Multiple bombs explode in Colombo [April 21]

[JohnM]

I agree, this seems to have been in the planning longer that 5 weeks.

Hotel Restaurants and Churches. A combination to ponder on. I wonder if the churches were added, or plan adjusted, due to Christchurch.

Not just any hotels. Rather, the large and swish. Recent history shows that such hotels are a target.

It’s another reason why I prefer modest accommodation when travelling. Keep a low profile is my motto.

 

[Pushka]

Pushka, you usually talk sense but your reply could have been written by a mandarin. Incomprehensible.

amaroo's post was comprehensible and arguable.

All I was saying is that there is no need to have ‘an issue’ when people make a comment early on in the process about the possible reasons for an event. It’s just an opinion. Disagree by all means, argue by all means, but no need to “have an issue” about it.

Hindsight comment? It was later when all the evidence gradually became known.

 

[tgh]

Christophobia is very fashionable atm , the new black

 

[Pushka]

Christophobia is very fashionable atm , the new black

I’d prefer to refer to the world events as Religionophobia and it’s being happening as long as man has had religious beliefs. It just depends on the era as to which religion seems to have the most fanatics onboard at the time.

 

[stm1sydney]

No, it is specific to Christianity at the moment, and attacking Christianity is approved hate speech amongst our lefty elitist betters.

 

[OATEK]

Today's terrible aftermath: Pregnant wife of Sri Lanka suicide bomber detonates suicide vest during raids

 

[OATEK]

I’d prefer to refer to the world events as Religionophobia and it’s being happening as long as man has had religious beliefs. It just depends on the era as to which religion seems to have the most fanatics onboard at the time.

Not sure "Religionophobia" is suitable given that what you seem to be referring to is inter-religious conflict. Seems that even today many fanatics do not believe their God has sufficient power to bring about what they seek and that they have to step in themselves. It seems to me that their actions actually speak to a lack of faith.

 

[amaroo]

Big changes being reported in Sri Lanka - head of defence, defence minister, and national police chief are all being kicked out of power. I don't know anything about SL politics .... provides a good opportunity to hand pick replacements though.

 

[love_the_life]

Not sure "Religionophobia" is suitable given that what you seem to be referring to is inter-religious conflict. Seems that even today many fanatics do not believe their God has sufficient power to bring about what they seek and that they have to step in themselves. It seems to me that their actions actually speak to a lack of faith.

Whilst you are correct in that it’s not a ‘phobia’, my reading of Pushka’s comment was to reply to the one above which said we are in the grip of Christophobia (ie it’s the Christians who are suffering in the world today). My view is that it’s not an anti-Christian movement, rather a wide range of religious groups are persecuted.

 

[love_the_life]

No, it is specific to Christianity at the moment, and attacking Christianity is approved hate speech amongst our lefty elitist betters.

Have you forgotten Christchurch? And a number of other religious groups I could list.

 

[Pushka]

Today's terrible aftermath: Pregnant wife of Sri Lanka suicide bomber detonates suicide vest during raids

Words cannot simply describe this awful event. Unimaginable. If I was to make a moral judgement I’d say this was the worst crime of this sad day. But then what happened at the Churches is also abhorrent and a massive crime against humanity.

Whilst you are correct in that it’s not a ‘phobia’, my reading of Pushka’s comment was to reply to the one above which said we are in the grip of Christophobia (ie it’s the Christians who are suffering in the world today). My view is that it’s not an anti-Christian movement, rather a wide range of religious groups are persecuted.

Yes, that states it better. And the trend in this world seems to be you are either for us or against us. Sadly that’s the line Trump and his ilk seem to promote.

 

[sjk]

There is no need to have any issues. It was merely a thought, nothing more and which other experts also considered as a possibility. The intricate nature of the attack became more apparent with the fullness of time. Hindsight.

“other experts also”? Surely you jest.

 

[OATEK]

Whilst you are correct in that it’s not a ‘phobia’, my reading of Pushka’s comment was to reply to the one above which said we are in the grip of Christophobia (ie it’s the Christians who are suffering in the world today). My view is that it’s not an anti-Christian movement, rather a wide range of religious groups are persecuted.

While you missed my point, about these terrorists and their lack of faith, I can't subscribe to the view that terrorist acts are necessarily against a wide range of religious groups. The attack in Sri Lanka appears to be against a religious group (Christians) but also against westerners (in the hotels). And the attacks in Paris were not against a religious group as much as they were for aimed at westerners for not being religious adherents. The attack in Christchurch was against a religious group, but the attack in Nice against irreligious westerners. So as much as we might disagree about the use of Christophobia, I also disagree about the use of Religionophobia. While religion is proposed as a driver behind some attacks, there are a lot of "isms" also involved that don't fit (eg racism, capitalism etc).

