I've been travelling and taking time off from the forum to do quite a bit of reading and concentrate on work and other things. I've been dropping in to see the posts and have had many laughs along the way.
My foe list is now back in action, so I'll now not be tempted to read the 'I wiped my ar$e yesterday' type posts or even the 'look what random loon blogger wrote and I believe is the truth' and the 'yes, random loon blogger is telling the truth - I also dreamed that [insert brown person reference] in [insert European country] were plotting evil Mooslim thoughts' etc."
I remain very tolerant of fantastical views - such as the earth is flat, Michael Jackson is an alien, Memri is unbiased, 'Fox News' is not an elaborate year-long April Fool's joke.. and Elder of Zyion etc write sense. However, I see no point in debating with those who hold these fantastical views.
Which brings us to 'Bob' referred to in the title.
I am referring to Robert Spencer - or 'Guru Bob' for some here. In earlier threads we saw that Bob is refusing to debate with Danios of Loonwatch.com, Danios has now publishing a series of articles on religious wars and demolishing systematically the arguments of Guru Bob.
It makes fascinating and enlightening reading, and I won't reproduce the articles here. Given that Islamophobia is really a politically motivated fantasy/fraud, rather than a reasoned criticism of religous teachings, it is appropriate to point out Islamophobic tactics here in the politics forum.
I therefore like to submit this extract which shows Bob being caught out editing out a part of a verse of the Bible:
The next passage Spencer cites explains what to do with all nations other than the Seven Nations:When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace. If it agrees to make peace with you and opens to you, then all the people who are found in it shall become your forced labor and shall serve you. However, if it does not make peace with you, but makes war against you, then you shall besiege it. When the LORD your God gives it into your hand, you shall strike all the men in it with the edge of the sword. Only the women and the children and the animals and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as booty for yourself; and you shall use the spoil of your enemies which the LORD your God has given you. Thus you shall do to all the cities that are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations nearby. Only in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes. (Deuteronomy 20:10-17).
In his book, Robert Spencer completely omitted the verse in red above. Notice how the words in red (Deuteronomy 20:15) simply do not appear in Spencer’s rendition of the passage. Take a look for yourself (click on the image to view):
This time, Spencer didn’t even bother using those ever so strategic ellipses to manipulate the meaning of a passage. One wonders at the convenient omission of Deuteronomy 20:15 and whether or not this is a mistake or deception. It is certainly a very helpful “mistake”.
Furthermore, Spencer didn’t reproduce 20:17 either:20:17 But you shall utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD your God has commanded you.
Whatever the case, the Biblical passage (the one that Robert Spencer uses as a proof) is actually saying that the general rule is that heathens are to be offered terms of “peace”, which entails being reduced to “forced labor” (perpetual servitude). (This is the Bible’s version of “peace”, and the same type of world “peace” that Jesus, the “Prince of Peace”, will bring during his Second Coming.) If the heathens reject these terms of “peace”, then in that case they are to be attacked and every single man (including non-combatants) is to be killed. Meanwhile, the women and the children are to be enslaved, and the animals and all property are to be taken as booty.
(Link to image):
http://www.loonwatch.com/wp-content/upl ... 50x150.jpg
Full article here:
http://www.loonwatch.com/2011/05/the-bi ... -infidels/
As eh and FD and BM are on my foe list, I won't see their responses (which will probably be - but, but, we believe MOOOSLIMS are evil - ) . I'll leave others to reply to their replies.. but I'll happily answer anyone else's questions (either here or in the religion forum).
Cheers,
Shafique