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France said it would temporarily close its embassies and schools in 20 countries Friday after a satirical magazine in Paris published insulting cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, a move it fears will add “fuel to the fire” of global tensions over an anti-Islam film.
The French government, which had urged the weekly not to print the cartoons, said it was shutting embassies and schools as a precaution on Friday, when protests sometimes break out after Muslim prayers.
“We have indeed decided as a precautionary measure to close our premises, embassies, consulates, cultural centers and schools,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman told Reuters. Riot police were also sent to the offices of the weekly magazine, Charlie Hebdo.
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby called the drawings outrageous but said those who were offended by them should "use peaceful means to express their firm rejection".
Tunisia's ruling Islamist party, Ennahda, condemned what it called an act of "aggression" against Muhammad but urged Muslims not to fall into a trap intended to "derail the Arab Spring and turn it into a conflict with the West".
In the northern Paris suburb of Sarcelles, one person was slightly hurt when two masked men threw a small explosive device through the window of a kosher supermarket. Police said it was too early to link the incident to the cartoons. One small local Muslim group filed a legal complaint against the weekly but there were no reports of reaction on the streets of France.
The acting head of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood said French courts should deal with the case as firmly as it dealt with a magazine that published topless photographs of the U.K.'s Duchess of Cambridge.
The publication came amid widespread outrage over a crude, provocative film, made by anti-Islam campaigners in California, that mocked the Prophet and ignited days of deadly protests including an attack in Libya in which U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed.
The front-page cartoon had the figure in a wheelchair saying "You mustn't mock'' under the headline "Untouchable 2," a reference to a hugely popular French movie about a paralyzed rich white man and his black assistant.
US Muslims walk tightrope, denouncing both violence and anti-Islam film
Charlie Hebdo's Paris offices were fire bombed last November after it published a mocking caricature of Muhammad.
Many Muslims consider any representation of Allah or Muhammad offensive.
From Northern Africa to Indonesia, protesters – sparked by outrage over an anti-Islam film produced in the U.S. – march in sometimes violent demonstrations. NBC's Jim Maceda reports and msnbc's Rula Jebreal and TIME's Bobby Ghosh offer analysis.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius criticized the magazine's move.
"Is it relevant and intelligent in this environment to add fuel to the fire? The answer is no,'' Fabius told France Info radio. "I'm very worried... and when I saw this I immediately issued instructions for special security precautions to be taken in all the countries where it could be a problem.''
The government has called for restraint over the cartoons, restating the principles of free speech in France and urging those shocked by the images to take action through the courts.
Clinton to hold closed briefing for lawmakers on rising anti-US violence
Muslim leaders in France, which has Europe's largest Muslim population, have appealed for calm.
Salafist Muslims in Paris have already called for a protest this Saturday at Trocadero, near the Eiffel Tower, against the California-made film.
According to reports citing local officials in Afghanistan, a female suicide bomber attacked a minibus near Kabul, killing at least nine people in what may be the deadliest act of retribution over an anti-Islam film produced in the U.S. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
However, French authorities have refused to authorize any demonstration.
A small group of about 100 were prevented by riot police from approaching the U.S. Embassy in the center of Paris last Saturday.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said the authorities had rejected a request to hold a march.
"There is no reason for us to allow conflicts that do not concern France to enter our country,'' Ayrault told RTL radio.
Muslim Brotherhood: Respect beliefs of others
Muslim leaders criticized the magazine’s cartoons as another Western insult to their faith and urged France's government to take action.
"We reject and condemn the French cartoons that dishonor the Prophet and we condemn any action that defames the sacred according to people's beliefs," the acting head of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Essam Erian, said, according to Reuters.
Erian added that the French judiciary should deal with the issue as firmly as it had handled the case against the magazine, Closer, which published topless pictures of Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, the wife of Prince William.
"If the case of Kate (the duchess) is a matter of privacy, then the cartoons are an insult to a whole people. The beliefs of others must be respected," he told Reuters.
