"How can you fall in love if you can't see her face," ....
 

This is certainly disturbing:

http://articles.sfgate.com/2010-08-2...t-hamid-karzai

Pete

We should convert all those Pashtuns to one of the great Western religions like Catholicism to help solve this problem. Whoops, never mind.:rolleyes:

So much for homosexuality being punishable by death under Sharia Law. Seems like they pay as much attention to that as most of us do to the Bible. Organized religion is such a joke. I'm sorrry, but IMHO, it is. (Shakes head.)

Dave

Are you guys really comparing this to Christianity?

Pete

Not exactly. People do nasty, distateful things all the time - without respect to religion (and sometimes because of it).

You do recall that the Catholic Church of Ireland covered up pedophelia by its clergy for nearly 30 years (seemingly with the cooperation of the Vatican and the Irish Government)?

Not to overlook Afghanistan, but it seems the only cover-up that the Pashtuns are doing is literal (with their burkas).

No. Not specifically. Just the weirdness and the "It's-so-bizarre, I-don't-even-know-what-to-call-it." of organized religion in general.

Pete, I have friends (Kevin and Beth) I grew up with who have joined some strange church (In South Carolina) that claims to be Christian. I think it's really a cult, of sorts.
They now dress like they are living in the 1950's. Beth has a Facebook page and posts nothing but scripture and her declarations of love for Jesus. I ask her how the twins are doing, she sends me bible quotes. I ask her if they are doing well financially, she tells me they "need nothing more than what God provides". The other day she posted that she was "...frantic, because my household is in turmoil and it is all my fault. I'm such a stupid woman." What happened? She mismatched Kevins socks, Pete. Socks. The woman loathes herself because of mismatched socks and prays that God will see fit to forgive her.

Now, I realize that doesn't represent ALL of Christianity. My mother was a church-going woman (United Methodist). But, she would never put up with my father degrading her over mismatched socks. However, it does show me that Christians can become just as absurd as anyone else. If Kevin and Beth have chosen to live that way, that's their business. But, if anyone ever tries to force that type of lifestyle on me, they will meet the business end of an ax handle. Bet on it.

Dave

Mismatched socks??! BURN IN HELL!

:D

You can usually tell a cult by outside authority, be it a book other than the Bible, or a heavily vetted Bible (ommision, changed, or explained), or a person or group of people who claim greater absolute knowledge.

However, Irish Catholics aside :), the actions by a fringe are a LOT different than openly condoning it as a part of everyday society, no?

Pete

They found most of the Al Qeada laptops they seized were full of porn.

"Catholic girls. In the rectory basement. Catholic girls........................It don't bother Mary, Father Reillys a fairy........"----FZ.

Dave

Or a Bible taken literally, and enforced beyond the bounds of commonsense, or common decency as the case might be if we were to elect the sufficient level of religious zealots to public office.:rolleyes:

Dave

Isn't their culture ugly Rob? I knew their word for gay was 'on the side', but I didn't know it was the open exploitation of little boys.

I didn't realise this was going to be a religious topic Blue ;) Following the Bible would be the definition of Christian, would it not? Or 'and we like sheep, have gone astray, each to his own way'.

Pete

Pete, why the hell should I care about a custom in a far away land no matter how discussing it is? Good grief man.

You don't find it interesting?

Pete

At least you didn't say fascinating.:rolleyes:

According to a scholar in biblical Greek who I had the privilege to listen to for several weeks, this is similar to the practice that St. Paul criticized in the passage that many quote as a condemnation of homosexuality. Well-to-do Greek men, who were usually married and had families, would take a young male as a protege' and include sexual relations as part of the relationship.

Regards,

D-Ray

Yes, we're standing on the shoulders of freaks :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPKEk2aHjow

(I hope it's the right vid, YT is blocked here).

I've bumped into strange, often depraved things reading. A couple I remember, at one point in Rome, to get married, the wife-to-be had to prostitute herself at the temple before getting permission. The Jewish folks got a rep for being Patriarchial because at one point it was common to offer your wife to guests, so they kinda hid them away. In Greece they substituted condemned criminals for actors before the torture scenes in live plays. There's certainly no shortage of vileness in our sad history.

Pete

no more so than I any practice I have read about in sociology or history

The acceptable behavior/beliefs of different cultures can make me sick.

The thing is some cultures evolved, some did not.

And some within our culture apparently wish to devolve.:rolleyes:

Dave

That would be the right.