I guess faith is a concept some folks just do not understand. I like the comparison to the branch Dravidian's. Let's run with that one. Now if I understand the illustration correctly, we should have challenged David Koresh because his beliefs should have been forbidden? Let me see if I track with this thinking. Not only should the branch Dravidian's not have been allowed to practice their religion, but most all religions could be dangerous or at least an obstacle to your vision of how the world should be?
Let's examine the cold hard facts. Under a Liberal government with Janet Reno as our attorney general, she felt that any group that had a doomsday doctrine or even stockpiled food or water for an apocalyptic possibility should be looked upon as dangerous and should be watched.
Am I off track here?
An inept government underestimated the branch davidians and found themselves pinned down with very little ammo left in a fire fight that could have been avoided simply by arresting him in the park where he ran every day. But no, the government had to show their bravado and make one monumental mistake after another.
Children where being molested. This is a terrible thing. After the government got through with them, they burned to death in a fire. Fantastic job Janet! She said she would accept responsibility, so my point stands. But it does not end there boys and girls. Now other misguided people exacted revenge 2 years later to the day. Oklahoma City gets blown up and even more innocent children die that day. David Koresh was wrong. Timothy McVeigh was very wrong, but the government is to blame for all the children dying. It was not their fault their parents where misguided. The government stepped in and challenged their religion and a bunch of innocent folks died.
We have another Liberal in office and now I hear people wanting to challenge religion again? We will send an inept government to attack the masses instead of arresting the people in charge.
You see, if you don't believe in politically correct agendas, (the religion of the day) you are a threat to progress and should be eliminated right? It seems to me I remember a German fellar who felt that way about jewish folks. Janet Reno did the exact same thing that he did. She burnt the branch davidians like the Jews not so many years ago. It all sounds like burning witches to me. I guess we where just challenging them in the name of progress.
This country was founded on religious freedoms and gun ownership. Now, anyone who thinks like the founding fathers should be challenged, right?
It sounds like history repeating it's self time and time again. Not too many study history so they are doomed to repeat it once more.
Fallacious reasoning.
The statement is that
you and
we should challenge beliefs.
The argument you presented is that the government should use military intervention against groups they dislike.
Two completely separate concepts.
Here is a better analogy.
Many people believe that MMR vaccines are a cause of autism. There are not any reliable scientific studies stating that MMR vaccines are a cause of autism. The original study released making such a link has since been discredited on procedural issues. Never the less, people still believe that the link exists and act on that belief.
To counter that there are groups formed to educate people about the science behind the studies and push for more qualitative studies to understand the rise in the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
Rather than sit silent while certain celebrities continue to push the belief that MMR vaccines are a cause of autism they are challenging those beliefs.
There is also the belief that marijuana is a gateway drug. Religious scholars challenge beliefs every day and that is why we have such subjects as the Documentary Hypothesis.
Are you off track?
You never made it on the track.
Demanding respect for religious beliefs because they are religious beliefs is perhaps the most politically correct and asinine demand that can be made.
Anyway, for the Branch Davidians. The failure there was within the organizational structure of the government, Janet Reno and the inability to follow procedures to keep from endangering the lives of innocent people. An investigation was started by a courier service noticing a shipment of firearms and child protective services over allegations of child abuse. You are condemning that? They should be left alone over such allegations?
Don't confuse the bungling manner of Reno and the Justice Department with the concept that they were solely targeted for their religious beliefs. Logic doesn't work that way.
Funny that you decided not to use the investigations against the Bhagwan and Osho and their attempts to poison a whole town. Guess they should have just been left alone, huh? After all, ultimate respect of faith and all that nonsense.
Challenging a person's beliefs is acceptable, even required, in any other field -- geology, mathematics, cosmology, etc. -- and yet people think religious beliefs are an exception. I find that so ridiculous. I don't get it. Or maybe I do: is it that people are afraid to challenge beliefs they hold sacred? And yet all religions change with time....
