As everyone seems intent on preaching the word of some god, I'd figure I'd jump on the band wagon to see what kind of reaction I receive. So here goes:

As far as I'm concerned (and don't forget, this is a democracy, so my opinion is as valid as anyone else's), the idea of worship is insulting and pointless. Taking the body and blood of Christ, religiously motivated circumcision, praying numerous times a day to Mecca, headscarves, crucifixes, Allah, Jehova, etc. It's pointless. If there really was some powerful being ruling over us, do you really think he'd care about what puny humans did? Or whether they would be so self-centred to create something in their image?? Come on, people. So far all religion has done is cause conflict and ignorance, with only a few shining examples - individual (and sometimes groups of) people who were as intent on doing good things for others as they were on praying.

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Fascinating article, even more amazing that its found in the NY Times, in which the times author notes Iraqis turning away from the empty future offered by their religious leaders towards a more promising future offered by their American liberators. Note that it is the NY Times that is describing American forces as "liberators" which is a significant change in tone. Could it be the Times recognizes the success of the surge and doesn't want to be caught on the side of the pessimists proclaiming its failure?
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Hi

Please click on the link and sign the petition to save the life of Afghan journalist Perwez Kambakhsh.

http://www.petitiononline.com/af8f6912/petition.html

Thanks

I've read many times that muslim unity is the answer for most of the middle eastern problems. What exactly is that and how is it established?  Read the rest of this post...

From Salih Mirzabeyoglu's "The State of Grandsublime" (I am the editor of this work): ISLAM AND STATE Islam is tightly connected to the state, just as the soul is integrated, inseparably, with the body; it is inextricable, and an organ system can never be imagined without it. • Is it imaginable that Islam, which embraces the whole universe, excludes the state, which is the aggregate of material and spiritual values of the human community? • Now that "people" are the External (Zahir) of the absolute Truth (Haqq) and the absolute Truth (Haqq) is the Inward (Batin) of "people," the unique principle of an Islamic state is the absolute Truth (Haqq), and the sovereignty uniquely belongs to it.  Read the rest of this post...

From Salih Mirzabeyoglu's "The State of Grandsublime" (I am the editor of this work): THE DESCRIPTION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF DEMOCRACY Since a very early time, one may have seen various descriptions and explanations of democracy. When talking about the types of states and governments, there is a widespread habit of categorizing them into three general types: monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. By the way, let us point out the following fact: “The word government means the power used by the state agencies as well as the agency using this power. This concept sometimes expresses all the boards using the power including the 'Great National Assembly' and sometimes it targets only the 'Council of Ministers.' In short, the government is a part and an organ of the state.”  Read the rest of this post...

From Salih Mirzabeyoglu's "The State of Grandsublime" (I am the editor of this work): THE EAST IN THE EASTERN POINT OF VIEW Now that the Orient, as a relative continent divided into units such as Islam, Brahmanism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, and did not possess the unity of religion and knowledge of the Occident, and was deprived of technical essentials with which to reduce itself as a continent totally, it does not have a particular view on its own. With all its separate and distinct poles, the emotional unity and sameness of the Oriental man's view of the Occident after the weakness of Islamic cadres in the Islamic world, is not because they agree on their view of self or because they know, understand and measure their own self and thus have an essential unity, but because of a shared sense of imprisonment and intimidation before a common enemy.  Read the rest of this post...