of wisedom in the most different people. Plus you build relationships and you bond as you look for commonness.
But this is a forum where minds will clash...as long as we can all remember that each participant is a potential friend.
In my culture, people will have long political debates ( preferably around a dinner table , with a pack of Gitanes and a never half empty glass of wine)... we rant at each other and use all of our theatrical hand talk but at the hand we never part with disdain or resentment. Usualy a " allez Marcel.. fais pas la gueule...tu veux un cafe?"...( I will let your translator give you the flavor of that one) fixes it all. Vive la Difference!

Sabine Grant

I do not consider what I wrote to be " horse shit"...the hate you describe is the product of an ancestral focus on race/ religion/ territory issues. Those issues can be overcome if the focus were to shift to what is productive for all. This is not a genetical condition where both some jews and some arabs have no choice in the matter... hate is a choice that can be modified. It is easy to hate. Much hard to conciliate and set aside any ego. But it is achievable.

Starboy

Yes Sabine, the hatred between Arabs and Jews is regrettable. The thing I have a hard time understanding is how two peoples so obviously religious can't find the love in their faith. It is interesting to note that your prescription for the situation is to ignore religion altogether and focus on what works. Hmmm, the scientific approach instead of the religious approach. Maybe you have something there. Too bad all religious people are so convinced of the "truth" of their beliefs that pragmatism doesn't stand a chance. Oh well.

Starboy

JLennon

It is ashame that europeans and americans have supported the jews in their oppressing the arabs and that we support the jews' slave trade. I think it is time for europe and USA to withdraw their support of Israel entirely and give back the lands that they took from the arabs. All of it.

wade-w

If you want to discuss arabs/israelis, go to the PD forum. This isn't the appropriate place for that.