Religion

Yorktown

(2,884 posts)

189. You asked a very good question

Tue Apr 14, 2015, 08:28 PM

Apr 2015

what are the good ideas Islam has?

I venture to offer a rather black and white answer: zero.

(OK, let's say close to zero, in case I missed something)

Zero if I read your question as: what original positive idea did Islam contribute?

For anyone having read the Quran cover to cover without skipping lines or pages (as it is a very repetitive and self contradictory book), one thing should be obvious: the Quran contains very little moral advice. Mythological tales galore, endless repetitive praise of Allah, long promises of heaven for the believers and hell for the others, some judicial proceedings, some praise for Muhamad and edicts about his sex life, but very, very little about morality.

And the few snippets about morality can usually be traced to the Torah.

While about 5% of the verses preach violence.

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Bill Maher’s bigoted atheism: His arrogant shtick is just as ugly as religious intolerance [View all] cbayer Apr 2015 OP

Going to see his stand-up in August underpants Apr 2015 #1

I liked him once upon a time, but I can think of at least a dozen comics I would rather see do stand cbayer Apr 2015 #5

I envy you. phil89 Apr 2015 #21

Really funny live.... PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #33

He is arrogant and often criticizes his own audience for not getting the joke or NoJusticeNoPeace Apr 2015 #53

Bill Maher is one of the dwindling few that tells it like it is Joe Turner Apr 2015 #78

... trotsky Apr 2015 #2

Ah, he hasn't beheaded anyone. Therefore he's not a bigot. rug Apr 2015 #42

OK, so what is any different from clydefrand Apr 2015 #3

Because he is not just speaking out for atheism. cbayer Apr 2015 #4

I think there are angry atheist fundamentalist safeinOhio Apr 2015 #10

I think the author clearly agrees with you and I think she cbayer Apr 2015 #17

I'd rather be on the side safeinOhio Apr 2015 #22

Ethical Culture is a good place to be cbayer Apr 2015 #23

There is no such thing as an atheist fundamentalist... PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #34

I would say, anyone with a safeinOhio Apr 2015 #70

Atheism is the lack of beliefs. PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #75

Atheism is most certainly NOT a lack of beliefs. stone space Apr 2015 #109

You are, absolutely, unequivocally 100% wrong. PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #122

So I'm not an atheist if believe there is no God? stone space Apr 2015 #133

Atheism is specifically the lack of belief in god(s). cbayer Apr 2015 #112

You mean like religions do? PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #123

Yes, just like some religious people do. cbayer Apr 2015 #125

"I'm agnostic, I neither believer (sis) nor disbelieve. I am neutral.." PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #127

Are you calling me a liar? BTW, it's (sic) not (sis), but we all make typos. cbayer Apr 2015 #129

Where did I call you a liar? PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #148

" I'd argue that looking at your posts this is not quite accurate." cbayer Apr 2015 #149

"poutrage" is word that justifies immediate ignore-listing carolinayellowdog Apr 2015 #219

And i always appreciate your view cbayer! hrmjustin Apr 2015 #161

Just provide evidence phil89 Apr 2015 #131

I have no evidence for a god or gods. OTOH, if you can provide evidence cbayer Apr 2015 #132

You cannot prove a negative. PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #150

Obtuse? Tiring? You just can't help yourself, can you? cbayer Apr 2015 #151

But we're not talking about a petri dish are we? PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #153

No we are talking about proving a negative. I have zero interest in proving god exists cbayer Apr 2015 #155

I agree. bvar22 Apr 2015 #51

When militant atheists fly two planes into buildings skepticscott Apr 2015 #79

Can I bring up the militant atheist safeinOhio Apr 2015 #82

Neither were doing what they did skepticscott Apr 2015 #86

About as often as safeinOhio Apr 2015 #88

Are you a Christian? n/t trotsky Apr 2015 #99

No safeinOhio Apr 2015 #101

Do you think there are any verses in the bible that aren't good moral advice? n/t trotsky Apr 2015 #104

Yes, safeinOhio Apr 2015 #106

They are very important to other people though, aren't they? trotsky Apr 2015 #126

Oh, so ISIS is only skepticscott Apr 2015 #102

I was lucky enough to spend 30 years safeinOhio Apr 2015 #107

I see you've stopped trying to answer the actual points I'm raising skepticscott Apr 2015 #134

You might find it amazing, but safeinOhio Apr 2015 #142

Nice that you're still avoiding any of the points I've raised skepticscott Apr 2015 #157

