I have changed my opinion on Islam

[AisA]

For a good overview of Islam, go here.

[Moebius]

I guess one of the fatal difference between Christianity and Islam is that Christianity worships a carpenter turned martyr in Christ, while Islam worships a merchant turned warlord in Muhammad.

[AisA]

That is one difference, and the near-universal reverence for Muhammad among Muslims makes the story of his life -- a life of military conquest -- a powerful recruiting tool for the jihadists.

[Clawg]

I guess it doesn't matter what the actual stories in the Koran, the Bible or any other religious book say. The definition of religion is that it is founded on irrational claims that contradict reality.

When people start to consequently act on religion then violence (i.e. acting against reality) most certainly occurs. Any irrational belief is a 'chink in the armor', in times of crisis demagogues will use that weakness and widen it as much as they need to press forward their plan of action.

The only difference between the different religions is how much crisis it needs and how long it takes to become openly anti-life at state level endangering other countries.

[Robert J. Kolker]

In my opinion, it does not matter at all if the specific religion preaches violence or not. All religion preaches destruction, whether personal or on a larger scale. There is no way to really argue against that if you know the principles of reason and logic. So to me, whether or not islam preaches that you should strap bombs to yourself, it is destructive in itself.

You might consider how the religion of the Israelites was changed. Israel after the time of Solomon was conquered by the Assyrians around 750 b.c.e. and the Babylonians around 580 b.c.e. Later on the Romans conquered the holy land and the Jews were dispersed throughout the world. This promoted a change. Judaism became a Rabbinic Religion as opposed to a Biblical Religion. This was based on the oral tradition which was finally written down in the Mishnah Torah and the Talmud. The ethical essence of Rabbinic Judaism is a negative form of the Golden Rule: what is hateful to you, do not do unto others. The bulk of the Talmud has to do with keeping the customs, dealing honestly with others and observing the cleanliness rules.

None of this is particularly destructive. Judaism was detoxified through a process of conquest and an adaptation to the conditions of dispersement and exile. This partially explains why the occurrence of violent crime is statistically smaller among Jews (to a significant degree) than among other ethnic groups.

This also explains to some degree how the founding mother and fathers of the Objectivist movement were from a Jewish background. Rand and others had parents who were culturally Jewish. They no longer practice the religion (customs, worship and such) but they picked up on the ethics. Here is an amusing bit: when Moses asked God what his God's name God answered --- My Name is Existence. Yaweh is Hebrew for He Is. God further said: I am what I am. Now consider the basic axioms of Objectivism: Existence exists and A is A. Is this a coincidence? I do not think so.

So if you take Judaism as it has survived (a pharisaic or Rabbinical religion) and squeeze out the supernatural content what you have left is just the sort of material from which Objectivism can be made.

Bob Kolker

[DarkWaters]

This also explains to some degree how the founding mother and fathers of the Objectivist movement were from a Jewish background. Rand and others had parents who were culturally Jewish. They no longer practice the religion (customs, worship and such) but they picked up on the ethics. Here is an amusing bit: when Moses asked God what his God's name God answered --- My Name is Existence. Yaweh is Hebrew for He Is. God further said: I am what I am. Now consider the basic axioms of Objectivism: Existence exists and A is A. Is this a coincidence? I do not think so.

So if you take Judaism as it has survived (a pharisaic or Rabbinical religion) and squeeze out the supernatural content what you have left is just the sort of material from which Objectivism can be made.

Are you suggesting that Ayn Rand was heavily influenced by the Torah and jewish culture? Are you merely just trying to identify some parallels between some underlying elements of the Old Testament and Objectivism?

I think Ayn Rand was influenced by the plethora of more important factors in her life such as reason itself, the works of Aristotle, the ideas behind the American Revolution and her personal experiences in Russia and in the United States. She gives no indication that she was significantly influenced by her jewish cultural heritage. Any parallels that may exist are coincidental.

Edited June 18, 2007 by DarkWaters

[Robert J. Kolker]

Are you suggesting that Ayn Rand was heavily influenced by the Torah and jewish culture? Are you merely just trying to identify some parallels between some underlying elements of the Old Testament and Objectivism?

That latter. And it is Talmudic Judaism not Biblical Judaism which was subordinated to the Oral Tradition around the time of Hillel and Shamai (circa 100 b.c.e). Rabbinic Judaism (based on the Talmud and the Oral Tradition) is the version that has survived.

Bob Kolker

[Inspector]

The ethical essence of Rabbinic Judaism is a negative form of the Golden Rule: what is hateful to you, do not do unto others.

There is an interesting discussion on this here.