Erian also spoke out against any violent reaction from Muslims but said peaceful protests were justified.
Mahmoud Ghozlan, spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, welcomed French government criticism of the cartoons but said that French law should deal with insults against Islam in the same way as it deals with Holocaust denial.
"If anyone doubts the Holocaust happened, they are imprisoned, yet if anyone insults the Prophet, his companions or Islam, the most (France) does is to apologize in two words. It is not fair or logical," he told Reuters.
In Lebanon, leading Salafist cleric Sheikh Nabil Rahim said the cartoons were extremely insulting and could lead to more violence.
"Of course it will anger people further. It will raise tensions that were already dangerously high," he said, according to Reuters.
He accused those involved of trying to provoke a clash of civilizations, not dialogue. "We will try to keep things managed and peaceful, but these things easily get out of hand. I fear there could more targeting of foreigners, and this is why I wish they would not persist with these provocations."
An official in Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church said the move was a deliberate provocation. It showed "some international powers" wanted violence to escalate in Egypt so that the country would not develop economically, the official, who asked not to be named, said without elaborating.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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The attacks on our embassies should have been repelled with heavy gun fire. We have many other military assets in the region that could have been deployed to assist the Marines at the embassy. We have a muslim sympathizer/apologizer in the White House. he is unwilling to defend America or its interests. It appears that he is making an all out effort to bankrupt America. He also is setting us on a path of disarmament. Vote out Obama before he completes the change he is attempting.
Obama had the Cairo Marines carrying empty weapons and had the Benghazi consulate guarded by the Muslim Brotherhood.
yah fox he is a sympathizer.Righttttttttttttttt. Don't see you keeping the drones flying or the program running. Why don't you watch the news or read then maybe you might realize how stupid your statement is. DA
Sure lets open fire on the protesters/vandals enrage an entire nation and watch as our embassies are razed to the ground and Americans fair game where ever they are, wholesale slaughter, and don't think other nations with Muslim populations wouldn't jump in at the insult. Use some common sense. Meanwhile there are several billion of them and only 350,000,000 of us, give or take. We live in a global environment we have to get along as best we can, of course that doesn't mean do nothing to protect or interests. Remember Ronnie Reagan did nothing when 250+ Marines died in Beirut, which made matters worse for the US around and in the middle east.
Skyparrot:
Base on your remarks the terrorists are winning.
Not at all, but, take the terror to them, drones seem to be working pretty well, decent intelligence, not the the trash that Bush believed, but the real deal. How does America cope with several hundred agitators stirring up the local dolts and then fade into the woodwork to plan the next move.
Consulate in libya was burned to the ground Ambassador slaughtered and dragged in the street. Obama does nothing! He did not even talk about cutting off aid, he actually reaffirmed support of the government in Libya. You don't see any problem with that? your really believe that is the correct action, rather inaction to take? We are going to have to fight these people at some point. When they give us an opportunity, we should take it. convert , submit or die are options that i am not willing to accept.
The Ambassador was not dragged in the street, he died of smoke inhalation, and 10 Libyans died trying to protect the embassy, get your facts straight. remember Ronnie Reagan and Beirut where 250+ Marines were blown to bits, or the USS Cole under W's reign, 17 Sailors killed, we fight them smart, not with a knee jerk reaction.
I will never follow any religion. Trust me religion will be the downfall of our world as we know it. deny it if you want and pray if you need too but EVERY war was started by one people's beliefs over another people's. The way it'll turn out is whoever wins the most wars is who's religion will "rule" the world. Basically boils down to "The bigger the guns and bombs the more true it is" Glad I'll be dead and gone before the world blows itself up.
How profound! The North Koreans believed their claim to the South, Hitler believed no good Polish sausage existed in Germany, the Germans believed France made crappy schnitzel, the Japanese believed the future of really good golf courses lie in Hawaii, Mexico believed the Texans were hiding a really mean salsa, Obama believe Americans too stupid to govern themselves. By golly, you're correct! and to think all this time people thought only the like-minded ever went to war.