Now hang on a minute..the Charlie Hebdo attacks had absolutely nothing to do with religion... PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #124

Not only did they have nothing to do with religion... trotsky Apr 2015 #128

You're really jonesing to have it both ways, aren't you. rug Apr 2015 #103

Black and white thinking safeinOhio Apr 2015 #108

More importantly, you do it without lacing your posts with personal attacks. rug Apr 2015 #110

I most likely do safeinOhio Apr 2015 #119

Nice try skepticscott Apr 2015 #138

You repeat yourself. rug Apr 2015 #167

The same thing that motivated skepticscott Apr 2015 #181

Ah, let's be clear. You're saying his "atheism had nothing to do with it." rug Apr 2015 #183

He missed you terribly. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #185

He never left. rug Apr 2015 #195

If you want to know what I said skepticscott Apr 2015 #187

It must be rather boring not responding to rug. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #196

It hardly takes more than one read to read you. rug Apr 2015 #197

Do tell him I still love him. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #199

No, he doesn't. rug Apr 2015 #200

All I want is a simple hello from my old pal. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #201

There, there. rug Apr 2015 #203

I will just have to pick up the pieces of my life and move on. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #204

Hey Scott! hrmjustin Apr 2015 #170

Historically, Militant Athiests have done far, FAR worse. bvar22 Apr 2015 #159

So have people with dark hair. skepticscott Apr 2015 #182

Screaming "Budda(sic)?".. really? pangaia Apr 2015 #57

Bill Maher can be very dismissive! Susannah Elf Apr 2015 #6

I think the movie is where he figured out that he could make a career out of attacking cbayer Apr 2015 #9

Seems you missed the entire point of the movie... PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #26

Please enlighten me on the entire point of the movie and, if you would, please refrain from cbayer Apr 2015 #29

Watch it again, and you should be able to see it... PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #31

I've seen it and come to my own conclusions. If yours are different, I ask that you share them. cbayer Apr 2015 #35

How is that a personal insult? PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #40

It's so ingrained I bet half the time they dont realize it. rug Apr 2015 #43

The irony is truly stunning at times. cbayer Apr 2015 #45

You still haven't shown me how it was a PERSONAL insult.... PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #76

I agree with Zakaria edhopper Apr 2015 #7

It seems very clear that Maher doesn't want muslims on his side. cbayer Apr 2015 #12

No. He's making a career out of being a comedian. PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #32

He does do standup, but that's only part of his career. cbayer Apr 2015 #37

I've seen plenty of stand-up...it is definitely his bread and butter... PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #39

So does Dennis Miller. rug Apr 2015 #44

Miller does stand up edhopper Apr 2015 #61

No. He's like a guy muttering and chuckling to himself in a dark corner of a train terminal. rug Apr 2015 #62

i saw his HBO special edhopper Apr 2015 #71

I have seen his show only maybe 7-8 times pangaia Apr 2015 #58

Amazing how a comedian gets roundly condemned for criticizing a religion... trotsky Apr 2015 #98

Let me know when Francis has an HBO special. rug Apr 2015 #105

Ah, I see, if you're the head of a church bigotry it's okay... PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #114

No, but comparing the two positions is an exercise in stupidity. rug Apr 2015 #115

Then what was the point of your comparison? PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #116

It was trotsky's. rug Apr 2015 #117

You said "Let me know when Francis has an HBO special".. PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #118

Following his comparison of Maher to the Pope. rug Apr 2015 #120

So your comparison wasn't an exercise in stupidity... PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #121

What was that? rug Apr 2015 #202

Now you're simply adopting a stupid analogy as your own. rug Apr 2015 #169

Let me know when Francis has an HBO special. AlbertCat Apr 2015 #130

Are you saying Catholics are sheep or that Vatican City is larger than advertised? rug Apr 2015 #168

You asked a very good question Yorktown Apr 2015 #189

Organized religion does this ALL the time Politicalboi Apr 2015 #8

Clearly there are bigots within organized religion and the author doesn't diminish cbayer Apr 2015 #14

Yeah, simply not watching is a good choice. Yet the words are out there. That matters, imo. pinto Apr 2015 #18

