Muslim clerics issue fatwa banning the devout from Mars One 'suicide' mission

Re: Well... So do some christians, hindus and even buddists (on a bad day)

"I would suggest that they have a lot of catching up to do with the millions of people "exterminated" on the original journey to the promised land. But then it was OK wasn't it? After all, God said so."

The indigenous Arab population of Palestine had nothing to do with those events. Perhaps Israel should occupy Germany and Egypt and committing genocide against those populations too?

Oh, wait, they already killed all the Egyptian first born. Just Germany to go then....

Re: Well... So do some christians, hindus and even buddists (on a bad day)

"I would suggest that they have a lot of catching up to do with the millions of people "exterminated" on the original journey to the promised land."

Not to detract from your general point (which is that the Old Testament is filled with horrendous crimes and glorification of the invasion of other people's lands), but the evidence that modern Jewish people are any more descended from the ancient Israelites than most non-Jewish people is mixed. There was a large wave of conversions to Judaism prior to the Fourth Century. So some groups of Jewish people are barely related to other groups at all -- at least no more so statistically than any other group -- and evidence that the main body of Jewish people trace their ancestory back to exiles from Egypt is pretty much non-existent. Or rather they just as much can as any non-Jewish group in Europe (and several other parts). That area of the world churned out wave after wave of settlers to other parts in ancient days.

Not that it really matters. Race is pretty much irrelevant in intrinsic terms. Barring the odd thing more prevalent in one ethnic group than another such as diabetes or sickle cell anaemia, we're pretty much identical. It's culture that matters. But the racial connection (or rather lack of) is important to building a narrative about a "diaspora," of being driven out of Israel. A narrative which is very important to many Zionists who want to justify ownership of the area along ethnic lines. (N.b. to the simple minded, Zionist =/= Jewish. There are a very large number of Christian Zionists in the United States and a massive number of non-Zionist Jews all over the place).

Queue incoming protests about Y chromasomes on people called Cohen in 3..2..1...

Re: Well... So do some christians, hindus and even buddists (on a bad day)

You do understand the Christian Crusades were in response to the Muslim Crusades which began almost 4 centuries earlier... But seeing ignorance of history is more the norm around here, I am not even going to give your comment any further thought...

I'll leave you with this, since you want to talk about death tolls...

Islam has killed about 270 million people: 120 million Africans*, 60 million Christians, 80 million Hindus, 10 million Buddhists, etc.

http://www.politicalislam.com/tears/pages/tears-of-jihad/

Next time try some research, you won't come off looking as clueless as Paris...

Re: Spirts in the sky nut jobs and such

abrahamic religions were created as a tool to control and exploit society:

1. master religion - ripping off all basic ideas and templates from various older religions ranging from egyptian, babylonian, cimmerian, hittite, etc. later forked into two more religions

2. these two slave religions are then periodically pitted against each other, for power, control, resources, abuse, exploitation, brainwashing, mental slavery, ethnic cleansing, genocide, etc

Re: Spirts in the sky nut jobs and such

Much like Rob Hubbard turned a Science Fiction story into a religion, Mohammed copied much of early Christianity, spicing it up a bit to invent a new religion. It's quite amazing how gullible some people must be to believe this stuff....

You could quite easily say the same about Jesus.

That said, I don't think it's right to make fun of someone's religious beliefs. People can believe whatever they want, IMHO, unless they try to force those beliefs on me.

Or unless they are trying to scam people out of their hard earned money through a ridiculous cult (*cough* Scientology *cough*)

El *Rob* Hubbard?!

@ Anonymous Coward; "Much like Rob Hubbard turned a Science Fiction story into a religion"

My God- I never knew that! So not only did he write all those Commodore 64 soundtracks, but Rob Hubbard started a religion as well?!

Re: Spirts in the sky nut jobs and such

Sorry, but Rob Hubbard was the excellent 8-bit Music composer from the 80s

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Hubbard

I think you may be thinking of L Ron Hubbard, the creator of Scientology.

Re: Spirts in the sky nut jobs and such

You have a read some books good, it's not exactly having gone through auditing or even doing the most basic courses offered to get people in the door. There is something in it, some things of value hidden in all that other stuff. Some of the things I learnt in a fleeting contact with the COS have been a positive help every day, the other stuff I've probably forgotten and most of my contact was through people who had left the main church but valued the good techniques for helping people.

I always think people who assume there is no value in Scientology are like those so frightened of their own sexuality they would stone gays, if you are sensible to start with you'll be able to make value judgements about the ideas. My family were seriously into sky is falling! - "Cult" talk if I were to even read a book but they don't consider the damage of passing years of depressive mental mechanisms, that's society's "normal", getting a bit of awareness that's "dangerous talk".

I won't say it took me from a normal nut case to an activated higher being but it helped me understand the dynamics of many situations and spot motivations good or bad.

In the workplace once some of the mystery is taken away spotting someone's tone level can save a lot of surprises. I know most people here "know how to spot wrong'un" but we are not born at 30 so being able to spot the actions of someone covert or out of control of their own space can be very valuable. I see people who are happy to steal from a company and the give away is basic level motivation and often accompanied by subtle withholds, if it looks like a duck listening for quacks can help form a better judgement. If someone does A then B there is a good chance that next move is C, if C happens to risk you or your job being able to spot the pattern may mean a lot.

I suffered anxiety as a kid and going through auditing helped me with that, there is no way I would be able to rub shoulders with comentards like your good selves without that (feel free to pretend that is humour).

Re: Spirts in the sky nut jobs and such

"There is some rumor that, once upon a time, a trio of poor SF writers, Hubbard, Phillip K Dick and another, were debating how to make lots of $. Hubbard's supposed idea? Found a religion."

The third was Roger Zelazny and I read it in an interview with him years ago. Long enough ago that it was in print. I've been trying to remember who the other writer was (Dick) since the first post above bringing it up. Zelazny's story was that the three of them went on a binge in San Diego and after many hours of drinking and talking the topic of religion came up.

"Anyone can start a religion", says Hubbard, "based on anything at all, the more nonsensical the better"

"Bullshit" , say they other two

"Bet you $20", says Hubbard and next week had the first draft of Scientology.

I wish I could find that interview again, outside of this it was very funny.

" .. but the media and some clerics have successfully managed .."

Then make fun of the media and clerics and don't call it an irony, because you just admitted the source itself is not to be blamed (at least it this case).

Also, religion is not a private affair but a collective conscience and is aimed at guiding the followers, good or bad.

Re: It is rather sad

Algebra is an arabic word, but the mathematics it names come from India. As do our numbers. Arabs didn't invent these things (or the 0, before someone leaps in with that myth).

I'm getting very tired of all this cultural one-upmanship and willy waving going on these days. Mediaeval Europe wasn't a barbaric cesspit and the arabs weren't enlightened beings bringing science to the unwashed masses. Both sides advanced and retreated at different times and in different ways.