Hey Z-Dub, interesting post you make about the cartoons. I was almost with you until your last few statements:
"Could or would Christians do such things over offensive cartoons of Jesus? I think many U.S. Christians would immediatly answer, "No way!", just as many U.S. Muslims (Living in a free, weathly, educated, and info rich society) would as well. But just switch the environments and place the Christians in a society where they are truly oppressed, living in poverty, with poor education, and few resources of quality information, and the same thing would happen."
Have you not read any history books? Do you not know who Emperor Nero is? This 'environment' you're talking about was lived by Christians and is still being lived by Christians. Of course, 'life and death persecution,' is not lived here in the U.S., but there is still this kind of persecution going on today in other parts of the world. Christians have been oppressed for years - from the time of Jesus' death till now. I can't think of a better example of this environment you're talking about than the environment that was created under Emperor Nero. He fed people to lions, crucified them, and did all other terrible things to them that would make the Holocaust look like a walk in the park (and we know it wasn't).
Let me also put forth a bold statement: The idea of 'you insult my religion, and I will kill you' will never exist in the religion of Christianity. And here's why: Christianity is about following Jesus. I've poured over the New Testament and have yet to find anywhere in it where Jesus says, "if they don't believe like us, kill them." This 'eye for an eye' mentality does not exist in Christianity. Christianity says the exact opposite. If you're really interested, read chapter 5 in Matthew, read any of the Gospels and see what Jesus said to the men driving stakes into his hands and feet, and uttering insults at him, read Luke chapter 6 verses 27-36. This 'off with the infidels heads' doesn't exist in Christianity.
And before you bring up the Crusades or anything like that, let me ask you to first read the Gospels on Jesus Christ and tell me if the people killing 'in God's name' were really Christians.
Christianity has never been and never will be a religion of hate.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
-Matthew 5:11,12
Blessings,
Joe
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Joe,
Maybe I wasn't clear enough but I was not trying to say that if some Non-Christian government oppressed Christians for their faith that those Christians would become violent. I was trying to say that the violence over the cartoons in the mideast is more a product of the environment that those people live in rather than a product of their religious beliefs. Therefore, I concluded that it's likely that if the people of the US (Of which a majority are Christian) were to switch enviornments with the people of a mideast country which has had these riots that the result would be the same.
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