12 killed in shooting at French satirical magazine

[Delightful Life]

I told you that BCF is not a perfect fit. By any means. I am actually much more nuanced than you think. I'm responding to you, because I'm hoping you're more reasonable than Graeme.

Graeme more than anyone drove me from Wondercafe. He's a mirror-image of the BCF reader you describe. His worldview is just cast in stone as theirs. He even ended telling me that attempts to educate myself by reading respectable new sites and books by respectable authors was pointless. I'm just so stupid! Can't I see that if those news sites and authors don't match Graeme's views I must simply drop them and accept everything he says? Like he is some of kind of holy man.

I am up for a reasonable discussion, but I can't find here (nor on BCF, for the most part, although we do have a few thoughtful commenters). Again, this place is a mirror image. Just as narrow-minded and fixed in outlook, but on the opposite political pole.

There are few places where one can discuss controversial topics like religion in a nuanced way. And Wondercafe is not one of those places either. It should be, but it's not. Maybe without Graeme I would still be here. Yet everyone supports him.

I've just started reading a book about the Muslim Brotherhood. The author is a UK-based academic named Hazem Kandil. I'm hoping to gain more insight into the movement. Check the online reviews and descriptions: it seems a reasonable choice.

BTW, how much reading have you done on Islam and current events in general? I've been reading like crazy since 9/11.

But if I don't get Graeme's stamp of approval, I'm just another stupid redneck who needs his wisdom.

Enough for now, I'm going back to read the book.

EasternOrthodox,

you're a gem

those that mind don't matter
those that matter never mind

BCF is much more successful -- i'm sure it has a bigger readership than WC: original recipie & BCF makes money off of it?

one of graeme's weaknesses is his teaching here -- he doesn't do a very good job at communicating his wisdom

the internet is wide enough for anyone -- like anything else, not every site is for everyone -- hopefully it can stay that way; i tried BCF out, gave it the college try...

Have you been following the Mark Marek case? the bestgore owner who was charged with that obscure Canadian law?

 

[Graeme Decarie]

What Muslim aggression? Did Iraq invade the US? Did Afghanistan? Did Muslims disguise themselves at Americans to invade and kill millions in Vietnam? And was it Muslims who invaded Guatemala and Haiti? Was it Muslims who overthrew the elected government of Iran so they could get the oil fields?

Facts very seldom speak for themselves. They can't. Because most people won't listen.

 

[Graeme Decarie]

funny how we see evil only on the other side. The western powers. led by very respectable church attenders, have been slaughtering millions for centuries, now - primarily to make they richest citizens even richer. We have routinely burned people alive. in fact, we invented forms of modern war that make it necessary to burn people alive, with the majority of them being civilians. As recently as World War Two, we proudly called it terrorism. (today is the anniversary of the firebombing of Dresden, an act proudly referred to by Churchill and others at the time as terrorism.) But we've since dropped that word for what we did - and still do - because we needed it as a bad word to make people hate Muslims.
The Israeli attack on Gaza was a terror attack. Sixty percent of the victims were women, children, and the elderly. The wars against vietnam and Iraq were acts of terrorism. Odd, though, I haven't heard a whole lot of churches discussing this.

 

[Graeme Decarie]

We're free to say what we like? Not if Harper gets his new, spying bill through as law. Anything that might incur hatred will be illegal, punishable by jail with no trial. - unless, of course, it is hatred of the other side.

But, quite apart from the legal aspect, I do not see how any person of faith can condone an act that was designed to create hatred and contempt.