Why is it that the only people you tend to see pushing their religion onto others are some form of Christian?

Because Christians have a duty to “go out into the world and make disciples of all nations,” and I suspect that the others listed do not. The goal is to get as many saved as possible. Plus, it’s kinda depressing to think that most of the people that you meet are going to spend the rest of eternity in Hell. Your convictions won’t let you abandon the faith, so your other option is to try to convert them.
(You may wanna revise the bit about Muslims; our non-Muslim-ness is what got the radicals mad at us in the first place.)

In my opinion you hit the nail on the head.
Perhaps insecurity? Or maybe they think they’ll have a better chance of getting into heaven. Or the fact that the Bible tells them to do so.

What do you think the muslim terrorists are doing?

The same reason why bacteria and viri actively spread and infect as many people as possible. It is their nature.

Atheists can be pretty bad about that, too.

Because preaching to and converting and baptizing others is a tenet of their faith.

@Haleth Usually only when provoked. Christians take it upon themselves to shove their information down your throat whether you asked for it or not. Atheists don’t bother unless they feel judged or threatened and even then most of them can hold it together.

In more than one instance a devout Muslim has shared their faith with me. I didn’t mind, and it wasn’t in a harassing or threatening manner. I was told a simple prayer would convert me, but it was saying out loud a sentence I could not understand. I don’t understand their theology and have never read their book though. It was done in a nice way though and was actually interesting to talk to them. I enjoy hearing about what other people believe actually. Maybe because I am still struggling and searching for something to believe in. If it has given them some comfort, solace, strength to overcome sad times, helped them, I appreciate that their faith is important to them and see it as them trying to share their comfort with me. I don’t take it as hostile unless it is done in a hostile way. I am dealing with a lot of inward conflicts and struggles, and sometimes I even go ask different people of different faiths what they believe. I am seeking for something to believe in and answers in other words, and I want to hear about other people’s take on it. It is not an intrusion or offense to me.

I don’t pay attention to anyone who tries to shove their religion down my throat unless I’m boxing their ears ;)

jehovah witness people try pushin their religion on others all the time. i slam the door in their face. cant stand when people try to push their religion on you.

Jews believe all good people can rise to heaven, so we are not worried about saving your soul. I am pretty sure Buddhists believe there are many paths to almost everything, so they are not worried about you having to be a Buddhist, because if you find the right path another way they are ok with it. For Christians it is a tenet of their religion and they really believe they are right, the only right. It seams they do not care at all if you are a good person, that won’t count, won’t make God happy enough, you have to accept Jesus as your savior to get in.

But, I want to mention that none of my Mormon, Jehova, or Christian friends try to convert me.

Many people already gave true answers.
I think
-It’s because Christianity is a religion that encourages preaching
-It’s because Christianity is the most popular religion in America, so of course you’d see more of them in various roles
-It’s because many Christians are insecure and/or authoritarian, and they need to force some sort of validation of their beliefs

@slick44 I think of Jehovah’s as being Christian.

@Vunessuh I agree. Well said.

What do you think the muslim terrorists are doing?

They are not trying to convert us to Islam. Unless you listen to AM radio.

@JLeslie .. not me, totally different breed.

I’m a Christian, I don’t go out into the world and preach God to people. If someone says: “hey do you believe in God?” I just say “yes!” and you pretty much get what I am. The only topic I shove in peoples face is Abortion. I rarely bring up gay marriage unless it is to my family. We do our discussing behind closed doors. I also do not go out and say “God hates you for being gay,” or “God hates you because you killed a baby.” Nope! Now I can become sarcastic to people that bad-mouth Christ and God. Explain to me why none Christians either complain or literally hate something that preaches love? If this site is all about love and equality, then why does everyone here seem to hate God? Looks like some people didn’t read the Bible!

Also, what do you mean other religions don’t preach their god’s? What about Muslim extremist? I guess they are blowing themselves up for a dance club named Allah? I don’t think so!

@ducky_dnl ”If this site is all about love and equality” – lulz. Who told you that?
Why does everyone here seem to hate God? – Nobody said they hated God.
Looks like some people didn’t read the Bible! – Well, of course we didn’t all read the Bible. Sites like these are about diversity.

