Governor of Bamiyan province in Afghanistan wants to put back together Buddha statues blown up by Taleban

[Fandango 1,440]

Look, imma be the voice of dissent and say if that's her belief that everyone was born Muslim, we don't have to agree....

I personally think it's wayyy off base, but if that's what your religion teaches you and that's what you choose to believe, then more power to you....as long as religious beliefs don't infringe on others, then I have no problem with it...no matter how much I disagree

[Veiled Princess 1]

Look, imma be the voice of dissent and say if that's her belief that everyone was born Muslim, we don't have to agree....

I personally think it's wayyy off base, but if that's what your religion teaches you and that's what you choose to believe, then more power to you....as long as religious beliefs don't infringe on others, then I have no problem with it...no matter how much I disagree

How am I trying to infringe on anyone? By having my own beliefs?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Makes you wonder - while the vandals, mongols and huns were responsible for the destruction of many ancient cities and sights at least they did it for fairly understandable motivations (pillage and plunder) rather than because they ideologically opposed the expression of views and beliefs they consider "deviant"

It's like hunting because you hate animals.

While its dismissive to label the Mongols "barbarians" at least they were "honest barbarians"

[Veiled Princess 1]

Makes you wonder - while the vandals, mongols and huns were responsible for the destruction of many ancient cities and sights at least they did it for fairly understandable motivations (pillage and plunder) rather than because they ideologically opposed the expression of views and beliefs they consider "deviant"

It's like hunting because you hate animals.

While its dismissive to label the Mongols "barbarians" at least they were "honest barbarians"

Are you implying that I am somehow less than honest?

[saturn5man 0]

Well vp, looks like you'll be converting in secret.

No need to convert to anything... it was a long search for the truth but once you find it you hold strong to it

Sorry, but brainwashing springs to my mind.....I respect that you have a right to your own opinion, VP, but how much of all you have said in this thread IS your own opinion or belief and how much of it is what you have been brainwashed to believe?

I have not been brainwashed at all.... I came to believe what I believe by searching for the truth and studying it. If that's brainwashing then any person who's ever learned anything in school has also been brainwashed

Maybe it would help us all to understand you better, VP, if you could perhaps tell us how you found your type of Islam, or how you were introduced to it? Seems like a big jump from paganism, that's all.....

[incanada1234 0]

Agreed. Talking about one's religious beliefs as the truth is very annoying...

I can honestly say I don't go around telling everyone that they're Christians, when they're claiming not to be.

Ummm, Christians don't believe that everyone was born Christian. If they did, I'm sure you would....

True.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Makes you wonder - while the vandals, mongols and huns were responsible for the destruction of many ancient cities and sights at least they did it for fairly understandable motivations (pillage and plunder) rather than because they ideologically opposed the expression of views and beliefs they consider "deviant"

It's like hunting because you hate animals.

While its dismissive to label the Mongols "barbarians" at least they were "honest barbarians"

Are you implying that I am somehow less than honest?

I'm actually saying (not implying) that destroying historical sites for selfish reasons such as pillage and plunder, is more honest than destroying them because you ideologically object to their existence.

[Elizabethnhenry 0]

good point... on the timeline Judaism came before Islam and Christianity.

No, if you believe in your religion then Islam was the first religion and the prophets after whom judaism and christianity were founded were muslims and taught Islam. It was their followers who changed it later.

[Fandango 1,440]

Look, imma be the voice of dissent and say if that's her belief that everyone was born Muslim, we don't have to agree....

I personally think it's wayyy off base, but if that's what your religion teaches you and that's what you choose to believe, then more power to you....as long as religious beliefs don't infringe on others, then I have no problem with it...no matter how much I disagree

How am I trying to infringe on anyone? By having my own beliefs?

Hrmm....like wanting statues of different faiths other than yours destroyed because it's against your religious beliefs....how's that for a start?

