Modern Life In Appalachia

aristotle

Veteran Expediter
Amazing that some people still don't see this blinding glimpse of the obvious.

Oh, they see it. But, to admit it would stand their worldview on its head. The defenders of sharia are trying to establish a moral equivalency where none exists. No legal code in the West in anyway approaches the brutality and barbarism associated with sharia corporal punishments. Someday sharia will be outlawed everywhere. Notice how quickly the Egyptian Army moved to expel the Muslim Brotherhood from power. The moderate forces in Egypt will not allow sharia to take root.
 

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
I wonder, how many who seek to dispense advice on marriage, relationships etc, are themselves successful at it? If they are not, should they be critical of others?
A seemingly reasonable thought at first blush to be sure ... but rather simplistic at best ...

First off, making observations is far, far different than offering advice ...

Second, I would say that someone who has been involved in an unsuccessful marriage that ultimately didn't last - regardless of how responsibility or blame might be apportioned for that lack of success - are indeed qualified to offer advice and a critical eye ...

Think about it.

Finally, I would say that mere persistence and continuation of a union - as the sole criteria - is a poor measure at best of a "successful" marriage ...

Same for marriage. I would go to people with successful long term marriages for advice. If I wanted to learn how NOT to have a successful marriage I would talk to those who have failed.
Like I said above: simplistic ...
 

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
Amazing that some people still don't see this blinding glimpse of the obvious.
What's really amazing is the desperation of those whose motivations might well stem from religious bigotry, to use sharia as weapon to further their efforts to demonize and stigmatize people of a particular faith, as well as the faith itself ...

The ironies are so numerous that they are hard to count or fully quantify ...

These include such things as:

1. Having a shared history and provenance of similar punishments in times past ...

2. The willful ignoring of certain, perhaps positive aspects of sharia which allow "mercy, not sacrifice" ... such as the family and heirs of a murder victim being able to grant forgiveness and clemency for a capital crime ... allowing the perpetrator to receive forgiveness, rather than punishment (Raymond Davis should be counting his blessings)

3. Espousing of a punishment - the death penalty - which is at least as barbarous - if not more so - as some punishments that would be authorized under sharia.

4. The amoral justification of aggressive and illegal war - which likely stems from self-righteous, inflated sense of their own moral superiority and "exceptionalism" ... as well as a form of idolatry which would rightly be described as worship of militarism and all things military ...

5. The amoral justification of the slaughter of innocents that occurs in such wars.

Such things help to illustrate the utterly sanctimonious hypocrisy and moral blindness of such folks, exposing their seemingly high-minded "morality" as mere lip-service to the ideals they claim to espouse ...
 
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xmudman

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
And there you have it - straight from the Christian family man living in PA. But assuming his wife is comfortable with their relationship, where's the abuse :confused:

There is no abuse. My college gf survived a 3-year abusive marriage. I helped her get her life back. I swore I would never, never allow myself to act in such a manner as D's ex did. By God's grace, I've kept that oath. Not bragging at all, BTW.

Not Welcome in New York
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
The irony that strikes me as the most hypocritical is, when a Christian does something wacko, the response is, invariably, "He's not a TRUE Christian, " but when a Muslim does something wacko, the response is... to make him the poster boy for Islam.
 

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
Oh, they see it. But, to admit it would stand their worldview on its head.
Personally, I have absolutely no problem acknowledging that certain aspects of religious legal codes - including sharia - are out of step with modern concepts of what constitutes appropriate punishment.

But I wonder if others can find their voice to expand their condemnation beyond their selective condemnation of sharia ...

Given that they are often inclined to silence on many matters and aspects which foment their cognitive dissonance, I rather seriously doubt it ...

The defenders of sharia are trying to establish a moral equivalency where none exists. No legal code in the West in anyway approaches the brutality and barbarism associated with sharia corporal punishments.
LOL ... you are obviously completely ignorant of Jewish halacha (religious law):

... The courts administer four death penalties: stoning, burning, beheading, and strangling. The first three are explicitly specified in the Torah for various sins, and the punishment for murder too is beheading.