@ducky_dnl, I believe there are extremists in just about every faith e.g. Buddhist priests setting themselves on fire. But in terms of actively trying to convert others, it seems to be mostly a Christian phenomena (at least here in the US).

I’ve had pamphlets put on my windshield explaining how the people who believe in other gods will go to hell with some really cute cartoon illustrations. I’ve had people going door-to-door (or even dorm-room-to-dorm-room), and even had Christian propaganda slipped into the box on an aftermarket part I ordered online for my Jeep Wrangler.

I realize there’s a passage in the Bible that effectively encourages people to “spread the good news,” but there’s also passages that encourage you to pray in the closet and to be modest/humble etc. Jesus goes out of his way to lambast the Pharisees for their “showy” display of their faith. This has always been a dimension of Christianity that has puzzled me.

@Vunessuh Sorry, didn’t mean to generalize, but most people on here dislike or even hate God. You can tell by their comments.

@gorillapaws I agree that Christianity should not be shoved in peoples faces. I’ll admit when people shove God in to my face I get a little annoyed. I understand that some Christians are passionate and want to share they word, which is good. But not all Christians are like that. Generalizing is a bad thing everyone seems to do.

@slick44 Different Breed of Christianity from what I understand. I know Christians who aren’t happy with Catholics, which I think is ridiculous. Catholics accept Jesus. It seems Christian’s only are ok with someone if they believe only the exact Christianity they are believing in or preaching at the time. It is exhausting to me.

@ducky_dnl You’ve only been here for 20 days. How can you already tell that most people here hate God? I’ve been here for a little over 2 months and I’ve never seen someone outright say that they hated God. Unless someone says, ”I hate God” you can’t assume it just because you don’t agree with someone’s comments about religion.

@ducky_dnl then why does everyone here seem to hate God

How can you hate something that you don’t believe exists? You are not being logical.

I think there is a certain type of personality that will take advantage of religion and try to “wear” it as a persona, as if that entitles them to respect or automatically should make us assume they are a good person. A cop wearing a uniform might be treated differently than a non uniformed officer, people automatically will treat him as an authority because he is wearing the uniform.A poser can put on a uniform even if he’s just a security guard at a pet food store, and the look alike uniform makes him feel like a big man.
In the same manner I think sometimes posers of sorts try to wear religion to say “see? I’m a good Christian. That means I’m a good person and you should automatically treat me as a credible person.” It is like any other kind of poser. Other people just live what they believe because they truly believe it and live it. I look for people who are actually living their faith. they make sacrifices when doing the easy thing would be more beneficial, out of conviction. They are consistent. Rather than “shoving” anything down your throat you simply, being around them, see them applying what they believe to daily actions. People that are all hot air and wind are sometimes trying to use that for their own purposes.

@Vunessuh True, we all interpret other peoples comments differently. You might see something as non-judgmental and can’t tell, and I might take it as an insult and automatically peg them as someone who hates God. I guess it’s how we interpret things.

@DarkScribe Why don’t you think God exists? If you don’t mind me asking.

@ducky_dnl, do you think there is no difference between hating something and not believing in something?

Do you believe in the existence of unicorns? If not, does that mean you hate or dislike them? How about Santa Claus? Do you hate or dislike Santa?

I don’t believe in God. I have no dislike or hatred toward something that I think doesn’t exist. If anything, I guess I feel a sort of nostalgic affection toward the old fellow, imaginary being that he is: somewhere between what I feel for Popeye or Paul Bunyan and what I feel for Gandalf.

Now, people who want to beat me over the head with their beliefs—you could say I dislike them, all right.

@JLeslie
Protestants that don’t acknowledge Catholicism as Christian typically take issue with things like
* Praying to saints (biblically, one should only pray to God)

* Tthe concept of Purgatory (absent from the Bible)

* The business with penance and rosaries and otherwise trying to earn your way into Heaven (which apparently misses the “by grace, through faith, not by works” part of the New Testament)

* The excessive adoration of Mary

* The quasi-deification of the Pope (and for some the Pope in general).

@ducky_dnl‘s observation closely reflects one of my own, that there is a lot of unhealthy sentiment towards Christianity on this site. Not from everyone, mind, but it’s there, lurking in the darker corners.

