what do you fear more, fundamentalist Islam or fundamentalist Christianity

[UpsideDownFlag]

i thought about this all last night after discussing it with a friend. while it remains true that fundamentalists islamists can blow us up, fundamentalists christians can change our government from within (ashcroft, etc.) makes for an interesting poll, i thought.

[Dem Agog]

1. The enemy from within is definitely worse...

[dogtag]

2. Don't see an appreciable difference. Hate is hate.

[politicat]

3. fundamentalism of any sort is dangerous.

even Fundamentalist Linuxism.

Pcat

[BrotherBuzz]

7. You got that right!

:thumbsup:

[Ladyhawk]

17. Yep. Beware of Dogma. n/t

[maxsolomon]

4. fear is the mind killer

i will face my fear

fanatical monotheism is a PROBLEM, not something to FEAR. all abrahamic fundamentalist monotheisms (judaism included) are radicalized because THEY are AFRAID OF THE POWER OF SECULAR CULTURE.

sooner or later, we're going to beat their ass. the planet will emerge from the monotheist dark age.

[Senior citizen]

11. Solomonic post indeed. Wiser than that, even. Thanks. n/t

[Crunchy Frog]

22. Fanatical ANYTHING

is a problem. Any ideological system, even if it's atheistic, can become radicalized, and be used as an excuse to kill millions of people, and engage in extreme violence and destruction.

What do you think Stalinism was?

[PassingFair]

31. Thank you, Max

It does my little non-supernatural hokey-pokey heart good to see such a clear statement. I hope I see the day when humanity will grow up and acccept our lives for what they are. Beautiful and short enough without dreaming up "glorious" ways for us to die.

[smirkymonkey]

39. Good way of putting it.

The biggest problem in this country right now though is fundamentalist Republicanism and fundamentalist Stupidity.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

5. Karl Rove told you to post this. Didn't he?

Didn't he?!!!!

:D

[UpsideDownFlag]

6. no, i'm sure he wouldn't want us talking about fundamentalist christianity

heh.

[Maleficus]

8. They both are equally dangerous.

[joefree1]

9. Xian Apocalyptic folk

Are fundie Islamist trying to kickstart the Apocalyspe? Fundie Xians have no investment in the concept of tomorrow.


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PaganWarrior/

[htuttle]

15. Good point

Both groups would burn me for being a witch, but very few Islamic fundamentalists are trying to blackmail God into coming back by trying to follow a 'spell' in a dodgy book (ie., Revelations). That is an Xtian thing.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Mark Twain said:

"Man is the only animal to have found the One True God...several of them."

[denverbill]

12. This sounds like a candidate thread for Rush Limbaugh.

'Oh look, Democrats hate Christians more than they hate Osama bin Laden.' I can hear it now.

[951]

13. I would have liked to go with fundie...

Islamist but to be fair because each poses a danger in their own ways I voted both

[blurp]

14. Consider Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell

I would consider them to represent the most fundamentalist elements of Christianity in the USA.

Ever hear them say anything like "death to the infidels"?

As fundamentalist as they are, the truth is that they'd much rather "save you" from hell rather than send you there without delay.

Fundamentalist Islam seems to produce many more killers than fundamentalist Christianity.

I'm a born-again atheist btw, and I can say without hesitation that fundamentlist Islam scares me much more than fundamentalist Christianity.

[Crunchy Frog]

24. I've heard them praying for

the deaths of Supreme Court justices, and advocating the detonation of a nuclear weapon at the State Department.

Right now, the violence of Islamic fundamentalism is more individually based, while the violence of Christian fundamentalism is based more in the power of the state, which has a hell of alot more killing power.

There are also the people who are advocating and committing the murder of doctors who perform abortions, and the blowing up of clinics. The line isn't as clear as you are drawing it, IMHO.

[Raster]

16. A fanatic is a fanatic is a fanatic. Both are equally dangerous.

[PittLib]

18. Christians are much scarier ...

I don't buy this whole "freedom hater" notion. I feel that if we would quit dictating... we wouldn't be so threatened by radical Islamics. It seems to me that this administration has such a sense of entitlement, that they just keep stoking the flames.

[Zero Gravitas]

19. The Christo-Fascists are the bigger threat

because they are HERE and have an undue influence on the US Government. No matter how many terrorist acts the Islamic fundy nut jobs carry out they will never have the influence on the US that the Christian fundy nut jobs already have.

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

20. The threat is immiseration

I am absolutely not afraid of any idea, ideology, or set of ideas. All ideas have a sacred right to exist--even bad ones that I do not hold.

Islamic fundamentalism is at this moment more violent than Christian fundamentalism. The reason for this has nothing to do with ideas. It has to do with poverty and immiseration of peoples radicalizing the actions of those holding these beliefs.

When our fundies get as poor as Middle Eastern or South Asian fundies--and that's what Bush is fomenting--they will be equally violent.

[Crunchy Frog]

21. Fundamentalist Christianity

because it's here in this country and it's hijacked a political party and the machinery of state and the media. I see that as a far greater threat to our country than anything Islamic fundamentalists can do. It threatens the very fabric of our Democracy. Islamic terrorists can't do more than blow a few things up.

Also this country has more WMD than the rest of the world combined, so can do more damage than any Islamic fundamentalist terrorists could.

Maybe Islamic fundamentalism is more dangerous if you live in a Muslim country, but I don't.

[LiberalCat]

23. The ones running our country are worse for us.

Fundamentalist Christians are a threat to democracy. They will not protect us from the fundamentalist Islams, because they need an enemy to feel superior and usurp power from the people.