Craven cowards! "Cheese eating surrender-monkeys" as portrayed on South Park. Right on! Muslims have their freedoms of expression (mobs, burning, murders, flying hijacked planes into buildings, honor killings) but Western Civilization must "tolerate" and "celebrate diversity" right up to its own destruction. America has already surrendered what was its Post WWII culture. We have no borders. We have no common language. No common culture. No common traditions. "Christians" are bad and can be lampooned endlessly from Tim Tebow to "Piss Christ art"! You have to speak Spanish to teach in certain Texas PUBLIC schools and districts. even in non-language classes. Everything MUST be open to change by Executive Orders, law suits, and judicial fiat. America and Western Europe have ALREADY LOST. Jihad has won, via the craven surrender of politicians and the media.
This movie is nothing more that a political stunt to try to get Obama to make a comment on it. So that it could be used against him. That said, in this country we have FREEDOM OF SPEECH, But this only proves to me that religions of the world cause all of the problems of the world, eg: MY RELIGION IS THE ONLY TRUE RELIGION. When people start talking like this, it tends to piss off people of different beliefs, hence where all of the trouble begins. Plain and simple. I don't think the guy that made this movie that an ambassador would get killed over it, it sort of back fired on him. But that doesn't excuse his responsibility of the events that it caused.
The Conundrum:
Right to Free Speech vs. Responsibility to not Infringe.
The only solution is to embrace all 3 reigons as the same religon (which they fundementally are) with a persons personal (is that redundant?)beliefs and respect which ever aspect they choose to identify with while highlighting the similarities in basic law (the commandments)
We can do this people.... we HAVE to do this.
I do not believe Muslim Extremists are evil. I believe they are desperate and generationally conditioned to feel oppressed. And in desperate times, we seek desperate measures. Is it wrong to car bomb a mob? Yes... But I see how we ALL got here
Are you Muslim? Or should I say a Muslim extremist. You seriously tolerate their behavior?
Our only solution is to quit trying to turn stone-age savages into reasoning, healthy human beings, and to beef up our defenses against those who wish to destroy us.
Mtnman...I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees.
Exactly why should we care what France does? If we start letting other countries dictate how Americans should act then the United States has a big problem. The government of France is only hurting themselves in the long run by shutting things down in protest. If we started to let other countries dictate what should or should not be in our films or books would we then be no better then they are. If France wants to pick a fight with the United States we could probably send our cub scouts out and beat them :).
France did not shut their properties down in "protest". They shut them down in a preponderance of caution. They KNOW the lives of their people in those regions are more valuable than the savages that inhabit the region.
Why leave targets available for savages to harm or kill?
I say don't shutter the windows and doors, put a gun in each window and door instead.
...and France was wise to do so. They at least stood up against them and said "No" to head coverings, etc. All of Europe is suffering for letting them in. Violent or not, they are demanding and expect the country to mold to their way of life.
Did you already forget that they were blocking the streets in NYC at prayer time, have done this in France, and they are doing it around the world.
I say the hell with it. The muslims and islamists want a war, a jihad, let's give it to them. This has been boiling over for hundreds if not thousands of years.
Sometimes, a thing just doesn't belong in a place you put it...it just doesn't fit or isn't right.
That thing is islam and muslims who follow it. They are a scourge on the planet. They are the square peg trying to fit into the round whole that is the world.
They are always rioting, always killing, always beheading someone. This thing, "islam", is not a "religion", it is a cult of hatred, practiced 5 times daily, by people who pray to, and follow, a known pedophile and child rapist, muhammad (who took a 9 year old girl for a wife for those who don't know and that muslims choose to ignore).
The main goal of their "religion" is to spread across the planet making others accept their belief of hatred and their twisted shariah law. They force governments into changing their laws to accept shriah law. Islam, as a belief, doesn't work unless all infidels and "non-believers" are left on the side of the road with their heads off.