@Nullo, unhealthy for whom, may I ask? For God?

Why is it the only religion you see people bashing is Christianity?

I’m not a Christian, but I believe strongly in freedom of religion and that means all religions, including Christianity. (It also includes the absence of faith, if that’s how you feel)

If you don’t like a particular religion, fine. But why the constant bashing of people for their religious beliefs?

@Jeruba For those harboring it. Resentment eats away at a person. In matters pertaining to the soul, it can be downright lethal. For the soul, that is.

@Nullo Ok, but what I don’t get is when I have asked the qiestion, if I behave exactly as Jesus would want me to, but do not believe he is the son of guide, why can’t I get into heaven? Christians answered that behavior is not enough. Christians also say we are all imperfect, we all sin, but the main thing for them is accepting Christ. So to me, all Christians should really be ok with each other, as long as they are not hurting anyone, and little differences in worship seem meaningless to me.

The question wasn’t intended to be an inditement of Christianity as a whole (I realize the vast majority of Christians don’t stand on soapboxes with bullhorns calling people sinners). It was trying to understand why the people you do see doing this and other forms of aggressive evangelism (slipping pamphlets into magazines at doctor’s offices) are almost exclusively Christian. There have been some insightful responses so far.

@Nullo & @ducky_dnl I’ve personally come to observe that when people point out that there are negative sentiments toward Christianity and God on Q&A websites, it’s most likely because those particular people may not interact with many Atheists and/or Agnostics on a daily basis in their personal life. If that’s the case, it may take some adjusting when you surround yourself with beings from all walks of life. You should accept it and realize that everyone on here has a different background and you don’t necessarily get to choose who you are around on Fluther. You do however get to choose who you can be around in person and I am assuming you hang around people who follow your same religion. By all means, correct me if I’m wrong.

@Jeruba You are so awesome right now.

@Nullo, I can’t make any sense of that comment. Are you suggesting that a sincere atheist is a person harboring dark, festering resentments that endanger his or her health? I’m afraid I consider that notion fantastic, in the sense of “imaginary or groundless in not being based on reality; foolish or irrational.”

@LunaChick What bashing of beliefs? We are annoyed with people pushing their beliefs or judging people who do not agree with their beliefs. People can believe whatever they want.

Christians are brought up quite often because most people on fluther are American and that is the religion that is all around us, that we are most familar with, that fits the bill for this particular topic.

I want to say that I am happy to have Chistians on this site who can help me understand what they believe and where they are coming from. Christians should not feel offended or hated. We are discussing. I think sometimes Christians are not accustomed to having their beliefs challenged. Not that we are trying to change your mind, we are trying to be understood. Or, at least that is what it is for me most of the time.

@JLeslie – I wasn’t aiming my reply at you, in particular. I’ve just noticed that there seems to be a bit of anti-Christian sentiment, on Fluther and, basically everywhere else. It seems as though people have no problem talking about Christians, but it would be taboo to say anything negative about other religious groups. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me,

@JLeslie It only takes one single sin to make you ineligible, see. Mainstream Christianity maintains that the Original Sin that you inherited is enough.
In many cases, minor doctrinal differences are largely overlooked; for instance, I disagree with Calvinists on such matters as predestination, but we don’t really go into it. In other cases, the differences can determine the quality of one’s life as a Christian (kind of like how differences in diet determine the quality of one’s life in general). And in some of the more extreme cases, like those where Jesus is demoted from God status or made out to be someone that He’s not, the differences could mean the person’s soul.
It’s the last one that makes the most noise.

Judging people is what people do. You yourself are passing judgment in that post. And the down-throat-shoving is for your own good. The medicine tastes nasty, perhaps, but it’s being administered with goodwill.

@Jeruba I apologize for not making any sense; late nights after long workdays will do that sometimes :D.
I’d heard once in a class that a sour outlook makes for poorer health (or else a positive outlook made for better health; it’s been some time since I had that class). Some atheists don’t really care about religion, but others will start to foam at the mouth when you bring up Christianity (or, I suppose, other religions). Those people do not have a healthy outlook.
Atheism in general risks the soul.

