Christianity exists today...

[Nightshade]

...so does Judaism, Hinduism and many other religions...

But according to the religious head of the muslim brotherhood- "If they [Muslims] had gotten rid of the punishment [often death] for apostasy, Islam would not exist today."

The most influential Sunni leader in the Middle East has just admitted what many of us who grew up as Muslims in the Middle East have always known: that Islam could not exist today without the killing of apostates. Yusuf al-Qaradawi, head of the Muslim Brotherhood and one of the most respected leaders of the Sunni world, recently said on Egyptian television, "If they [Muslims] had gotten rid of the punishment [often death] for apostasy, Islam would not exist today." The most striking thing about his statement, however, was that it was not an apology; it was a logical, proud justification for preserving the death penalty as a punishment for apostasy. Al-Qaradawi sounded matter-of-fact, indicating no moral conflict, nor even hesitation, about this policy in Islam. On the contrary, he asserted the legitimacy of Islamic laws in relying on vigilante street justice through fear, intimidation, torture and murder against any person who might dare to leave Islam.

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3572/ ... tasy-death

Should other religions kill 'apostates' to insure their future? Should the pope order your death if you leave the Catholic Church?

[woodchip]

I would have to say Christianity is proof against the Imam's view.

[vision]

I don't know why you worry about this stuff, little furr-ball. My the time the 22nd century gets here, religiosity will play a far less significant role in the world. There is a massive push toward secularism all around the world. Even where you see the Muslim Brotherhood gaining power they are increasingly met with stronger and stronger resistance. Just relax, things will get better (in that regard).

[Will Robinson]

I think he is wrong. There are always some who flock to the nutbaggary cult whatever their practices.
They probably would be outcasts which is what they deserve and someone would have salvaged the good bits of the Koran, moved forward with 'New Islam' and we'd be talking about old school Islam like we do about the Westboro Baptist Church.

The best part about that is after 9-11 there would have been enough room in Gitmo for all of them and a few drone strikes for the strays.....boom, problem solved!

[Tunnelcat]

I've never understood why some religious people like to radicalize their religion and start some new offshoot. It's like a snake eating it's own tail. They'd destroy some of their own history for want of a principle they think is better than all others. Absolutely crazy.

http://www.theinternational.org/article ... uktu-manus

[Top Gun]

Man, what the hell. Fortunately it sounds like most of them survived, so hopefully someone can go in there and digitally preserve everything before the next wave of psychos comes through. It's something to think that, at one point in history, that region was pretty much the forefront of world civilization and learning.

[Aggressor Prime]

Religion that inspires fear only kills itself quicker. No one wants a wrathful God, but a God who seeks out sinners as His friends.
When religion condemns sinners, it provides no path to salvation.
When a religion reaches out to the prostitute, the tax collector, the soldier, the poor, the possessed, the suffering, the marginalized, the persecuted, as Jesus did (and other religious and social figures), only then does it provide such a path to salvation.

Even today, and in fact more so than ever, masses of people have fallen into prostitution, tools of the government, poverty, suffering of the mind and of the body (divorce rates? children without parental figures?), marginalization (99%, or any percent you want to throw out there, I'm not trying to be political), persecution (women, children, fathers, mothers, hard working, the religious), objects of mass killing for the benefit of others (abortion, embryonic stem cell research). If you just count how many babies are killed due to either abortion, the pill, or embryonic (not adult) stem cell research alone, we need religion to save all those who are killed from a culture addicted to progress for the sake of progress (and unwilling to recognize principles of right and wrong; even the idea of the person is now lost). But we cannot let perverted religions, ones that do not stand for those pushed to the fringes of society, the sinners, act as our saving grace. They only make these problems worse.

[vision]

...embryonic stem cell research...

I just want too point out how far behind the times you are. Embryonic stem cell research hasn't been an issue for years. You know why? Because science already solved that problem. They can now turn any cell from your body into a stem cell. We don't need any religion to save us, after all, it's had a pretty terrible track record so far -- especially compared to scientific advancement.

Now go catch up, you've missed a lot it seems.

[Duper]

actually, Vision, there still a good bit of legislation on this very topic still on the table.

[Aggressor Prime]

Despite the progress with adult stem cells (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=29864), embryonic stem cell research is still in full swing (http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=29839).

I'm not saying that religion should limit science. To limit understanding is an evil. Rather, religion should guide the actions that we perform from our scientific knowledge (whether we test on individual humans or just extensions of our own bodies) so that we don't destroy ourselves. A scientific mind with no sense of right and wrong has the power to do anything, from grave evil, to grave good. One shall lead to the end of science, due to the end of humanity; the other will lead us to the singularity, in which man will reach his pinnacle point of existence in immortal existence via a digital upload of one's biological self.

[Burlyman]

should governments kill "terrorists" to protect "Israel" from anti-semitism? Is authority a religion?