 

[Pushka]

While you missed my point, about these terrorists and their lack of faith, I can't subscribe to the view that terrorist acts are necessarily against a wide range of religious groups. The attack in Sri Lanka appears to be against a religious group (Christians) but also against westerners (in the hotels). And the attacks in Paris were not against a religious group as much as they were for aimed at westerners for not being religious adherents. The attack in Christchurch was against a religious group, but the attack in Nice against irreligious westerners. So as much as we might disagree about the use of Christophobia, I also disagree about the use of Religionophobia. While religion is proposed as a driver behind some attacks, there are a lot of "isms" also involved that don't fit (eg racism, capitalism etc).

But isn’t that always the case? There needs to be an extra ‘ism’ in there before some one would commit any such crime on a mass scale regardless of the reason why. Radicalism being the most obvious. But your average person of religion, or no religion, would never commit such vile acts.

 

[love_the_life]

While you missed my point, about these terrorists and their lack of faith, I can't subscribe to the view that terrorist acts are necessarily against a wide range of religious groups. The attack in Sri Lanka appears to be against a religious group (Christians) but also against westerners (in the hotels). And the attacks in Paris were not against a religious group as much as they were for aimed at westerners for not being religious adherents. The attack in Christchurch was against a religious group, but the attack in Nice against irreligious westerners. So as much as we might disagree about the use of Christophobia, I also disagree about the use of Religionophobia. While religion is proposed as a driver behind some attacks, there are a lot of "isms" also involved that don't fit (eg racism, capitalism etc).

My point was simply that it’s not only Christians that are under attack. I don’t agree that terrorists have a lack of faith though. For some a warped faith has become the driving force. I did not miss your point but did not comment on it as I was only aiming to clarify what I thought Pushka had meant which you picked up on. I agree though though that it is it not purely religion behind the attacks. My issue was more that there were posts implying that Christianity was under threat, a view I do not subscribe to.

 

[Melburnian1]

But isn’t that always the case? There needs to be an extra ‘ism’ in there before some one would commit any such crime on a mass scale regardless of the reason why. Radicalism being the most obvious. But your average person of religion, or no religion, would never commit such vile acts.

Unfortunately, the very occasional research conducted overseas has found that a majority of Muslims approve of heinous acts against Christians/ Westerners. They might not 'commit' these acts but they're silently approving of them, and perhaps funding them indirectly through various organisations.

Here's one example of murders largely ignored by the secular Western press (including in Oz):

Nigeria: “There was an onslaught today” as terrorists start shooting in the streets of Christian village - The Persecution of Christians

Because of its direct link to Jesus Christ who established it, the Catholic - universal - Church is the major target, as we saw in Sri Lanka and see in mainland communist China, the Middle East...

 

[OATEK]

But isn’t that always the case? There needs to be an extra ‘ism’ in there before some one would commit any such crime on a mass scale regardless of the reason why. Radicalism being the most obvious. But your average person of religion, or no religion, would never commit such vile acts.

I am not arguing with you about that. You look at the people in your family, next door, at work, and it is hard to imagine than any of them can do anything so vile. And yet we know there are probably people who could, and in certain circumstances do, do evil. We have seen it in people killing their own family, we have seen it nation-wide in places over the last century (eg Russia, Germany, China, Korea, Rwanda etc).

I just think that what we are dealing with is in general only superficially religious in most cases, where manipulators see it as a way to fire up their followers. After every Islamic extremist inspired event commentators & most politicians go out of their way to say it is the few, and not the fault of Islam as a whole. And this goes for any similar terrorist event that a "christian" or even buddhist group might commit.

I mention Rwanda because we had a lovely young woman and mother from there in our house in Sydney one afternoon a year or so before that "ethnic" atrocity occurred. My Mum organised for us to serve afternoon tea to her and some others came from amongst other places Africa and the West Indies, to give them a feel for an Australian household. These women were here for an international women's convention. Blandine was embarrassed to be served by a man, and I was embarrassed as I sought to communicate to a fluent french speaker with my pathetic schoolboy standard efforts. But it is dreadful to think of how she was hacked to death mercilessly by her neighbours.

 

[Pushka]

My point was simply that it’s not only Christians that are under attack. I don’t agree that terrorists have a lack of faith though. For some a warped faith has become the driving force. I did not miss your point but did not comment on it as I was only aiming to clarify what I thought Pushka had meant which you picked up on. I agree though though that it is it not purely religion behind the attacks. My issue was more that there were posts implying that Christianity was under threat, a view I do not subscribe to.

As in this just as a quick google....war against the Muslim world and sanctioned by the Christian Church and hence my earlier reference to historical times.


And yes. Many terrorists do have faith. It’s just become perverted or radicalised.

 

[OATEK]

My point was simply that it’s not only Christians that are under attack. I don’t agree that terrorists have a lack of faith though. For some a warped faith has become the driving force. I did not miss your point but did not comment on it as I was only aiming to clarify what I thought Pushka had meant which you picked up on. I agree though though that it is it not purely religion behind the attacks. My issue was more that there were posts implying that Christianity was under threat, a view I do not subscribe to.

Well we probably agree on more than we disagree with then.

 

[Milboo]

Didn’t Mods lock another thread to avoid heading into this very territory?