Quran (2:191-193) – "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]… but if they desist, then lo! Allah is forgiving and merciful. And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah."
Quran (2:216) – "Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not."
Quran (3:151) – "Soon shall We cast terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers, for that they joined companions with Allah, for which He had sent no authority"
Quran (9:14) – "Fight them, Allah will punish them by your hands and bring them to disgrace…"
Quran (9:29) – "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued."
Quran (61:4) – "Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way"
Quran (61:9) – "He it is who has sent His Messenger (Mohammed) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islam) to make it victorious over all religions even though the infidels…
Would you think for one minute, if the anti-American sentiment spreads to the U.S., do you think "Arab-Americans" would side with us???? Hell no, they would attack from within. Their "religion" tells them so.
These are a race of people who shout "Allahu Akhbar", (god is great), everytime a bomb goes off, or a person is killed. Try to find a video of an actual beheading...and watch in amazement as they take orgasmic pleasure shouting "Allahu Akhbar" repeatedly as the act is carried out.
And please, stop with the statement, "but these are just radical islamists". Try telling that BS to someone who cares. This is islam and the muslim culture that perpetrates this. Have you ever once heard a so called "non-radical islamist" ever once decry or condemn any attack that has ever occurred against the U.S. by muslims????
These are people who will drag a 16 year old girl out of her house and stone her to death for being raped and sullying the family name or god forbid...have sex with a boy of another religion. "Honor killings", I could spend an hour just writing about that.
This is a race of barbaric creatures and the time has come to stop coddling them and kowtowing to them. It is obvious...you hate us!....well...you know what? WE HATE YOU TOO!
You want your armageddon, your jihad against "The Great Satan"? Bring it on, myself and others will happily rub our ammunition in pork chops and pigs blood.
americanpatriotsblog.com
EXACTLY bring it on
If only people would listen. I have a Qur'an. I was curious to see for myself what was driving the Muslim extremists. More Americans should read and they would see the Muslims have no tolerance for other religions. Great post, my friend.
Where do you want to start, great targets, there's several billion of them, I know nuke'em turn the world into one giant glass sheet.
Remember, Muslims as a general rule have absolutely no concept of Freedom of Speech or Religion, totally alien state of mind and cultural issues. Hundreds of years in that total lock step mind-step is not going to change anytime soon, if ever. We have to get along without turning into complete door-mats. One thing does seem to have an affect is our money, stop the aid. Stop importing middle eastern oil, become totally energy independent, explore and exploit all viable domestic energy sources. Most Americans are unaware that the US exports oil, domestic supplies do not necessarily stay here.
Let the Muslim countries hurtle into the 10th Century on their own, they certainly do not need our help.
I concur!
My son went to school and was good friends with a boy whose parents were here from Yemen. Our family got to know this family, and we still are friends with them, but one thing they told us when we were discussing all the things that are happening, through out the mid-east, that they (the muslims in the mid-east) are not taught tolerance for any religion outside of Islam, that until they came here to the U.S. to go to school here (the parents are attending university here), they had never heard about tolerance or freedom of speech as we have it here.
A goodly part of the "rage" is instigated by the various jack-leg "governments" of those countries. They fear that if the people come to the realization that their countries and their lives are controlled by these "governments" via the use of the fear of an imaginary "holy" man, that these governments will lose their control. The pot is boiling over. Something is going to give, and very soon. The best thing the countries of the west can do is to leave the middle east. Bring home every diplomat, soldier, and private U.S. citizen. Beef up our defenses here, and our support for the few allies we have. When the SHTF we should be in a position to stop it from overflowing into our country and the countries that are our allies. We may have an oil shortage for a little while until we get our own resources developed, but we can survive that. Who knows, we might even have a shortage of hash, heroin, opium, and other poisons. But we have had these clowns extort money from us long enough. Without our money they will shrivel and go back to throwing rocks at rabbits for food.
You might just be right.