[Nizzy 1]

I cried the day the statues were destroyed. I mourned because I had NEVER been to Afghanistan and the thought of one day returning and not being able to see those statues and learn about my history was too much for me to bear. I felt like our history and where we had come from was destroed. On my recent trip I begged for my mom to take me to the museum but Iw as told that there was nothing in there...it was all destroyed. That just broke my heart. Rebuilding the statues won't be the same but MANY years down the line there will be a little girl like myself who will appreciate it...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Look, imma be the voice of dissent and say if that's her belief that everyone was born Muslim, we don't have to agree....

I personally think it's wayyy off base, but if that's what your religion teaches you and that's what you choose to believe, then more power to you....as long as religious beliefs don't infringe on others, then I have no problem with it...no matter how much I disagree

How am I trying to infringe on anyone? By having my own beliefs?

Hrmm....like wanting statues of different faiths other than yours destroyed because it's against your religious beliefs....how's that for a start?

But she has pure intentions. She doesn't want any Muslim to accidentally look at them and have worshippy thoughts, that would be idol worship and that's baaaaaaa--d.

[Nizzy 1]

Pack the pieces up and ship them to the nearest budhist country to be rebuilt there... not in a muslim country.

You aren't in any position to talk...you don't know the meaning of those statues and the value of history. I, along with many many other Afghans would love to see them back up there.

[chri'stina 190]

Look, imma be the voice of dissent and say if that's her belief that everyone was born Muslim, we don't have to agree....

I personally think it's wayyy off base, but if that's what your religion teaches you and that's what you choose to believe, then more power to you....as long as religious beliefs don't infringe on others, then I have no problem with it...no matter how much I disagree

How am I trying to infringe on anyone? By having my own beliefs?

Hrmm....like wanting statues of different faiths other than yours destroyed because it's against your religious beliefs....how's that for a start?

But she has pure intentions. She doesn't want any Muslim to accidentally look at them and have worshippy thoughts, that would be idol worship and that's baaaaaaa--d.

Mr. Gupta got all creative with that post!

[Ban Hammer 13,659]

keep that hole sis

Edited August 9, 2006 by charlesandnessa

[Veiled Princess 1]

Maybe it would help us all to understand you better, VP, if you could perhaps tell us how you found your type of Islam, or how you were introduced to it? Seems like a big jump from paganism, that's all.....

Studying and researching various religions.

I agreed with a lot of what Islam teaches before I ever heard of it. The main thing that turned me off from christianity was the deifying of Jesus which is not in the bible (at least not the one I had). I believed he was a messenger but not a god..... later (late teens) I found out that the concept of the trinity and a dying god and all that were actually pagan beliefs long before Paul came up with them.... needless to say I fell into the trap that many people fall into nowadays... I started to believe in the "old religions" since christianity seemed to me to be based off of them.

Thank God I found Islam!

I always felt God wouldn't leave us here with a corrupted religion as our only form of knowledge and guidance.

Admittedly, I did not love Islam right from the start. I mean I didn't jump right in with open arms. I had the same ideas about Islam that I had formed about christianity and it took a lot of studying and reading before I came to the conclusion that this must be from God.

When I first started studying Islam I was very confused... I found sufism (very popular here) which seeks to unmask and understand the mysteries of God and dabble in magic and other such nonsense. I also ran into other various sects which only served to confound me further. At first, I thought, this is the same as any other religion.... men making it into what they want and changing it forever That's when I came across Salafiyyah. Their main call was to tawheed (monotheism) and the worship of God alone without any partners since without this, all other acts of good are pointless. Also, there were warnings not to change what God has perfected for us. Some (like in the article posted earlier) call them "dumbing down" the religion or oversimplifying it but the thing is -- it's supposed to be simple. It's not supposed to be hard. God does not hide the truth from those who really want it. Certain things we are not meant to have knowledge of... mysteries of God... we wouldn't really understand that if we devoted our entire life to it so what's the point? God sent His messengers to call the people to worship Him, not to try to figure Him out.

That was what attracted me to salafiyyah. Yes it's simple, as Islam was meant to be.

I'm actually saying (not implying) that destroying historical sites for selfish reasons such as pillage and plunder, is more honest than destroying them because you ideologically object to their existence.

What exactly makes it dishonest?