President Obama compares ISIS to the Crusades. Angers conservatives who apparently support the Crusades?

Courtesy of AOL: 

President Barack Obama set off a firestorm Thursday morning by comparing ISIS barbarity to the Crusades. 

Obama recalled the savagery carried out nearly one thousand years ago in the name of Christ while speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast, in Washington, D.C., but his equivocation fell on outraged ears. 

The president railed against the Islamic State, calling it "a brutal, vicious death cult" that slaughters and enslaves innocents all in the name of religion. 

His next comments, which recalled "terrible deeds ... including slavery" that happened during the Crusades and were "justified in the name of Christ." 

He then said: "We are summoned to push back against those who would distort our religion for their nihilistic ends." 

By "our religion," Obama meant any religion, veteran White House reporter Mark Knoller noted on Twitter, but several people took exception to the remark, wondering aloud on Twitter which religion the president was referring to. 

"Our nation is stronger when people of all faiths feel they are welcome," Obama continued. "So humility is needed."

Apparently certain conservatives took offense at the remarks, suggesting that it is outrageous to equate the terrible things that ISIS has done to Christian actions during the Crusades.

Have these people ever read about the Crusades?

Not only did they last almost four centuries but the Christians slaughtered not only thousands of Muslims, but entire villages of Jews as well.

I think the President is spot on with his comparison, and if these idiots were not so dedicated to jumping to the defense of their religion at every perceived slight they would probably see that as well.

Fox's Eric Bolling pushes for holy war with ISIS. Well this isn't helping.

Courtesy of Mediaite:

He said, “There’s a common denominator with these murderous thugs: they’re Islamic, they’re radical, they’re extremist, and they’re purely intolerant. It’s time to wake up.” And as far as Bolling’s concerned, the persecution of Christians and the call by one terrorist for the flag of Allah to fly at the White House just go too far: “You want a holy war? We’ll give you one. It just may be time to unleash hell on radical Islam. Don’t worry, Islamic jihadists, your 72 virgins await.”

If you listen to Bolling the only two groups he mentions by name are the Christians and the Jews. Every other group that is being terrorized, including many that are Muslim is of no real consequence.

After all if you are going to promote a holy war, it helps to have each side clearly defined by their different religious affiliations.

As I said yesterday, this situation needs to be addressed in terms of humanitarian needs, NOT religious intolerance.

It does not matter that ISIS, or any other group, wants to draw America into a holy war. We are a secular nation, despite Christian revisionists attempting to paint us otherwise, and we need to move forward as a country that cares for ALL people without regard to their skin color, country of origin, or religious beliefs.

And seriously just when is Fox News finally going to be identified as a hate group?

Sarah Palin quotes scripture while demanding that the President sacrifice more American lives to "secure America above all else."

Courtesy of Mary Megadeath's Facebook page: 

For such a time as this, our finest need our support; demand the Commander in Chief prioritize troop needs to secure America above all else.

The quote above is attributed to David who was calling upon his God to help him to smite his enemies.

Which of course is exactly what modern day Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan are doing as well right now.  Only they are praying to Allah to help rid themselves of Christians.

In fact right now ISIS is on a rampage through Iraq trying to eradicate Christianity altogether in their homeland. And in response there has been much outrage here in the United States, and among other Christian nations, to stand up and defend their Christian brothers and sisters.

There are great atrocities being committed against innocent men, women, and children, that is to be sure. And I agree that something needs to be done to stop it.

However ISIS has been targeting not only Christians but ANY people living in Iraq who they do not find worthy, including the Yazidi, Turkmen, Shaback, and Kurds.

Many of these people are also Muslim, yet ISIS does not consider them "pure" enough to live unmolested in their country. They either demand that they convert to their brand of Islam, or they kill them outright.

So if the United States, is going to intervene (And by the way we ARE intervening.), it must do so as a response to ethnic cleansing and on behalf of human rights. NOT as a Christian nation coming to the aid of its fellow Christians.

THAT only feeds into the idea of a giant religious war, which is exactly what ISIS is hoping for.

So little bullshit Facebook posts by Palin and other Christian zealots do nothing but inflame religious outrage and cause people to put their faith ahead of their humanity.

The last thing we need to do is engage in another Christian crusade.

George W. Bush already tried that once, and we are still dealing with the fallout to this day.

Bill Maher expresses my feelings on religion quite eloquently.

My bitch about religion, as I think I have voice quite clearly numerous times, is that it often lends power to people who should remain powerless.

Insinuating God's endorsement of your prejudices give those prejudices undeserved power, and make them seem acceptable to the simpletons who place faith over intelligence.

By invoking God you can also destroy entire civilizations, destroy the planet's environment, and brutalize children until they bow to your, and of course God's, will.

And it's influence in this country is especially troubling. Especially if you are to realize that without it there would have been NO President Reagan, President Bush, or VP candidate Sarah Palin.

Faith kept private can provide solace and comfort, but used as a bludgeon it can, and has, led to immense suffering and harm.

When Christian crusades backfire.

(Comic courtesy of Doonesbury.com)

Perhaps this was an outcome easily predicted once George W. Bush referred to this war as a "Crusade" and also claimed that he took his direction directly from God himself:

Mr Bush revealed the extent of his religious fervour when he met a Palestinian delegation during the Israeli-Palestinian summit at the Egpytian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, four months after the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. 

One of the delegates, Nabil Shaath, who was Palestinian foreign minister at the time, said: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I am driven with a mission from God'. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did.

Considering how things seem to have panned out one must wonder if Bush was being directed by the Judeo-Christian god Yahweh, or perhaps listening to the murmurings of Allah?

(H/T to Andrew Sullivan)

American soldiers killing Muslims with guns inscribed with coded biblical references. WTF? Update!

By Brian Ross, Joseph Rhee and Tahman Bradley January 18, 2010

“Coded references to New Testament Bible passages about Jesus Christ are inscribed on high-powered rifle sights provided to the United States military by a Michigan company, an ABC News investigation has found.

The sights are used by U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the training of Iraqi and Afghan soldiers. The maker of the sights, Trijicon, has a $660 million multi-year contract to provide up to 800,000 sights to the Marine Corps, and additional contracts to provide sights to the U.S. Army.

U.S. military rules specifically prohibit the proselytizing of any religion in Iraq or Afghanistan and were drawn up in order to prevent criticism that the U.S. was embarked on a religious “Crusade” in its war against al Qaeda and Iraqi insurgents.

One of the citations on the gunsights, 2COR4:6, is an apparent reference to Second Corinthians 4:6 of the New Testament, which reads: “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (To read more of this stomach churning story, and the disgrace felt by an American soldier forced to use these weapons, please visit my friend Leah Burton over at God's Own Party?)

The infiltration of the military by the fundamentalist Christians has been widely reported on this and many other blogs. The influence that these groups now have over our young men and women in the armed forces is frightening to behold.

Sending impressionable young Americans over to an Islamic country to fight while clutching weapons emblazoned with biblical passages like "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.", should raise red flags all throughout this country.

George Bush once referred to this conflict as a "Crusade" he was rightfully chastised for that remark. But what does it say about our conflict now if we are sending warriors into combat carrying sayings from the Gospels to battle people of a differing religious faith?

And HOW can this still be happening with Barack Obama in the White House?

Update: Here is Rachel Maddow's segment on this story.

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