(November 16, 2015 at 1:08 pm)StuW Wrote: Almost every post on Facebook about the atrocity in Paris has comments by people stating the terrorists weren't real Muslims or something similar but none explain what a real Muslim is? I would ask them but I get the impression even doing that would cause them to brand me islamaphobic a racist or worse. I therefore ask any of our resident followers of islam to help me out by explaining what they mean. I have a few questions to add later if the expected responses are forthcoming.
Please be assured I'm not baiting for an argument or looking to cause offence in any way, I truly wish to understand so that I can further develop my own mind set in regards to the current events.
Thank you in advance.
P.S I'm currently on early shifts (up at 0300hrs so in bed for 1830) so it may take me a few hours to respond back.
If you don't know the "real" argument is employed by all religions, and it is what is known as "true Scotsman" fallacy. It is the mistake that both left and right in any religion, use to point to the other sects within the same label to say "my interpretation is correct, and your interpretation is wrong".
Now moreso with moderates and liberals of ANY religion, what they don't want to see is the their rejection of violence is not because of the book they read, but because of their empathy for their fellow human, which is evolutionary. But left or right, violent or non violent, their different interpretations of the same books does not change the fact that the words are still in those books to justify any position.
I also apply that fallacy to the word "atheist" too. There is no "real" atheist or "true atheist". There are atheists I do not agree with depending on topic. I do not like Ayn Rand atheists who think trickle up economics and "fuck you I got mine" is compassionate economics. But I am an atheist regardless and so was Ayn Rand.
Same can be said with Sunni's and Shiites. They all argue over the Koran, but they still have the same core hero in Mo and Allah. Black baptists in America who voted for Obama still have the same Jesus hero as conservative white baptists who voted for Bush. They both read the bible and both believe in Jesus.
It is why I think more humans should be willing to consider that their morals are not in a book or a label, but are part of our evolution. Much like that baseball player only think his "lucky bat" is helping him win a game. There was no written religion 200,000 years ago, much less 4 billion years ago. If a human does a kind act it is because they are a kind person, if a person commits a cruel act of violence they are a doing it.
There is no "right way" to interpret any holy book. That is why it is called "faith" and holy books have "versions" and people can and do interpret them differently.
