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[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Kokukirin

It really is the same thing manifested in different ways. Candidates pander to evangelical voters by supporting Israel. Voters support certain candidate because they see him standing for a point they support for religious reasons. It is a proper democracy in action, just that some of the people are making choices with reasons that can be traced back to the Bible. It is unrealistic to exclude religion as a factor in determining how people vote and to do so is completely in conflict of freedom of religion and spirit of democracy.

You should look at SeijiSensei's post above on separation of church and state.

For once i like to see a Candidate that panders to Reason and Logic.

[Anh_Minh]

Not big enough of a demographic.

[Haak]

Well he did come third in the Iowa poll and was very close to the top so there's still some hope.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Haak

Well he did come third in the Iowa poll and was very close to the top so there's still some hope.

Ron Paul isn't as big a crank as the other clowns in the Republican Primary but that doesn't make him a champion of Reason and Logic either.

[DonQuigleone]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Sharia law, from what I understand, takes the religious context as literal and thus doesn't even attempt to be an ideal of something, but the something as written directly (sometimes losing the intent of the words in place for the words themselves).

I can assure you, Christian law is quite similiar to Sharia Law. If anything, Sharia law is a lot more flexible. Sharia law is more of a tradition then an actual fixed set of laws. Sharia is drawn from both the Quran, but also from a large body of texts and traditions produced by a wide range of independent Islamic Scholars. In comparison, Christian law would largely be based on the Bible, with the exception of Catholicism, which gives recognition to laws made by the Catholic Church. In order of strictness it's be Protestantism (Law based entirely on the bible) > Catholicism (Law based on Catholic Church's teachings, and interpretation of the bible) > Sharia (Law based on Quran, and large community of scholars).

In that sense Sharia is more liberal then Catholicism, as it's not just one body that decides on the law, and in fact there's many different schools of Islamic law, with some being much more liberal and other more fundamentalist. For instance Turkish muslims ascribe to the Hanafi school, which much more based on logic and reason then on scripture. By comparison Hanbali is extremely strict and dogmatic, and is the interpretation in wide use in Saudi Arabia.

If you want an idea of Christian theocracy in action, Ireland may be a decent example. Prior to the 90s, Divorce, Abortion and Contraception were all illegal in Ireland. Women were not allowed to work in the public service after getting married. All the schools and hospitals were run by the church. If you were a teen and got pregnant you'd be sent to the Magdalene Laundry to absolve your sin(while your baby got given away to someone more virtuous), and maybe you'd join the sisters of mercy afterward due to your disgrace. And if you were gay? Well I guess you could join the priesthood and have an unlimited flow of adolescent boys... Not much choice if you're a more normal gay though. If this wasn't Ireland, I could even imagine Alcohol being banned too.

Don't kid yourself, Christian theocrats are just as bad as Muslim Theocrats. The difference is that Muslim countries exist today where they've been allowed to run wild and do as they like (namely Saudi Arabia and Iran). You can be sure an equivalent Christian country would be just as bad, if not worse due to christianity's more literalist traditions. Perhaps it's because Sharia is more dynamic that it's proved to be longer lasting.

However, I don't see anything wrong with Sharia being a source of inspiration for laws, likewise, Sharia does encourage scholarship and reason (depending on the school). However ultimately I think law has to be decided by judges, not Ulema.

Originally Posted by bladeofdarkness

the general rule seems to be that basing laws on religious text are often ok when the behavior that is meant to be made illegal is something that is Mala In Se (bad, in and of itself) while forbidding the stuff that is Mala Prohibita (bad because the rules say its bad) leads to trouble.

The difficulty is deciding which one is which. Fundamentalists would label abortion, sodomy and adultery the former, while others might differ.

[aohige]

Ron Paul wants to withdraw from Japan.

Therefore he will not get a support from me.
Such actions are only logical taken in steps to allow much time on Japan's behalf.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by aohige

Ron Paul wants to withdraw from Japan.

Therefore he will not get a support from me.
Such actions are only logical taken in steps to allow much time on Japan's behalf.

But Ishihara will support him.

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by SaintessHeart

But Ishihara will support him.

Too bad he can't vote for Ron Paul .

[flying ^]

What a way to start 2012... by putting spotlight on ghetto side of Japan's 2d industrial complex in international stage.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news...ga-pornography

A 25-year-old engineer in Puy-en-Velay, France was sentenced on Tuesday to one year in prison, as well as court-ordered therapy, by a three-judge tribunal for possession and distribution of images of child pornography. According to the court, he had collected "pornographic" Japanese manga featuring sexually abused female characters, six to eight years old, on his computer and shared the manga on the Internet.

The authorities had interrogated him about an Internet forum post in which he wrote, "We're recruiting female members, 12 years old or younger." The man asserted that the post was a joke, and his lawyer added that the defendant is a social recluse.


... gotta love these court exchanges though

Judge: "When you see a girl six to eight years old being raped, don't you think there's something wrong?"

Defendant: "If you had read my psychiatric report, I don't imagine myself in the place of the rapist, but rather in the girl's."

Judge: "You're very intelligent. The doctor only reported what you told him. Me, I don't believe a word of what you are saying."

[Tiberium Wolf]

Internet piracy recognized as an official religion in Sweden

Let us all convert into Kopimism.

[Ithekro]

Will stay unofficially with Haruhiism through St. Nagato, thank you.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Will stay unofficially with Haruhiism through St. Nagato, thank you.

You could do it the Japanese way.... Buddhism, Shinto, and probably random Western Flavors all practiced when it seems to make sense.

[Ithekro]

I use to get both Christian (well, National holidays) and Jewish holidays off where I worked (or got overtime/holiday pay when I worked on those Jewish holidays). It is a wonder when you get something like ten extra days off a year.

[ganbaru]

Solid demand for French 10-year bonds seen at auction
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8040HJ20120105

[killer3000ad]

Young mother kills intruder after asking 911 operator if it was okay to shoot him once he entered the house

[ganbaru]

I wouldn't go as far as giving her a medal but, she probably did the right thing. The guy could had the hunting knife intended as a menace tool more than a weapon but you can't bet on such possibility.

[Frenchie]

Obama makes recess-appointment to the Consumer Protection Bureau: Richard Cordray.

About flippin' time. Now to see if they'll manage enforcing Dodd-Frank.

[GundamFan0083]

Cordray's Recess Appointment Sure Doesn't Look Constitutional To Me


http://www.tnr.com/blog/timothy-noah...stitutional-me

AP Source: GM to call back 8,000 Chevy Volts

http://news.yahoo.com/ap-source-gm-c...160059632.html

Kodak Teeters on the Brink .

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...LEFTTopStories

Wave of shootings baffle Swedish police


http://news.yahoo.com/wave-shootings...144253329.html

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by GundamFan0083

Cordray's Recess Appointment Sure Doesn't Look Constitutional To Me


http://www.tnr.com/blog/timothy-noah...stitutional-me

if the Republicans don't like it, take Obama to court.

AP Source: GM to call back 8,000 Chevy Volts

http://news.yahoo.com/ap-source-gm-c...160059632.html

i thought tying himself to the volt was bad idea form the start. Seriously Obama needs to listen to his scientific advisers more when talking green.

[GundamFan0083]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

if the Republicans don't like it, take Obama to court.

They probably will.
Fox is already building a case to go after Obama.
I smell impeachment in the winds.

i thought tying himself to the volt was bad idea form the start. Seriously Obama needs to listen to his scientific advisers more when talking green.

Well at least Obama gave it a try.
Personally I think he should have pushed them to continue to work on Hydrogen cars, since electric simply moves the pollution from gasoline to coal.
But at least the President tried.