students seen dressed as Arabs mocking them by carrying toy machine guns

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
101

I think I understand your point. I remember back when I was a kid, old Goldfinger had Sean Connery up on some kind of slab with his legs apart and a sizzling laser beam moving in the direction of his crotch. And as I recall it, Sean Connery said, “You expect me to talk?” And Goldfinger replied, “Noooo, Mistah Bawnd, I expect you to die!”

You’re saying I’m not letting them own their own version of their motivations.

But according to one account I read, one or more of the terrorists in the Bataclan attack actually said that they were there because of attacks in their country/countries (or specifically Syria). I don’t remember where I read that, but here’s something that looks similar:

C’est là que nous allons alors passer deux heures et demi avec les deux terroristes. Ils nous rassemblent, on est assis. Ils nous font un premier discours en disant : « Vous pouvez remercier le président Hollande, parce que c’est grâce à lui que vous subissez ça. Nous, on a laissé nos femmes et nos enfants en Syrie, sous les bombes. On fait partie de ‘l’Etat islamique’ et on est là pour venger nos familles et nos proches de l’intervention française en Syrie. » Le tout en français, avec à peine une pointe d’accent nord-africain mais sans plus.

My French is almost zilch, so I defer to Google Translate:

This is where we will spend two and a half hours with the two terrorists. They gather us, we sit. They give us a first speech by saying: “You can thank President Hollande, because it is thanks to him that you undergo this. We have left our women and children in Syria under the bombs. We are part of the ‘Islamic State’ and we are here to avenge our families and our relatives from the French intervention in Syria.” All in French, with just a touch of North African accent but nothing more.

https://www.humanite.fr/deux-heures-trente-avec-les-terroristes-du-bataclan-590145

If that terrorist really said that, he sounds kind of like Ron Paul, who said that terrorists “don’t come here to attack us because we’re rich and we’re free, they come and attack us because we’re over there.”

Ron Paul 2008 presidential campaign - Wikipedia

Edited to add:

Apparently, ISIS said something similar to what the Bataclan terrorist(s) said:

Let France and those who walk in its path know that they will remain on the top of the list of targets of the Islamic State, and that the smell of death will never leave their noses as long as they lead the convoy of the Crusader campaign, and dare to curse our Prophet, Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, and are proud of fighting Islam in France and striking the Muslims in the land of the Caliphate with their planes, which did not help them at all in the streets of Paris and its rotten alleys.

102

:rofl:

Of course you can! Thailand’s been doing it for decades. They would probably have even more Arab tourists if Saudi Arabia hadn’t withheld permission for its citizens to travel there since 1990, which has nothing to do with sex or religion btw.

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103

I wonder on what standing did everyone decide it needed to be published by the law. It’s not like Taiwan has any major religious groups that specifically talked about marriage. I don’t think there are any Buddhist or taoist doctrines on adultery. I guess dr sun was a Christian but I can’t thibk of anything else besides Ma growing up a catholic.

104

Asking people who are used to something whether or not they want to keep it amounts to do you prefer the devil you know or the devil you don’t?

105

I think Chiang Kai-shek was a Methodist. Lemme check. Okay, I’m pretty sure:

Keeping his side of the bargain, Chiang donned a simple long gown for the occasion, and, with water sprinkled on his head, was welcomed into the Methodist church.

–Jonathan Fenby, Chiang Kai Shek: China’s Generalissimo and the Nation He Lost

106

You missed the gay marriage debate?

According to the Theravada traditions there are some statements attributed to Gautama Buddha on the nature of sexual misconduct. In Everyman’s Ethics, a collection of four specific suttas compiled and translated by Narada Thera, it is said that adultery is one of four evils the wise will never praise.

The precept against sexual misconduct also outlines that sexual acts such as premarital sexual conduct, adultery, prostitution, having intercourse with prostitutes, etc., are all sexual misconduct.

And you’re forgetting an important part of the picture. Ask South Korea:

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107

Yes your right, he married one of the Soong sisters with Charlie Soong was also a Methodist. I wonder why no one ever made a movie about the 3 soong sisters. Seems like a great movie idea.

I think this is the best evidence of the oppressive patriarchy. Clearly all the 3 soong sisters combined probably influenced a great of the development of ROC and PRC today. But we never hear about them, just CKS mao and dr sun.

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108

I’d be interested in seeing that movie, if they ever make it.

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110

Christians imagine a wide range of things, as history clearly shows.

Asking what is the one true interpretation of a religion is like asking what is the one true religion.

111

Wow, I just learned a lot of new stuff. Neo Confucianism was not a thing I knew existed.

112

Wow! I wonder if my local DVD rental place has that.

113

I guess the better way to put it is, Jesus as we know from history did not hold any form of earth position that gave him power outside of maybe being able to build good chairs and tables or whatever other carpentry skills he had. He actually along with his disciples tell his followers to actually submit to the laws of the land. Unless the laws directly makes you disobey god, I guess the only interpretation of that is what someone think is disobeying god. However, seeing jesus like I said was kind of a hippie and was telling everyone to love each other as themselves as the most important of gods commandments…you can see why there arent many christian terrorist cells around the world today.

114

They don’t usually refer to it as Davidic because Jesus is considered the important part of the line (obviously), but David is not forgotten.

How many Christians believe in apostolic succession?

Of course that doesn’t necessarily mean believing in a Christian world government in some form, but Catholics certainly do, or at least they’re supposed to believe in it.

Catholics are around 50% of Christians btw.

115

I don’t know why our man @Gain has been so grumpy lately. It could be that he is simply in a brown study; that is to say, perhaps he has of late–but wherefore he knows not–lost all his mirth. Or it may be that he is somehow off his feed, so to speak–not to compare him to a literal horse, of course, although he sometimes seems somewhat like a horse in his ways.

I’m kidding, but he does seem more curmudgeonly than usual.

116

News flash!

That tiny little country had over 50,000 Americans in 2015.

As noted earlier, there are westerners in other Arab countries. But in particular, try telling Emiratis you put them in the same category as Saudi Arabia! :rofl:

Allegedly. :zipper_mouth_face:

It’s certainly no “gay paradise” though.

Attributed to the BBC:

As in all Gulf states, Oman does have an underground gay scene. It is widely seen as more tolerant than many of its neighbours as long as activities remain discreet.

117

Maybe because you misgendered her? :grin:

118

Personally, I’m not living anywhere with Sharia or where even half the people think it should apply to me as a non-believer, but there’s a lot more going on in those polls than that.

119

I haven’t been keeping up with the latest younger-folk lingo, so maybe I misinterpreted this:

Please advise.

120

These days, pronouns can be deceiving. :sunglasses:

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