Muhammad posed as an apostle of God. Yet his life is filled with lustfulness (12 marriages and sex with a child, slaves and concubines), rapes, warfare, conquests, and unmerciful butcheries. The infinitely good, just and all holy God simply cannot tolerate anything in the least unjust or sinful. What Muhammad produced in the Qur'an is simply a book of gibberish consisting of later evil verses abrogating (superseding) earlier peaceful verses. These verses in Arabic poetically "tickle" the ears of Arab listeners. Islam is a caustic blend of paganism and twisted Bible stories. Muhammad, its lone "prophet", who made no prophecies, conceived his religion to satiate his lust for power, sex, and money. He was a terrorist. And if you think these conclusions are shocking, wait until you see the evidence mostly from Islamic historians below. 70% of what is here is from Muslim and ex-Muslim historians - back to the 8th century and the Qur'an itself.
Just a cursory look at Muhammad's Qur'an (Koran) should be enough to warn you to keep your distance from Islam:
In it you will see "unbridled raw evil", such as statements like these:
- Truly, god loves those who fight
- Fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem.
- Chop off their hands and chop off their fingertips
- When you meet the unbelievers, chop off their heads
- Fight and slay those who don't convert wherever you find them
- Believers, take neither Jew nor Christians for your friends
- Those who follow Muhammad are ruthless to unbelievers
- Those who reject Islam are "the vilest of creatures"
- Fight them until Islam reigns supreme (throughout the world)
There are more than 100 verses in the Qur'an (Koran) advocating the use of violence to spread Islam. There are exactly 123 verses in the Qur'an about killing and fighting.
The word "Islam" has been falsely proclaimed by Muslims to mean peace. The word Islam, actually means "submission" to the Muslim god of intolerance and hatred. It comes from the root Arabic word "taslim". In Arabic, the word for peace is only "solh".
Those who do not know Islam for what it is are not willing to do the research. And most would rather stick their head in the sand than to face the reality that could destroy this country if Islam were to take hold here. Good post.
The man who made the film is an Egyptian. Coptic Christian. Has anyone heard of any violent attacks against Coptic Christians... or have primarily Americans and American based holdings been singled out?
Not sure, if there have been any attacks on Coptic Christians, since the uproar over the film. However, since the overthrow of Mubarack, there has been an increase of harassment, and attacks on Coptic Christians, and their homes, churches, etc.
The Muslim Brotherhood wants people to respect their religion, but France has to shut schools because they are liable to blow up a school full of innocent children over a cartoon. This doesn't seem odd to them?
I will say it loud and clear ! @!$%# their Mohamed !! @!$%# their coran, @!$%# their allah !!!!!
I live in France and I want these muslims nut cases, OUT ! we are sick of hearing about those muslim people and their insane religion !!
This my country, not their's !
I think we just found a way to cause islam to self destruct.
Americans do not understand the French. The French are anything but cowards when it comes to preserving their own heritage.
Unless it somehow conflicts with the Muslims.
nibor
You prove my point. The French are not friendly to Muslim culture. Many Muslim practices are illegal in France. I've seen French police disbanding Muslim rallies with my own eyes.
All we have to do to relaliate and have sweet revenge is protest in our streets burn their koran and their flag and sit back and watch and laugh as they go crazy, that preacher in Florida wanted to do that last year but our government stopped him once again respecting their beliefs but their allowed to burn the american flag and spit on it for the world to see but we cant burn their koran, these is why they will continue to have these murdering protests because our government is to easy on them and they know it. Even the muslims living here wanted to built one of their muslim temple a block away from where the towers were so they can stick it to us again and try to send a message to us that we blew up your towers and now were going to disrespect you even more by building a muslim temple there, they claim to be so religious and they have so much faith but their nothing but murdering terrorists, their wolves in sheeps clothing.