@Nullo ” And the down-throat-shoving is for your own good. The medicine tastes nasty, perhaps, but it’s being administered with goodwill.” Based on this statement is it fair to conclude that you consider aggressive evangelism to be acceptable behavior within Christianity? How do you reconcile those beliefs with the ones where Christ instructs modesty and humility? Specifically I’m thinking of the prayer in the closet passage and the story where Christ chastises the Pharisees but there may be others.

Most likely because Christianity is the prominent religion in the Western hemisphere. I mean, if you go to Saudi Arabia, I’m pretty sure they’re just as bad for sticking their religion down your throat if you don’t follow it…

@Nullo Atheism in general risks the soul.
Is it my turn to bitch about your unhealthy sentiments towards Atheism?
Because what you said is not only illogical, but an assumption you can’t really make unless you shake the hand of every Atheist, get to know us and know what happens to us when we die.

@LunaChick I did not feel you were aiming it at me, not to worry. I was just responding to your comment. I have found that Christians in general feel as you do, that the country is kind of anti-Christian or trying to quiet Christians. All I can say is from a non-Chrisitan perspective I would fight to allow you to be able to practice your religion without interference (except for extreme rituals which might harm you or yourself physically) and I think most atheists would.

Recently a woman said to me that she was really upset at how religion is being taken completely out of schools, kids can’t celebrate anything, or they insist on celebrating everything. She takes this as people saying Christians cannot be free to practice their religion, and that the country is trying to get rid of Christian practices. She talked about how the area has really changed, lots of different people moving in, people from the north, more diversity. So I said to her, “Let’s say 50% of your community is Moslem or Jewish, then do you want prayer in school and an emphasis on religious practices in public school.” She looked like a deer in the headlights, followed by a flat “no.” Then I expalined that the liberals from the north are not trying to get rid of her right as a Christian, they are just accustomed to a diverse community and want to make it fair for everyone. Want her children’s religious upbrining to not be interferred with by government or neighbors for that matter. She had never even thought of this, never occurred to her. She is so busy living as part of the majority, in the majority, that she never took a moment to think what if she is the minority. And, she never bothered to really discuss with anyone or try to understand why they might be against prayer in school, she made assumptions that people are hateful against Christians.

But, in the end, the question in my mind is does that woman now really understand my point, or does she just think that is the problem in America today; if everyone was Christian there would not be an issue.

@Nullo seems I am late to respond @gorillapaws already made my point, and you are reinforcing the OP’s reason for her question.

Don’t you think motives might vary depending on the person?

For example::
Person A thinks you are going to hell, and this concerns them. They treat you like a suicidal person standing on a ledge. They don’t want you to jump into hell. Come to heaven where it’s happy.

Person B. thinks his or her religion has helped in quality of life, comfort, happiness, and wants to share this happy gift with you.

Person C has no tolerance for people who believe or behave any other way than he thinks is right. He’s a controlling knob head and wants to force people to behave as he thinks they should.

Person D is just faking, because he thinks saying he is Christian earns him credibility in other people’s eyes. He’s really just a predator trying to use it to his advantage, win trust, make money selling Christian books, and it is a fake persona. He is just blowing wind for dramatic effect to manipulate you.

@escapedone7 I think most Christians have good motives.

Boy, I can’t wait for the day when we look back in history and say to ourselves, wow I can’t believe people argued and even started wars over this shit. Unfortunately I don’t see that day coming for at least a few decades. What a burden will be lifted from society’s shoulders…

@gorillapaws
Depends. What do you mean by aggressive evangelism?
We are instructed to boldly proclaim the Gospel.
The bits that you’re thinking of are directed to those who would use their piety, self-righteousness, etc. to improve others’ perceptions of them. That’s the Pharisee, the Benny Hinn, the Holy Roller, Paris Hilton, a lot of politicians, and the high-profile criminal who says that he’s become a Christian and turned over a new leave and couldn’t you pleeeeease shorten the sentence?

@Vunessuh I said some atheists. Surely you’ve met one?
On my previous home site, AIWOR.com (may she rest in peace), someone responded to the simple question, “Do you think there is no God?” with a massive wall of frothing, blunted rage, typed in alternating caps and lowercase blocs, littered with profanity, blasphemy, and bad spelling. Every time that I read it, I couldn’t help but think that it had been hammered out by the Angry German Kid’s American cousin, and that he could not be all that healthy. Go ahead and corroborate that with the other local Airow refugees, if you like.

