Spiritual Oppression Quotes
In the early stages of Islam, Muhammad had hoped to convert the Jews and others on the Arabian Peninsula. When they refused to be converted, he warred against them usually killing the men, and taking the women and children as slaves. The result was that non-believing tribes were “cleansed” from the Arabian Peninsula. The Muslims at the time preferred children as slaves. For then they could convert the children against their will. Adults in Islam must accept Islam in order to convert. Children are regarded as having no such maturity of decision making and therefore opposition to conversion may be ignored and they may be forced. Critics of Islam and those who argue that Islam is at odds with all other religions point to this quotation. They claim that it is the only religion whose founder and fundamental scriptures demand war against others for no other reason than that they believe in a different religion. The Catholic Church during the Crusades and the Inquisition had a similar philosophy as did Christian missionaries colonizing Africa later. One difference is that most Christians today repudiate the doctrine as against the true spirit and teachings of Christ and view it as historical error, while very few modern Muslims repudiate this quotation of the Prophet.
If they … attack your religion with disapproval and criticism, then fight the leaders of disbelief …
This quotation is used by some Islamic fundamentalists to justify attacks on people who criticize or disapprove of Islam. They see this as an instruction from the Prophet. The same quotation is used by critics of fundamentalist interpretations to show that literal interpretations eliminate any kind of criticism and provides no freedom of speech.
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Many of the founding fathers were aware of such views in England as the same issues were being debated in America in the debates on Ratification of the Constitution and the required inclusion of the Bill or Rights—specifically the First Amendment.
He had been born and brought up as a Roman Catholic but converted to Islam. The Catholic Church was for much of European History, the Government or a co-equal of Government in terms of power. As such it primary not only represented the power structure was the power structure and tended to always support the status quo. In America, the Catholic Church was also in a complicated situation. There was extensive anti-Catholic bigotry and sentiment in early America some of which still exists. The South with its poorer level of education and its protestant fundamentalist bent was the source of a disproportionate level of anti Catholicism. The Catholic hierarchy chose not to make a moral issue out of slavery and stayed away from abolitionist coalitions in order to curry favor and have Catholics seen in a favorable light by slave owning southerners who were the power elite. Like the Pope choosing not to combat Hitler given all the German Catholics, the Church generally supported slavery.
Lotario de' Conti
Note that Madison’s criticism of Christianity is not theological, but humanistic and political. See {620779} for his view on religion in general.
