re: #112 klys

A controlled sociological study where environmental variables, including external influences, are ruled out, showing a statistically significant proportion of adherents to one religion predisposed towards violence. All subjects would of course need to come from similar socioeconomic backgrounds and be raised in similar environments, preferably one that mimics what we see in terms of Western liberalism, as you put it, in order to isolate other factors from the equation.

What you’re missing here with all the sarcasm is that religion is itself an essential part of the socioeconomic background and environment. You cannot look at Middle Eastern civilization and all its characteristics without considering the role that Islam has played, just like you can’t look at European civilization without acknowledging Christianity’s role.

In any case, this is not addressing what I asked. What allows you to say with such confidence that no religion inspires more violence than any other?

If you really think Islam is the worst religion ever, what’s next? Clearly, if it’s bad, that means you want to stop people from practicing it, right? Because it encourages violence and fundamentalism? Please, clarify for me.

I’ve answered this a number of times in this thread. Islam can reform just as Christianity did. It is difficult to see exactly how it will happen, when so many things appear to be trending in the wrong direction at the moment, but history has a way of surprising us.

Since you like to ask lots of questions trying to get people to agree that Islam is the worstest, explain what should be done next if we agree. How does your criticism of Islam as horrible fix anything?

I don’t know if it does, but denying that there’s a problem doesn’t do anything to fix it either. But this is what Maajid Nawaz (a reformed radical) tweeted in reply to Affleck a few days ago:

There’s an ideological current among Muslims globally generating sympathy for the same *aims* as ISIL: enforcing a view of Sharia as law. I call this ideology Islamism. Addressing Islamism (its primary victims are Muslims) is a challenge both “new atheists” & “old liberals” like you must meet. Until then, we Muslim reformers, the true Minority, will feel betrayed by all sides.