People with strong beliefs scare me

[aneeshm]

No more than someone who thinks that [insert religion here] is a very backward and barbaric religion would scare you.

Anyway, your second setiment allows me to relax knowing that you're not an islamophobe, racist, or some kind of extremist.

So no.. you don't scare me at all. Then again the question wasn't directed to me was it?

It was directed to the thread starter .

And my opinion of Islam is based on three things - firstly , the actions that are sanctioned in the figh , hadis , and Quran , and secondly , the histories of the converted lands , and thirdly , the inherently expansionist , exclusivist , and political nature of Islam . This judgment , however , can only be extended to full believers of the Quran ( and all the other literature on Islamic jurisprudence ) . In fact , it is my belief ( based on my observations ) that almost all monotheistic religions tend to degenerate into barbarism .

Have no fear that I will judge you on the basis of you religion - I've got a few Muslim friends myself .

I don't want to threadjack , but I've noticed that Muslims in India who come from the middle or upper classes tend to undergo tremendous mental torture , because in school they are taught that all religions are inerently equal , while their entire way of life in their self-imposed ghetto is built around the idea that they are a persecuted set of believers in a land of Kafirs , in one of the few places which they and Islam failed in converting into a Dar-ul-Islam in spite of six hundred years of Islamic rule .

To give a more concrete example : I had recently attended a debate contest where a number of schools participated . One of the schools was an Islamic girls' school , and another was a totally secualr , normal school . The girls from the Islamic school actually wore the Hijab as their uniform ( though admittedly it wasn't black ) , complete with headscarf . The participant from the secular school was , coincidentially , also a Muslim . She , however , wore a normal school uniform . The contrast was stark . The girl from the secular school went on to win the contest . In their attempt to preserve a separate identity , I think the Muslims of India went too far and rejected modernity .

 

[Milan's Warrior]

I am scared by those whose strong opinions are fueled by emotions rather than by reason, especially when the emotions are negative ones

 

[sysyphus]

I think Churchill was wrong with his infamous quote "He who is not a Liberal at 20 has no heart, he who is not a Conservative at 40 has no brain".

I believe that with maturity we do not progress from Liberal to Conservative, but rather from one extreme to moderate.

The idea is that one should have strong convictions, but they should be formed with objectivity and always be flexible.

 

[soul_warrior]

I have a rather strong view that Islam is a very backward and barbaic religion . I , however , also strongly think that we should not use religion as a yardstick while judging a person - each individual must be judged on his own merits .

Would you be scared of me ?

i have to disagree with you on that one.
and NO. i am NOT muslim, never will be, and i dont wear towels either

people of conviction are what make this world tick.
without them, we would still be barbaric tribes, everywhere.
FAITH (of any kind) is what drives people to greatness.

i actually LIKE people with different views of things than mine.
its much more interesting.
the ones that scare me are the fanatics, that will not even try to listen to opposing views.
such as religious ones.
ALL RELIGIOUS faiths ARE FANATICAL BY DEFINITION.
thiers is the ONE TRUE FAITH.... etc.

regarding ruling and managing the world, it cant practically be done by an average law. each pressure group will vie for its own interests, and as such will be "fanatical" about it.
the trick here is to switch between such systems so it minimizes the adverse effects of each belief system, and allow for a mutual growth for all groups of beliefs.

 

[Blazer6]

It is getting to the point where those people will act as ******** at me when we counter each others arguments.
I can almost hear Linkin Park playing through all that whining.

 

[Winner]

Strong beliefs doesn't automatically mean radicalism or fanatism.

I'd say I am a strong supporter of the EU and ideals of United Europe, but I'd hardly kill because of that.

(Until the day of days, when the soldiers of light will be called to arms in the final battle against the darkness! )

 

[Kozmos]

An open mind is like a fortress with its gates ubarred and unguarded.

 

[Leonel]

I think it was Martin Luther King Jr that said "A man who won't die for something is not fit to live." But of course he believed VERY strongly in what he believed.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Whether you like it or not, it is men who have had absolute certanty, or perhaps conviction, that have shaped the world we live in today. I have more respect for a man with conviction, even if i believe he is wrong, then a person who simply goes with the crowd. Besides, if no one was so certian, what would we talk about?

