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So given a choice between a Westboro Baptist Christian or a devout Muslim to be your next door neighbor, which one would you choose and WHY.

Devout Muslim
Because i know how they think

I would move out from there.

I would probably say devout muslim. True he may be someone who would look at me from his garden as someone who wants to kill me for existing, being gay, but at least devout muslims are varied in their level of extremist ways, they may even be quiet about their bigoted religiosity, where as a WBC member would never shut the fuck up and ruin any chance of peace.

To be clear, are you drawing a distinction between devout Muslims and devout terrorists who claim Islam as their chosen faith? Because it seems like more and more that's a line that's getting blurred. I've actually lived in two places now in the states where I had a pretty observant Muslim family as neighbors (three if you count one in Army basic training) and somehow I came away from it not only free of any honor killing, but completely unscathed.

But just to be shocking, I'll say Westboro Baptist Church, because they're always off somewhere else picketing something so I'd never actually have to deal with them.

I'd pick either one, sell the house to the other one, then watch the sparks fly.

Westboro ... because I undoubtably have neighbors just like them ... only religion isn't discussed in polite company, and I really don't know my neighbors all that well (typical contemporary American).

I don't have any devout Muslim neighbors that I know of, no Muslim neighbors of any kind that I know of.  I do prefer the church carillon I can hear on Sundays over a badly reproduced muezzin doing the call for prayer five times a day.

So I took this as an exercise in realism, not idealism.

Westboro - because I would not be able to resist fucking with them in some way, and they're more fun to fuck with than those who are actually homicidal when challenged.

Since neither the wife or I are home during the day, probably prefer the westboro nuts cause I know most of them love dogs anyway and I worry about my puppies when I am gone. Mess with them and by code I am forced to kill everyone…er…….skip that last part.

I'd go with the Muslims. The Westboro (Unclaimed by any Baptist Organization) Baptists are a special kind of crazy that I want nothing to do with. Most Christians consider them to be examples of how they should not behave, and hate them as much as everyone else. That says something.

Quote from: TomFoolery on November 09, 2015, 05:08:26 PM
To be clear, are you drawing a distinction between devout Muslims and devout terrorists who claim Islam as their chosen faith? Because it seems like more and more that's a line that's getting blurred. I've actually lived in two places now in the states where I had a pretty observant Muslim family as neighbors (three if you count one in Army basic training) and somehow I came away from it not only free of any honor killing, but completely unscathed.

But just to be shocking, I'll say Westboro Baptist Church, because they're always off somewhere else picketing something so I'd never actually have to deal with them.

Hmm, the guys who flew airplanes into buildings were by all accounts devout, polite, and quite nice to talk to. I should have specified that in my OP. My apologies.

Yes, we never know what The Other is saying behind our backs, in the privacy of their homes, or introspectively behind their eyebrows.  Paranoia isn't an ideology, it is a medical condition.  Of course the world is a dangerous place, but I don't plan on staying too long.

The Westboros would actually bother you, so the Muslims obviously. The devout Muslims I know tend to keep to their own, where as the Westboros thrive on being annoying af to everyone else.

 The most radical 'Christians' one can think of are the Westboro bunch. But as loony as they are I don't think they would insist on beheading people, crucifying them, stoning women for being raped, etc...OTOH, a devout Muslim is like the scorpion who asked a turtle to be carried across the river, promising that it would be against its interest to bite. Yet, half way, the scorpion does bite the turtle. Upon asked why, "it's in my nature", replied the scorpion.

Disturbing video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8fzcT7jHG8

Quote from: josephpalazzo on November 11, 2015, 10:14:17 AM
The most radical 'Christians' one can think of are the Westboro bunch. But as loony as they are I don't think they would insist on beheading people, crucifying them, stoning women for being raped, etc...OTOH, a devout Muslim is like the scorpion who asked a turtle to be carried across the river, promising that it would be against its interest to bite. Yet, half way, the scorpion does bite the turtle. Upon asked why, "it's in my nature", replied the scorpion.

Disturbing video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8fzcT7jHG8

But that implies racism, unless you want to call all people violent (as I do), that some people are genetically Third World or are genetically destructive.  Of course one might be, in some way, genetically Arabic ... but I don't see First World Arabs or Muslims as being any more dangerous than others.  Of course Third World people ... are to be handled carefully and humanely.  And destructive people .. are to be handled carefully and humanely if possible, and destroyed if that isn't possible, for the greater good.  But I don't see any religion or ideology being genetic (Nazis not withstanding).

Quote from: Baruch on November 11, 2015, 05:01:52 PM
But that implies racism, unless you want to call all people violent (as I do), that some people are genetically Third World or are genetically destructive.  Of course one might be, in some way, genetically Arabic ... but I don't see First World Arabs or Muslims as being any more dangerous than others.  Of course Third World people ... are to be handled carefully and humanely.  And destructive people .. are to be handled carefully and humanely if possible, and destroyed if that isn't possible, for the greater good.  But I don't see any religion or ideology being genetic (Nazis not withstanding).

Yeah...where the hell is JonB, our Briton for denial, now?

Devout Muslims would keep to themselves most likely, especially in the US, where they don't make up a large percentage of the total population.  So I would prefer to live next door to WBC, because I enjoy laughing at others, and these "wonderful" people don't seem like they're shy about their brand of stupid. 

QuoteThe most radical 'Christians' one can think of are the Westboro bunch.

Actually, I think most people would think of probably groups from Africa, where they behead people, rape people, burn people for being witches ... or are causing tens of thousands of Muslims to flee or be killed.

Westboro Baptist Church, without a doubt.  As crazy as they are, I've never heard of them getting violent.  I can't say that about devout muslims.

Quote from: josephpalazzo on November 09, 2015, 02:49:12 PM
So given a choice between a Westboro Baptist Christian or a devout Muslim to be your next door neighbor, which one would you choose and WHY.

That'd depend, not all devout Muslims are Islamist - meaning they may live according to strict Islamic law but don't feel a compulsion to impose it on their neighbors, which the Westboro cult does.

(For that matter not all devout Christians do; Amish for example don't try to convert people to their way of life).

Quote from: peacewithoutgod on November 12, 2015, 01:32:59 AM
Yeah...where the hell is JonB, our Briton for denial, now?

He realized we don't break at 4pm for high tea ... so he has moved on ;-(