I side with Bill on this one. SamKnause Apr 2015 #11

What exactly do you side with him on? cbayer Apr 2015 #15

Me too... PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #27

Who would listen? Susannah Elf Apr 2015 #36

This particular bumper-sticker from the Fox News vault LTX Apr 2015 #84

+1 cbayer Apr 2015 #94

I'm confused. Susannah Elf Apr 2015 #192

My response was to post #27, not to your post. LTX Apr 2015 #209

I did Google "Muslim leaders condemn" Susannah Elf Apr 2015 #211

+1 Good read. Fareed is an excellent debater, imo. Regardless of political points of view or such. pinto Apr 2015 #13

Agree. I think she did a great job here of stating why this is wrong. cbayer Apr 2015 #16

GPS is Zakaria's cable show on CNN. "Global Public Square". pinto Apr 2015 #19

Not familiar with it….. cbayer Apr 2015 #20

Yes. bravenak Apr 2015 #24

Hmm lets see if we can put this one into perspective. Promethean Apr 2015 #25

I think there is a distinct difference between being a republican and being a muslim. Let's try this cbayer Apr 2015 #28

Pitiful analogy fail, cbayer. Homosexuality isn't a set of ideas. Religion is. Republicanism is. trotsky Apr 2015 #30

That doesn't even come close to being the same... PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #38

I disagree with you. Could you choose to be a believer? cbayer Apr 2015 #41

Absolutely. People do it all the time. Isn't that the point of preaching? PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #74

Could you choose to be a believer? Right now? cbayer Apr 2015 #92

On demand? Probably not. trotsky Apr 2015 #95

Atheists could in theory choose to be a believer Alittleliberal Apr 2015 #77

I don't think an atheists could choose to be a believer anymore than a believer could choose to be cbayer Apr 2015 #91

Excellent post, and you are correct. trotsky Apr 2015 #96

Let's talk about choice. I could choose to 'play it straight'. I could choose to 'play believer'. pinto Apr 2015 #136

Anybody can do anything in theory. Practice is a little different, however. stone space Apr 2015 #144

Absolutely. I was brought up a christian but I now choose to believe that is all concoted.. PoutrageFatigue Apr 2015 #152

You choose your religion like you choose your nationality. stone space Apr 2015 #135

Can one choose whether or not to believe homosexuality is a sin? n/t trotsky Apr 2015 #166

No, nations only allow a small number of people to join them muriel_volestrangler Apr 2015 #222

Homosexuality doesn't have an innate ideology and isn't defined by one. Promethean Apr 2015 #81

I'm not sure that belief in a god has an innate ideology. cbayer Apr 2015 #93

Ironically, your 1st paragraph could come either from a Republican or a Muslim muriel_volestrangler Apr 2015 #221

Bill Maher is not worth watching anymore. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #46

He's become addicted to controversy and has to keep upping the ante cbayer Apr 2015 #47

He can go on all he wants but he won't get ratings from me. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #48

He has defined his audience and they will continue to support him. cbayer Apr 2015 #50

Oh he's plenty funny... truebrit71 Apr 2015 #163

Did you see his last hbo special? hrmjustin Apr 2015 #164

Yes. Bloody funny! truebrit71 Apr 2015 #177

I thought it was rather bland. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #178

Yup. Love all of his stuff. truebrit71 Apr 2015 #179

Ok. hrmjustin Apr 2015 #180

"based on the extreme actions of a few" Cartoonist Apr 2015 #49

What percentage of the world's muslim population are members of ISIS? cbayer Apr 2015 #52

How many of those Muslims Cartoonist Apr 2015 #55

But the article is about the number of people committing atrocities. cbayer Apr 2015 #56

ISIS has killed almost 10,000 Muslims Susannah Elf Apr 2015 #64

And perhaps you are right. Do you think there are muslims that watch this on their tv and cheer? cbayer Apr 2015 #68

I don't think there are Muslims cheering Susannah Elf Apr 2015 #72

I agree with you. Labels are very much an illusion. Welcome to DU and to the religion group. cbayer Apr 2015 #90

"Labels are very much an illusion." trotsky Apr 2015 #97

And your "guesses" would be wrong. LTX Apr 2015 #85

I only made ONE guess Cartoonist Apr 2015 #100

Have you "taken up arms" against ISIS? stone space Apr 2015 #145

I'm not a Muslim. Cartoonist Apr 2015 #160

What does your religion have to do with it? stone space Apr 2015 #165

I will repeat myself Cartoonist Apr 2015 #191

I'm questioning YOUR resolve. stone space Apr 2015 #207

? Cartoonist Apr 2015 #213

Post removed Post removed Apr 2015 #214

I'm questioning YOUR authenticity. Act_of_Reparation Apr 2015 #215

They've chosen to worship the Gods of the Civil Religion. stone space Apr 2015 #137

wahhhh, why won't he respect our superstitions and magical thinking? mike_c Apr 2015 #54