It is not about freedom of speech or the existence of god;
it is just about common sense. Why would anybody in their right mind publish
the insulting cartoon again? Stupid satirical magazine, it is not a joke
anymore – innocent people are dying. I’d say to send the person who ordered the
cartoon to be published to Libya. Let those angry Muslims show him/her that there
is a real world outside of his/her satirical world that is full of violence and
death. In a week, my son has to go to Oxford, UK, to continue his university
study and I am scared to death for his safety.
because we can, it needs to be done over and over again.
I appreciate your parental concern for your son, I have the same concerns for my son and his family when they live overseas a federal employees. Sometimes in the very $hitholes these animals inhabit.
HOWEVER, I absolutely refuse to submit to the extremists and their radical ideologies or religious beliefs.
If ANYONE capitulates to their radical demands, then they will do nothing but continue to demand more and more and more until our entire way of life has been compromised and we accept "Islam" as our way of life. I'm not willing to do that. Not for myself nor for my grandchildren.
So you'd throw those who practice freedom of speech to the wolves to be torn apart??? I understand your fears for your child as a parent myself but if we bow down to terrorists we will eventually become their minions.
Sorry Egypt, the free world does not ban and criminalize religious critique. Governmental institutions should NEVER be built upon religious beliefs..
What sad times we live in. When people are afraid to stand up to those who perpetrate violence to express themselves and there are even those among us who make excuses for these savages. I long for the days of my grandfather (WWII generation) when people actually had a set and didn't take any crap from ignoramuses.
@Oxfordparent:
I hope your son remains safe and I'm sure the worry will never leave you while he is away.
You must understand that the entire cannot appease Islam. The only way to do so is for the world to submit and convert to the religion. Otherwise, there will always be someone, somewhere, who will be insulting their prophet.
Even that would not would not work, the sunni and shiite kill each other with pride.
Wow, they really equate publishing topless pics of Duchess Kate to publishing a satirical cartoon commenting on current events? The pics of Kate were an invasion of her personal privacy, therefore they should have been confiscated and the photographer fined or something.
But to call a fairly tame, satirical cartoon relating to current events in the world the same as denying the Holocaust? I don't see the logic. If you can even use the word "logic" when discussing Islam.
Absolutely agree, This my opinion as well. Huge difference between the HRH pics and these cartoons and video's!!!
Did Taliban RESPECT Buddhism when they blew up the Buddha Statutes in Afghanistan? Where were the Muslims at that time not rising in protest? Why this is a one way street to them? Hey you all followers of Mohammad -Learn to respect other religions and then others will respect Islam. So simple that you can not understand and you call Islam a religion of peace! What a travesty!!
Great post Mon0, I never heard about them blowing up Buddhist Statues, wow that is wrong on so many levels, they apparently allowed them to be built.
The Taliban destroy at every opportunity anything that is not of their own religious belief system. This includes Buddist statues, Jewish Cemetaries and other historic sites they do not approve of and yet they are offended when their Holy Book is defaced or insulted. They think somehow that one day they will rule the world. I am thinking the day that happens it will be the same day they see their first flying pig!
I am thinking that we should get their flags and superimpose Skulls and Crossbones on the body of it and march ourselves peacefully but sending the message they are Dead Meat if they continue to violently protest and kill Americans abroad.
Fear is their way of intimidating us. When our President bowed to them, it was their sign that it was in submission to them. The very worst thing a President could ever do.
I say lets start organizing our own Protests and show them how it is done the right way. Skull and Crossbones on their flag and effigies of people in Jihabs.
I am pissed off at the complacency, why would we apologize for something a nutjob did?