It is a tradition received from Moses that whenever the Torah does not specify the manner of execution strangling is meant. The courts are commanded to administer these penalties to those who deserve them; and there is a special prohibition against not executing a convicted sorcerer, as it says "You shall not let a sorceress live".8

We are commanded to hang a male idolator or blasphemer after he is executed, but it is forbidden to leave him hanging overnight, as it says "And if there is in a man a sin for which he is sentenced to death you shall hang him on a tree; his carcass shall not stay overnight on the tree... for the cursing of G-d [he] is hung",9 and it says "[And a person that acts highhandedly...] blasphemes Ha-Shem".10 We are commanded to bury executed persons on the day of their execution, as it says "For you shall bury him on that day".9,d

Halacha-Overview - Torah.org

It appears to be a religious legal code that exists in the West, although it is not practiced ... since secular law take precedence ...

Someday sharia will be outlawed everywhere.
Nope ... what will likely happen though is that secular law will eventually replace religious legal codes for the most part ... certainly in most matters involving corporal or capital punishment, if not in all matters of civil and criminal law ...

This, of course, is a double-edged sword for those who with theocratic inclinations, who wish to use the power of the state to force at least certain aspects of religious legal codes down others throats in a self-righteous moralistic fervor ...

... too bad, so sad ...

Supposed defender of the rule of law and believer in the democratic process rejoices over an illegal coup staged by militarist radicals:

Notice how quickly the Egyptian Army moved to expel the Muslim Brotherhood from power. The moderate forces in Egypt will not allow sharia to take root.
Seemingly a good example of what might constitute a worship of raw power and violence, and the rule of men ... rather than the rule of law, and the right of a people to self-determination ...
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
The irony that strikes me as the most hypocritical is, when a Christian does something wacko, the response is, invariably, "He's not a TRUE Christian, " but when a Muslim does something wacko, the response is... to make him the poster boy for Islam.

IF it is, or was, an individual Muslim, it would be hypocritical. There are, however, entire countries ruled in an abusive manner and the abuse, mainly towards women, and anyone who disagrees with there religious ideas, are under threat from the entire government, not just the scorn of their neighbors.
 

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
There are, however, entire countries ruled in an abusive manner and the abuse, mainly towards women, and anyone who disagrees with there religious ideas, are under threat from the entire government, not just the scorn of their neighbors.
Yes ... and, ironically enough, some of those governments - if not a majority - are in, or continue in, power solely due to support from the United States government ... who, of course, has a long, sordid, documented history of enabling them ...
 

muttly

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
The irony that strikes me as the most hypocritical is, when a Christian does something wacko, the response is, invariably, "He's not a TRUE Christian, " but when a Muslim does something wacko, the response is... to make him the poster boy for Islam.
Most of the time the response is 'radical' Muslim .
 

RLENT

Veteran Expediter
Most of the time the response is 'radical' Muslim .
Very rarely does the frothing Islamophobe engage in discernment of such clearly obvious points of differentiation ...

Doesn't fit or serve the agenda ...
 
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cheri1122

Veteran Expediter
Driver
I keep hearing this about modern christian men keeping women down. I attended 20 years of catholic church and nearly as many in non denominational churches. HGuess they kept it hidden from me.

"Kept it hidden from you"? No, they didn't. They have no need to hide it.
Men are 'in charge' - they have all the power, and women have only as much as the men allow them to have. From marriage, to religion, to the government, every relationship follows that fundamental rule.
'Modern Christian men' are keeping women down exactly the same way they always have: by retaining the final authority exclusively for themselves.
Whether they treat women well or ill makes no difference. Whether women appreciate or despise it, accept or reject it, makes no difference: women have only as much power and authority as men allow them to have. The knowledge that one is inferior [and ultimately powerless] is damaging, both to an individual woman, and to the collective.
Of course you wouldn't 'see' that, or question the 'why' of it, because it's as natural to you [men] as breathing - but women are beginning to question it: why are men 'superior", exactly?


