General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Anjem Choudary: "Why did France allow the tabloid to provoke Muslims?" [View all]RationalMan
(96 posts)that cannot subject itself to challenge, criticism and satire.
If Allah so weak he/she cannot tolerate to have human beings who were created in Allah's image and who have the ability to think critically (unlike his/her other creatures) use that capacity to question, analyze and conclude? Was the prophet such a control freak he couldn't tolerate his followers to ask questions?
As a Christian we know that for nearly 1900 CE, the Christian churches were as bad as today's fundamentalist Muslims. Just look at the Inquisition of the Salem Witch trials as evidence. That all the while that in the Gospels, Jesus' disciples constantly asked him questions.
When there are legitimate challenges to traditions in my faith are raised such as the creation story, I look at the criticism in the form of the theory of evolution and the Big Bang and I can rationalize those against my faith. I no longer believe in the book of Genesis as literal fact but rather as allegory that was used to explain fundamental questions to persons who lived at a time before we had developed the scientific method and could look objectively at the world around us.
It has always struck me that those that are in the greatest need to control others are in fact short on self-confidence. It is the same in almost all fundamentalist communities or, in the Republican party of today. You must either think like us or you are the enemy.