The 19 suicide-bombing hijackers are today marking their sixth anniversary in hell.
Poor souls, and they thought they were set for paradise. Six years of torment done, ages more to follow.
Still, they have forever to get used to it.
(Sorry folks, some days, Christian compassion is hard. Especially for murderous people like that.)
September 11th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Sorry folks, some days, Christian compassion is hard. Especially for murderous people like that.
I know what you mean, Bel. I lost a friend in 9/11, and I am still angry. I do not think I can forgive those people, ever.
September 11th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Yes, it’s important that we do not forget that there are deluded people out there who will stop at nothing to do us real harm.
We should guard against these dangers wherever they appear.
Only recently has the UK Government woken up to the threat posed by islamic terrorism. And then, sometimes, it seems as if they are not at all awake, merely in a trance.
September 11th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
[...] by cabalamat on September 11th, 2007 Bel is thinking this: [...]
September 11th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
They thought they were going to paradise; Bel thinks they went to hell instead. Clearly not everyone can be right here.
Let’s generalise that thought: there are lots of religions. They say things that are incompatible with each other, therefore they cannot all be right. Some of them must be wrong — maybe all are wrong?
Can Bel prove that her religious beliefs are right and the beliefs of others are wrong? Can religious believers even prove that “paradise” and “hell” exist anyway — I mean prove as strongly as I can prove that London or Moscow exist.
September 11th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Hi Cabalamat,
welcome to my blog.
Just been over to your blog and left a reply.
You are right in what you say, it is a question of belief.
As I pointed out on your blog, if such a place as paradise exists, very unlikely that these violent murderers would be admitted thereinto. Barring, of course, any last-minute repentance on their part.
If they are looking to their religion (islam) to reward them with paradise, this surely is at odds with all the cries of ‘islam is a religion of peace’. Surely a religion of peace will not reward men who delight in violence.
As you say, it’s just a question of belief. However, I would like to think that, believer or not, there are certain actions that are plain wrong, murder among them. Any religion that rewards such things is not worth the name.
September 11th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2424020.ece
That’s what they get for joining a cult of death which believes, inter alia, that God’s running a brothel in heaven.
September 12th, 2007 at 1:28 am
Hi Bel,
I looked for your reply on my blog, but it isn’t there. (I hope the software is working OK). Anyeway to answer your points:
if such a place as paradise exists, very unlikely that these violent murderers would be admitted thereinto.
Doesn’t that depend on the nature of God? For all we know, the universe might just be a simulation running in a computer, and we are all non-player characters in a game like Civilisation III but much more sophisticated.
All the Abrahamic religions, as far as I konw, believe in an omnipotent, omniscient God. That being so, how do we know that God is “good” even if He tells us so? He could easily pull the wool over our eyes (being omniwhatever) and we’d never know.
If they are looking to their religion (islam) to reward them with paradise, this surely is at odds with all the cries of ‘islam is a religion of peace’. Surely a religion of peace will not reward men who delight in violence.
You might say islam is a religion of peace. But what you say doesn’t (presumably) change the nature of God (assuming he exists). Maybe God just gets a kick out of watching humans kill each other; in any case, he certainly isn’t in the business of preventing human tragedy, as a cursory glance at history demonstrates.
As you say, it’s just a question of belief. However, I would like to think that, believer or not, there are certain actions that are plain wrong, murder among them.
I certainly agree with you that murder is bad. And mass-murder is worse. But does God think that? Just because you want it to be the case, doesn’t make it so. (I want to be a billionaire; doesn’t mean I am).
Any religion that rewards such things is not worth the name.
There are two separate concepts here. (1) is a religion true? and (2) does a religion promote human happiness?
I would say that any belief-system that says its OK to kill lots of people is unlikely to promote human happiness.
But that doesn’t make it untrue. Their are belief systems that both are true and which tend to lead to killing lots of people, for example the knowledge of physics that led to the development of the atom bomb.
September 12th, 2007 at 3:08 am
Agreed Bel, it is hard. Have a great day.
cabal: the knowledge of physics that led to the development of the bomb was not in fact a ‘belief system’ that was true and led to killing, it was science that led to a bomb that was then used to kill.
Bel’s (and my) religion is based on belief, our belief does not and will not change the belief of anyone else and it doesn’t need to; there is no ‘who is right or wrong’ answer until you get to stand before G-d and ask him your questions.