Is that your takeaway from the article? cbayer Apr 2015 #59

What spiritual values are worth respecting on their own? What ideas are worth respecting just for... Humanist_Activist Apr 2015 #60

Don't you think that everyone's beliefs Susannah Elf Apr 2015 #65

The only thing I respect is everyone's rights to hold ideas and beliefs, and even articulate them... Humanist_Activist Apr 2015 #66

Sometimes people scrutinize only to discredit. Susannah Elf Apr 2015 #73

Depends on what the belief is, I generally find unsupported beliefs to be unsupported... Humanist_Activist Apr 2015 #80

Agreed! Susannah Elf Apr 2015 #87

Does this apply to everyone? Like the KKK? LostOne4Ever Apr 2015 #83

See my post "sometimes people scrutinize.." Susannah Elf Apr 2015 #89

What I find interesting is what she labels as bigotry isn't, and then failed to mention Maher's... Humanist_Activist Apr 2015 #63

It's somewhat amusing that Maher claimed Zakaria was insulting him. Jim__ Apr 2015 #67

He objects to being accused of doing this for applause lines? cbayer Apr 2015 #69

The same people .... Trajan Apr 2015 #111

DU's theological police? You mean people with opinions that differ from your own? cbayer Apr 2015 #113

Maher seems to share an apocalyptic point of view with some religious extremists. pinto Apr 2015 #139

As the headline notes, I think it's a schtick at this point. cbayer Apr 2015 #140

Yeah, schtick is apt. pinto Apr 2015 #143

Hmmm nil desperandum Apr 2015 #141

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. cbayer Apr 2015 #146

Walking the line nil desperandum Apr 2015 #154

Regarding your comments about people who don't believe every word Susannah Elf Apr 2015 #193

Actually, absence of evidence IS evidence of absence skepticscott Apr 2015 #206

Quite a bit of overstatement there. LTX Apr 2015 #216

Not at all skepticscott Apr 2015 #217

What you said: LTX Apr 2015 #218

When you have an actual understanding of how science works skepticscott Apr 2015 #220

Thanks for your comments. I'll meet you here - fundamentalists are a roadblock not a path. pinto Apr 2015 #147

If this was Mormonism Bill was attacking or mr_liberal Apr 2015 #156

Sorry. deathrind Apr 2015 #158

More privileged bullshit from believers... MellowDem Apr 2015 #162

Well said. n/t trotsky Apr 2015 #171

Whenever a posts start with "What the column is ultimately saying, and what Fareed is saying, is .." rug Apr 2015 #172

He didn't write this, he spoke... MellowDem Apr 2015 #173

His thoughts are well-framed and well-communicated. rug Apr 2015 #174

That is what he said... MellowDem Apr 2015 #175

No, that is not what he said. What he said is at the link. rug Apr 2015 #176

So you can't tell me what he said... MellowDem Apr 2015 #184

What he said is plain. rug Apr 2015 #198

It's so plain that you can't say... MellowDem Apr 2015 #210

Is there something about a "completely useless exchange" you fail to grasp? rug Apr 2015 #212

This Salon article totally misses the point Yorktown Apr 2015 #186

Your post title could apply skepticscott Apr 2015 #188

True. Salon execs themselves say they are a tabloid Yorktown Apr 2015 #190

It's like TED in print. Act_of_Reparation Apr 2015 #208

And that's from the Pew poll that Zakaria brushes aside (see clip in #67) muriel_volestrangler Apr 2015 #223

... pinto Apr 2015 #194

Even when I agree with Maher on some issues... NaturalHigh Apr 2015 #205

I thought about posting this, Jamaal510 Apr 2015 #224

Thanks for sharing your thoughts here, Jamaal510. cbayer Apr 2015 #225

I guess it's wrong to criticize the execution of homosexuals, unless the religious justification... arcane1 Apr 2015 #226

It's very right to criticize the execution of homosexuals. Where do you see a statement cbayer Apr 2015 #227

Because criticizing that belief system gets called "bigotry" for some reason. arcane1 Apr 2015 #228

Where have your ever seen criticism of religious persecution of homosexuality called bigotry? cbayer Apr 2015 #229