Froggy

Rhonda, absolutely spot on target. Islam holds no corner on brutal intolerant behaviors. Extremism is a significant part of every major world religion. Until we learn to recognize this and understand the root causes, this will never change. It is far easier to adhere to religious principles and tenets than to possess and live with faith and love.

Froggy

Bill I think you highlight an vey basic difference in philosophical orientation here. While many Westerners scoff at the "martyrs" joy at the prospect of 17 virgins awaiting them in Paradise, the "heroes" genuuinely and gladly embrace death, fully trusting in the promises made to them. Where in the West, we barely can bring ourselves to fully cope or even discuss death without secretly shuddering. I wonder if this is because we are relatively fat and affluent. So stuffed with material satisfactions, that Heaven seems rather drab and dull by comparison. While those in the East making the ultimate sacrifice are poor and living spartan lives for the most part.

Builder

You should add to this the fundamental difference (pun unintended) between the relationships of this life to the next for the western world and for the world to the east of that. In the east (in general) the next life is given much greater importance than this life. Indeed in many eastern religions this life is but a preparation or a leadup to the next. In western thinking, this life is all important and little thought is given to preparin for life after this one. In the east people long for the next world because they believe it will inevitably be better than this life. In Buddhism and Hinduism, for example, this life is nothing but suffering. Christianity has so distorted and fantasized the heaven of the next life that many doubt it could possibly exist, at least in that form. So westerners want to stay alive for as long as possible, while those in the east look forward to the next life, thus have no fear of death. They don't necessarily want to die, but they don't fear it.