Now the issue with free speech, there are things that the fore fathers of this country could not fore see when making the constitution and as you see today this is one of them, when free speech become harmful speech, when free speech become hate speech, which is why I truely believe the constitution needs to be revised for the 21th century. You have the old testments of the Bilble and a new testment of the Bible, so hmm you change add words to Jesus teaching to fit the times, but hell no for the constitution. Allowing you to have voice is one thing, but allowing you to have voices to preach hate, and add trouble to the world is another matter and should not be allowed, how many new cast have lost there position for saying or using the N word, speech your mind..but be careful how the words harm and hurt others...Peach
Barry,
What I find interesting is that you say to people who believe in God that the burden of proof is on them. Yet the proof is all around you. Are you to blind or ignorant to see it? Do you truly believe that the world farted and beget all life on earth, plant and animal? If you subscribe to the so called "big bang" theroy I have one question for you. Suppose that life on earth came from an asteroid/another planet: Where did that life come from?
Who is the fool here; the person who goes through their life believing in God and living life according to God's laws (as best the can no one is perfect) or the person who goes through life believing life is one big party and not believing in God only to find out after they die that God was real all the time? Fact is people who believe in God and do their best to follow his laws at least have a chance to for life after death. People who do not believe and do not follow his laws have doomed themselves to eternal damnation and and eternity of torment.
Barry, I respect your right to not believe in God. I can only hope that you can do the same for people who do believe in God and will not try to ruin this world for them.
As for the talking point of this article: I find it interesting that the French had the common sense to pay attention to the warning signs and protect their citizens, yet with 3 days advanced notice our POTUS chose to ignore the warning signs and not to protect those citizens in harms way. What does this tell you about how much Obama really cares?
nonsensical rant, means nothing. Try Ronnie Reagan with advanced warnings that the Marines were vulnerable and did nothing after 250+ were blown to bits, or W after the USS Cole was blown up and 17 Sailors killed. Get your head out of the fox hole.
Ernie, proof is not all around us. All around us is simply the laws of physics in action. All life on Earth was not just begotten. It developed into the complex organisms they are today after millions and millions of years of evolution. There are billions of galaxies, no infinite galaxies in the universe. This planet is no miracle - it is just one of millions of other planets in other galaxies that happen to be orbiting their star in the "habitable zone".
To believe in God is to believe in the supernatural - events that cannot be explained by the laws of physics. To date every event known to mankind is explained by science.
The USS Cole was bombed when Clinton was in office.
If you don't believe that the universe could spring into existence or was always here, then how can you believe God could spring into existence or was always here?
The world did not simply "fart" all life into existence. It took billions of years from life to go from simple to complex. Even prions, which are essentially malformed protein molecules that are simpler than even viruses, can cause other neighboring normal protein molecules to become prions. (Hence "mad cow" disease or "kuru".
Things CAN form from simple and chaotic into the complex and orderly. Read up on mathematical chaos theory. Once bonified cellular life with DNA exists, it mutates. Bacteria evolves to become resistant to antibiotics. Bacteria can form colonies and become "biofilms". More complex associations of microscopic life formed into the first multicelluar creatures, like hydras.
As far as the pseudo-logic of your Pascal's Wager goes, how about the possibility that YOUR belief in God is FALSE and will anger a REAL God even more than non-belief would, and then YOU'LL be the one doomed to eternal damnation and torment.
USS Cole, bombed Oct. 12, 2000, stand corrected, end of Clinton Term, Bush took office Jan. 2001.
Thanks.
Sorry, but the beliefs of others don’t need to be respected, even if they are so called “religious beliefs.” The men of Islam don’t respect the beliefs of “the infidels,” so why do they demand that their beliefs be held inviolable? These men of Islam have no problem condemning all that falls outside of their beliefs, but when the reverse happens, they go bat @!$%#e crazy. Now they want Western politicians to take action and arrest people that say or depict anything disparaging about their prophet.
But Islam is not alone in this hypocrisy. For instance, Christians can say that all who don’t accept Christ as their savior will burn in hell. But Christians get offended when someone says something disparaging about their beliefs, and often want politicians and judges to come to their aid to censor or criminalize disparaging remarks about their faith. Many religious people just don’t get the concept of free speech. Religions often think that free speech only applies to them, and shouldn’t be afforded to those who criticize religious beliefs or institutions. The religious and their organizations shouldn’t be afforded special protections from criticism or disparagement.