Or the Crusades. Or the Philadelphia Bible Wars. They were all about politics. Or economics. Or real estate disputes. Or something. But NEVER about religion, which only does good things.

And those modest, 'umble people who practice Other Ways Of Knowing...psychic powers, tarot-card reading etc. - why, you just can't IMAGINE one of those ethereal folk getting involved with an uber-Catholic mom, in a plot that leads to the senseless murder of an 18-yr-old.

Well, not completely senseless. He did break up with her daughter after Taking Her Virginity, which of course made the girl a Ruined Woman. Religion doesn't have anything to do with those attitudes, either. That's just culture!

Pro-tip, Ms. Martinez - next time, use your Other Ways Of Knowing to figure out your visitor is wearing a wire, and the cops outside are hearing every word:

http://murderpedia.org/female.C/c/cisneros-dora.htm

metastasizing
wallowing in blood and death
in the name of god

that shit just ain't gonna fly in America

OK, all you opportunists can cancel your passport applications. According to the Fiscal Times, ISIS just imposed a 50% pay cut on all of its selfless, not-interested-in-the-material-world members. From the highest imams and other Spiritual Leaders down to the lowest grunts and falafel-carriers.

One possible reason: an air strike last week vaporized their biggest bank and sent a bunch of cash up in smoke.

What fools.

No matter how much they trust in god, I'm sure they still look both ways before crossing the street.

"Why are we winning? God is on our side. How do we know whether God is on our side? Well, we are winning."

Military victories are divine proof that they are God's army. Of course, military defeats also happen, but don't worry: Allah is the root of everything! This lost battle came from Allah himself! Praise Allah! (Not kidding. This is their actual belief.)

If you win, it's Allah's will.
If you lose, it's Allah's will.
Why bother?

I don't think these countries will ever get out of poverty and despair until they start to shed that mental straightjacket they've been lugging around for centuries now. Are the countries of Asia and the Middle East some of the poorest because of Allah's will?

Which are the most successful countries on Earth? Those who rely on science and humanity and not those who cannot see past their holy books.

The mindset in ancient times and in the Middle-Ages was absolutely weird by today's standards. The answer to everything was "It's God's will."

The indoctrination was deep-rooted with millennia of cultural background. Doubting the teachings wasn't merely outlawed: It was incomprehensible and unthinkable. If you doubted the religious teachings, you were an idiot.

Example:
The ancient Greeks had philosophy, the ancient Romans had engineering and architecture. So, why was their technological advancement so slow compared to the most recent 500 years?
Because they simply didn't have the mindset for systematic experiments. They had trial&error for individual problems but rarely did experiments on the wider laws of nature. Because the thought of it was just too weird and outlandish.

It took 400 years (~1300 - ~1700), several historical coincidents and a few mad geniuses until we finally ended up with the scientific method.





The problem isn't religion per se. The problem is the mindset of belief, because it keeps you from checking whether something is correct or incorrect.

In that respect, the fanatic religious mindset in the current Middle-East reminds me a lot of the fanatic religious mindset of christian medieval Europe. I think, the muslim world needs more critical thinkers, a search, a desire to explore the uncomfortable and not to retreat into the safe confines of the belief. What the muslim world needs is a mental revolution, a Renaissance.