@Nullo And most of us mean some Christians. Surely you’ve met one? It would be ignorant to make that generalization over all of them.
But saying that our comments exude unhealthy sentiments while you choose to do the same is kind of silly. Would you agree?

@Vunessuh I was referring to the frothy, ragey sorts of comments. :\

@Nullo “We are instructed to boldly proclaim the Gospel.” Is that attributed directly to Jesus or is that from Paul (or someone else)?

@Jeruba Do you believe in the existence of unicorns? If not, does that mean you hate or dislike them?

Hey, Unicorns must exist, the Bibles says so – they are real, just like dragons, another mythological beast that it mentions. The Bible couldn’t be wrong could it?

@ducky_dnl

DarkScribe Why don’t you think God exists? If you don’t mind me asking.

I don’t mind at all. It is for exactly the same reason that I don’t think that Madonna is a virgin.

@DarkScribe, I did not make any assertion about their existence. Anything could go in that space:

Do you believe in the existence of {dust mites | honest politicians | extraterrestrial beings | the Tooth Fairy | leprechauns | dolphin-safe canned tuna | irresistible forces and immovable objects}? If not, does that mean you hate or dislike them?

Failure to believe in something is not an expression of animosity toward it.

I know you were addressing me with tongue in cheek, but I was challenging the logic of equating disbelief with hatred ... even though I know better than to think that an appeal to rationality and logic is likely to carry any weight.

@Jeruba I know you were addressing me with tongue in cheek, but I was challenging the logic of equating disbelief with hatred…

Hate is a very strong emotion and something for me at least rarely experienced. Although some people claim to hate white bread or loud music I reserve hared only for sentient evil persons. I can count the number of people who I have hated on one finger.

I like the concept of a unicorn, sadly, I feel that Biblical endorsement or not, I am unlikely to ever find one. I still react to discussion of them.

I’ve had a muslim pursue me for months, trying to convice me that his religion is the only way. I keep asking him if I refuse to convert, will he kill me.

@UScitizen I’ve had a muslim pursue me for months, trying to convice me that his religion is the only way

Are you sure it was a Muslim? It might just have been a Dynamite salesman trying to drum up business.

In my experience it’s reasonably common for people to hold great conviction in their will to share life principles which have affected them positively with others as they feel that this shall improve the life of others in a similar manner to how it did theirs. This trait may be particularly prominent among some groups (I strongly doubt it is confined to Christians although this is likely the most frequently experience and therefore most evident example to an ordinary person living within western society) as the shared ideology of the group encourages this behaviour adding an additional benefit of purpose; an often gratifying feeling. The fact that many other in a group such as Christians act in this fashion may also make the practice appear more natural to others within the group who are considering using it.

No, I have not been evangelised to by any other religious group though the times I have been by Christian denominations have also been few, far between and generally very respectful. But this is merely my personal experience.

I have a question for the Christians here.

Let’s assume (correctly) that I am not Christian and unlikely ever to become Christian. Let’s further assume that I don’t care for the attempted “savings” of well-meaning Christians, nor would I want Christian doctrine taught in public schools or becoming the law of the land. Please assume also that while I don’t want these things for me, I am all for you having your freedom of religion, the right to follow your own beliefs in terms of what you teach your kids at home, who you give your money to, who you have sex with and marry, and even your Church’s right to discriminate all they want in who they marry, hire, or bury. I simply ask for that same freedom for myself and all other people who wish it.

Okay. How can I get all of this without being labelled here as a “hater of God” or a “basher of Christianity?” What must I do?

@laureth How can I get all of this without being labelled here as a “hater of God” or a “basher of Christianity?”

Why care what a person who lacks the ability or the willingness to think says? I have a couple of very close, long time friends who are Priests. We get on well, often debating, never serious. I care about their opinion, but they will never label me incorrectly – I am a non-believer not a hater of Christians or the Church. You cannot expect that everyone will look at you without bias.