[LiberalCat]

25. They also have a lot more fire power.

The fundamentalist Christians can kill a lot more people, quicker. They also control the economies of the world. What better way to make us their slaves.

[grace0418]

26. Fundamentalist anything is too hard-core for me

NOBODY is going to tell me what to believe.

[Rabrrrrrr]

27. While all fundamentalism is evil at the core, the fundy Christians win

At least, in the USA, for precisely the reason you offer: Islamic fundies will blow up individual sections, and actaully outright kill people, but the fundy Christians can - and, sadly, since they are in charge they *are* - change our government. While the fundy Christians might not be blowing up buildings and killing thousands at a shot, they are instituting laws and regularions that are slowly killing Americans by the millions and slowly destroying the structures that made America special.

[cheezus]

28. whichever one is closer to me -- right now it's the fundie xtians

but if I lived in the mid east, i'd more more afraid of the fundie muslims

[blindpig]

29. christofacsist- they're(islamist) there and we're here n/t

[PATRICK]

30. Money and power

is more available and more traditionally grounded in Christian West. Where there is absolute poverty the even the violent whackos are less harmful and at the least confined locally. It is the embedding with the God mammon that makes any religious group exceedingly dangerous, absolutely hypocritical and radically at cross purposes to its spiritual foundation AND the majority of decent people.

Our corpulent, big mouthed Christian Taliban would be deflated gasbags without the money and power gambit. Islam has only the curse of oil and that is under seige in every way by the West.

[welshTerrier2]

36. those who said they are equal don't get it ...

i am in total agreement with your post, Patrick ... good job !!!

Che Guevara once said "i envy you Americans because you are in the heart of the beast" ...

wake up people, the U.S. is where the power is ... when an elite cabal like the current administration is able to dupe uninformed religious zealots into supporting them, we are in real trouble ...

Islamic "terrorists" may genuinely hate the U.S. and seek to do us harm, but you just can't compare the power they can wield to the power embodied by the right-wing in the U.S.

[vogonity]

32. Missionaries and such

Does Islam believe in the prosthetizing(sp?) the "word?" Going in and "saving" the infidels? Expanding the reach of their beliefs? Teaching "savages" the "right" way to procreate? I have never seen "Koran Thumpers" knocking at doors explaining their way of getting to heaven.

An honest question, maybe they do these things elsewhere.

[drfemoe]

37. Expanding reach??

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Empire
...
The Ottoman Empire was among the world's most powerful political entities in the 16th and 17th centuries when the nations of Europe felt threatened by its steady advance through the Balkans. It was also commonly known as the Khalifah, or in other words, the Islamic State.
...

[Dangerman]

33. I'm a Catholic...

But both Muslim and Christianity used as an excuse to kill thousands of innocent people is a prime example of Religion going WAY TOO FAR.

[drfemoe]

34. AHA!!! But where would one be without the other?

If there were only fundamentalist As, who would they Fight?

They would have to create fundamentalist Bs, (and/or Cs) in order to maintain their air of 'moral' superiority.

One cannot proliferate without the other(s). Can they?

[keepleft]

35. I guess I'm saying exactly what everyone else is saying

Fundamentalism is bad in every case, but the fundie Christians scare me most because they are a more immediate threat to me, personally.

[Zero Division]

38. Short-term: Fundie Islam, Long-term: Fundie Christianity

Given enough time, power, and desperation Fundamentalist Christianity could become much worse than it is, even now. And it's right here, in the most powerful country on Earth.

[barb162]

40. both have the power to kill this country as we know it

[ulysses]

41. fundamentalism, of whatever stripe,

is dangerous.

[BonjourUSA]

42. I put both into the same bag.

Same little mind, same narrow idea about the world, same hate and fear of sex

[ProdigalJunkMail]

43. when I read the thread title, I got really nervous about...

what I would read in the responses. I usually get up in arms over this sort of discussion because I AM one of those fundamentalist Christians...but my fundamentalism is restricted to me and my family and I realize that I have no right to FORCE it on someone else. And, of MOST of the responses here, people have giver very rational reasons behind their fear...

I believe our goverment is in danger of fundamentalist in the Christian realm that are trying to make this into a Christian government by shear force of numbers. Not because it would be a problem for me...I could live under that government with little problem. But what about the other good people in the land that don't have christian faith? This land was founded on FREEDOM of religion (and a few other rather precious things). I believe government should be secular in its nature and OUT of religious matters altogether. Next time you see a Robertson or a Falwell advocating religious ideals as a part of governmental structure...ask them where they would be if Muslims were in the majority...which song would they be singing then?

Ok...end mini-rant...
theProdigal

[Hello_Kitty]

44. Could you really live under it?

Because the Christian Right neo-con agenda is NOT about the teachings of Jesus. It's about a bastardization of Scripture, twisted to suit their political goals. Your unwillingness to forcibly impose it on others would not be deemed acceptable and you would be punished for it.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

45. that is a point I must concede...

I had not really focused on the twisting of scripture that is done to meet their otherwise political goals. Christianity is about freedom to be and a relationship with God that is unencumbered by the weight of sin and guilt...and you're right...I don't think that is what the people who are seeking control are looking to promote.

Good Point, ccbombs...
theProdigal

[leesa]

46. Fundy Christians by far. They have far more power in the world and they

are MUCH MORE aggressive. Muslims, you leave their countries alone, they go home. Fundy Christians, on the other hand are ALWAYS begging for a fight.

[napi21]

47. Radicals of all kinds are dangerous, and when religion is part of the mix,

it's much worse!