Yes. Those who act with passion are the ones who bring change to society. Steve Jobs is such a person. Mao was another. The quiet time before you act is the realm of reason and thought. That is the time to weigh the differences and plan, to be objective and consider all the possbilities. When one acts, though, one should act with conviction built upon that thoughtfulness. Such passion can be channeled in any number of ways: politics, gardening, selling a product, birdwatching, painting, cycling, warfare, whatever.

Strong conviction is always built upon something. That is what makes it so strong. Just ask any of the Christians who post here. The stronger the conviction, the bigger the force needed to alter or reverse that conviction. You must shake their faith (in whatever) to the very foundations.

Older people are more set in their ways (stronger convictions) because they have had a longer lifetime of slowly contemplating the world around them and have come to (in their minds) inescapable conclusions. You will be no different. The vigor with which young people explore options and experiement with ideas will ripen over time as you choose the paths of thinking/acting you like best.

 

[Smidlee]

So what did you believe before you fell for God?

I've never have been an atheist even though I wasn't raised in church. Denying the existance of God it the same to me as denying my own existance.

 

[cgannon64]

People without strong beliefs scare me.

How can you just sit there, living, and wasting this precious mind that is meant to judge and determine the ultimate meaning of the human condition? How can you see a problem and not immediately need to come up with a solution?

 

[blackheart]

People without strong beliefs scare me.

How can you just sit there, living, and wasting this precious mind that is meant to judge and determine the ultimate meaning of the human condition? How can you see a problem and not immediately need to come up with a solution?

I can sit here and not determine the ultimate meaning of the human condition because either a)there's no ultimate meaning or b) it's not meant to be determined or c)when I determine it I will realize I no longer need to stay.

I can see a problem and wait a while because hasty and rash decisions aren't always the best. There will be unpredicted twists and turns if you wait.

I have strong convictions, but they aren't locked and close. If you can show me something, I'll listen to it.

 

[Urederra]

May I remind you that the ultimate answer of life, universe and everything is actually 42?

 

[cgannon64]

I'm not arguing for strong and permanent beliefs, just for strong beliefs. You seem to have strong beliefs, and so I commend you.

 

[SonicX]

People with strong beliefs are usually the people who change things in the world, sometimes for the worse, but sometimes also for the better. The founding fathers, the earliest socialists, the believers in science before the modern age (Galileo, ...), the first anti-ancien regime revolutionaries in France, ...
Extremists with strong beliefs, yes ... a good impact on the world, yes !

And people without their own opinion or without anything interest whatsoever are a danger to democracy and make it quite unrepresentative.

 

[amadeus]

comparing rmsharpe to cromwell and washington? guess it was only a matter of time.

I personally always thought I was more along the lines of Imelda Marcos.

 

[blackheart]

I'm not arguing for strong and permanent beliefs, just for strong beliefs. You seem to have strong beliefs, and so I commend you.

Why, thanks

May I remind you that the ultimate answer of life, universe and everything is actually 42?

But what's the question?!

 

[Elrohir]

People without strong beliefs scare me.

Dang, you beat me to saying that.

Anyway, how can you not have strong beliefs on something? I mean sure, there are some things that you can't feel that strongly about (Coke or Pepsi? Curly fries or straight?) and that don't truly matter. But the big important things, like Capitalism vs. Communism, the existence of God vs. the non-existence of God, the presence of absolute truth in the universe, those are things that dramatically affect both who you are, how you see things and what you do with your life.

How can you not develop strong beliefs?

 

[Evil Tyrant]

I mean sure, there are some things that you can't feel that strongly about (Coke or Pepsi?)

HEATHEN!!! You dare put Coke on an equal footing with that vilest of drinks? You shall burn in hell for your blasphemy!

 

[Smidlee]

May I remind you that the ultimate answer of life, universe and everything is actually 42?

That movie (book) was wacky.