@DarkScribe – here’s my point: I think that most of the people hereabouts who are thought of as “God haters” have sentiments much like mine, and who simply like to engage the more pious folk in debate. This is what gets us the brand, and that is what I’m pointing out: the illogic of labeling someone like me as a hater. If those things mean I “hate God” or “hate Christianity,” would their definition of “not hating” mean having to bend in some way on my principals to allow Christian teachings in schools, say, or to acquiesce to faith-based laws in my country? I’m interested also in seeing if a Christian can come up with a cogent answer to my question that doesn’t basically mean that by being non-Christian, I hate God by default. It’s worth noting that by asking this question, I am not a God-hater, or even a Believer-hater, I am merely a logical-thought-lover.

My question is not just a simple “caring what Christians think of me” issue. Most of my philosophical and political questions are not as simple as they appear at first glance.

@laureth Most of my philosophical and political questions are not as simple as they appear at first glance.

I don’t expect much from most on line with regard to serious philosophical discussion, although there are a few who have opinions that I can respect. There are too many who either see everything too literally or with too much bias. As for politics, I am more skeptical about most politicians than I am about God. I am constantly being accused of biases or attitudes that I do not have. It barely registers with me any longer.

I guess I just like to shine light in dark corners. It amuses me that they still remain dark.

Its clearly stated by prophet Muhammad that ”...there is no compulsion in Islam”. Rest is retoric, ignorance, dogma…
It is also a major belief in Islam that Jews, Christians, Budhists, and even Zoroasterians, are considered to be “Ah-lil-Kitab”, or ‘People of the Book’. They are to be treated with respect, dignity, & honour, and are to be protected if in Muslim lands or under Muslim jurisdictions.
These facts are overlooked by muslim Fundamentalists, and most others are unaware of it.

I think of it like the golden rule. Do you want me to walk around saying Jesus is not the son of God? Go door to door with it? Fit it into every conversation that I can? If you don’t want me to do it, then you can’t either. I never say God doesn’t exist or Jesus is not the son of God, I might state what I believe, but that is simply my belief nothing else. If you ask me why, I will explain, but that sometimes is offensive to theists, they take it as though I am saying they are wrong, but that is not the correct interpretation of my intention, it is not the equivalent of trying to convert someone. I am not secretly hoping you will become an atheist or Jew.

This is probably because there are more Christians around here in the U.S. and because some generally fear for the state of your soul and are so scared that you are willingly going to hell. That’s the response I get, anyway. I thank them for the concern, tell them not to worry about it and that hell will be a great place if it’s filled with the likes of me. I am an arrogant ass but that must be because I am an atheist – clearly some people here (ahem, @Nullo ) think I have a damaged soul just because of that.

@Nullo is right (first response). In addition to the Muslims, do Mormons ring a bell? If you are including Mormons as Christian, they are not, although they would like for the world to think they are. Their beliefs are dramatically different from the beliefs of Christianity. And while you may not have been confronted by a Muslim, they are much slicker. Muslims are immigrating to the US in such numbers that it is estimated that within 20 years Muslims can elect the President. They already have a huge concentration in the UK and all of Europe and are infiltrating Australia daily. While I will not elaborate on this here, there is a strong case to be made that a Muslim cannot be a Muslim and also be a loyal citizen of any non-Muslim country. They obey Allah above every law of any country.

And Allah says to kill the infidel. And who is the infidel? Anyone who does not worship Allah. That would be you and me.

@plethora And who is the infidel? Anyone who does not worship Allah.

No, it is someone who denies or refuses to recognise your God. They are not infidels if they worship their own and acknowledge yours. A Christian or a Jew who is devout is not an infidel.

@plethora
Cem Özdemir
“it is estimated that within 20 years Muslims can elect the President.”
Estimated by whom? And based on what numbers?
“They already have a huge concentration in the UK and all of Europe and are infiltrating Australia daily. ”
Current population of Europe: 830 million
Current muslim population in Europe: 53 million
Percentage of muslims in Europe: 6.4 %
Huge concentration of Muslims: Complete Bollocks.

And if you just consider the European Union, it is even less, 3.2%.

@gorillapaws The phrase comes from one of the Pauline Letters, but it reflects the sentiment of Matthew 28:18–20 and Mark 16:15. Since Paul’s writings were inspired as is the Bible as a whole, the answer is “yes”.

@laureth All you have to do is refrain from saying anything especially mean or condescending, I guess. And technically, anybody who is not saved is by definition on poor terms with God :D.

@ragingloli They already have a huge concentration in the UK and all of Europe and are infiltrating Australia daily. ”

I was wondering what that noise was.

@DarkScribe
Keep in mind that the Muslim factions most likely to ruin your day are not interested in recognizing the Biblical God.

@Nullo Keep in mind that the Muslim factions most likely to ruin your day are not interested in recognizing the Biblical God.

Anyone who sets out to ruin anything is not likely to be interested in anything that doesn’t benefit their agenda.

I have a lot of good experience with normal, non-radical/fundamental Muslims.

@DarkScribe
As have I, though I do not see how that is relevant.

@Nullo As have I, though I do not see how that is relevant.

?

It was a response to your comment – your decide how relevant that was.

I wish we had more Muslims on fluther. It would be interesting to get their comments on these things. The Muslims I grew up with were not very religious, their families were very grateful to have made it to the US, and their children were very Americanized. They left Dodge to get away from religious rule and fanatics.

@JLeslie I agree

I’m a Muslim, and was born and have lived in democratic countries for most of my 42 yrs, and find no discrepancy between Islam and democracy.
I know many conservative Muslims, who find no issues with people of other faiths, other faiths, democracies, or for that matter anything else.
Sometimes it’s easily overlooked that there are aprox 1.2 billion Muslims around the world… a very, VERY SMALL percentage of them are giving the rest (who exist in all countries, cultures, and socio-economic stratas around the world) a bad rap!
There is more that unites the peoples (all religions) of the world then there EVER will be to divide us.
Question the motives and/or ignorance of all those who try and lead to believe otherwise!

@JLeslie I believe most people leave their countries/culture/native languages for Economic or safety reasons, and would gladly stay if it weren’t for that…

@Bagardbilla I agree. I think that is why most people leave no matter what religion they are. I did know a few people from Iran who kind of escaped years ago, I think the husband had fear of imprisonment or worse, and I know some Cubans who escaped Castro’s jails, but most leave for exactly as you stated. I did not word my statement above well, I was too flippent in my response. Plus, wouldn’t you agree that the generation born in the US or whatever westernized country you live in see the new country as home. Probably only a small percentage immigrate back.

@ragingloli 6.4% and growing rapidly is big and that does not account for the fact that some countries have much higher percentages and others have lower. Further, it does not take a majority to accomplish major changes in a country. The US has only a 12% Black population overall. In Maine, it’s less than 1%. In Mississippi 50%+. In Hinds county MS, 68%. But a 12% share wields a more than proportionate role in our government (and that is not a value judgement).

Further, the immigration quotas in our country are totally out of control and have been since 1965 when Congress, in it’s wisdom, increased the quota by 400%, thus endowing us with a population that has increased by 50% in the last 45 years…..which could only be called “EXPLOSIVE” growth. California must now build one new elementary school every day of the year just to keep up with immigration and the expanding effects of immigration.

That same immigration policy literally welcomes every Muslim on earth to immigrate to the US. No other religious group comes to the US with the kind of internal conflict between the laws and customs they are expected to obey and the admonitions of their god, which in many cases are diametrically opposed to our laws and customs. Not a good combination, in my estimation.

@plethora this is totally off topic, but I think it’s arguable that taking in the best people from other countries is a BIG part of what has and continues to make America as powerful as it is.

When they increased the quota by 400%, what were the numbers before? I remember times in history when we were pretty open to foreign immigration (ellis island); and there was simultaneously a lot of resentment to the subcultures that came such as the Irish. I don’t think anyone would be willing to argue that the Irish American immigrants haven’t made America better. Also the explosive growth in our country’s population likely has much more to do with illegal immigration than legal immigration. But that’s another HUGE OT topic in-and-of-itself.

Please enlighten us about all of these internal conflicts that Muslims have that make them so poorly suited to being American?

Almost all Muslim fathers marrying Christian women push their faith onto their children.

@gorillapaws I agree with your first statement, but there is also an obverse side to that. I will respond further to the rest of your post later. Gotta go now.