I am curious when was the last time you attended a church on a regular basis and witnessed this for yourself?

It's irrelevant, but I'll answer: I went to church [Catholic] pretty often as a child, taken along with my favorite cousin whenever I spent Saturday night at her house. Some of my family [aunts, cousins] are quite religious, others, not at all. The differences puzzled me, so I did some research/studying as a teen & adult on the 'flavors' of religion. What I concluded is that each believes it is the 'one true faith' - but they can't all be right, and I'm not anywhere near smart enough to choose which of them is.
 

Jamin_Joe

Seasoned Expediter
I do need to address abusing women.
Being thst I grew up with seven sisters and no brothers, I was taught that men should not abuse women. If you truely love someone, you will not do anything to hurt them both physically or mentally.

We had this neighbor whose children would go next door to have yhem call the police since their father was beating up thier mother again. This happened several times per week.

That broke my heart and it is very sick in my opionion. Those children will be scared for life and may end up being or tolorating abuse.

The wife could have easily gound a better man, she was attractive. Of course, she had the children to worry about and may not of had the skills to afford living on her own.

Women and men for that matter, men are victims of abuse as well, should always have the ability skill wise to leave a toxic relationship.

Though the Bible frowns on divorce, there are exceptions listed in it where Divorce is ok. Especislly where abuse is concerned.
 

jamom123

Expert Expediter
I keep hearing this about modern christian men keeping women down. I attended 20 years of catholic church and nearly as many in non denominational churches. HGuess they kept it hidden from me.

"Kept it hidden from you"? No, they didn't. They have no need to hide it.
Men are 'in charge' - they have all the power, and women have only as much as the men allow them to have. From marriage, to religion, to the government, every relationship follows that fundamental rule.
'Modern Christian men' are keeping women down exactly the same way they always have: by retaining the final authority exclusively for themselves.

I don't know where you get this information but at least where i was brought up that is total BS. My entire family is southern baptist and women are treated with the utmost respect.
"men are in charge" yea as long as the women allow them to be. :)



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xiggi

Veteran Expediter
Owner/Operator
I keep hearing this about modern christian men keeping women down. I attended 20 years of catholic church and nearly as many in non denominational churches. HGuess they kept it hidden from me.

"Kept it hidden from you"? No, they didn't. They have no need to hide it.
Men are 'in charge' - they have all the power, and women have only as much as the men allow them to have. From marriage, to religion, to the government, every relationship follows that fundamental rule.
'Modern Christian men' are keeping women down exactly the same way they always have: by retaining the final authority exclusively for themselves.
Whether they treat women well or ill makes no difference. Whether women appreciate or despise it, accept or reject it, makes no difference: women have only as much power and authority as men allow them to have. The knowledge that one is inferior [and ultimately powerless] is damaging, both to an individual woman, and to the collective.
Of course you wouldn't 'see' that, or question the 'why' of it, because it's as natural to you [men] as breathing - but women are beginning to question it: why are men 'superior", exactly?


I am curious when was the last time you attended a church on a regular basis and witnessed this for yourself?

It's irrelevant, but I'll answer: I went to church [Catholic] pretty often as a child, taken along with my favorite cousin whenever I spent Saturday night at her house. Some of my family [aunts, cousins] are quite religious, others, not at all. The differences puzzled me, so I did some research/studying as a teen & adult on the 'flavors' of religion. What I concluded is that each believes it is the 'one true faith' - but they can't all be right, and I'm not anywhere near smart enough to choose which of them is.

Its irrelevant now that's funny.
So in other words you haven't attended church on a regular basis as an adult am I reading that right? Your simply repeating the claims you hear others make. Modern day church I'm america has a huge number of successful independent married woman. The same is true for successful single women. They actually get to sit wherever they like during service. For the most part it seems like everyone here claiming women are held down do not even attend services.

Sent from my - Fisher Price ABC - 123
 
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layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Gee, I don't know, maybe these people who think that modern Christian men, "keep their wives down", had better have a word with MY wife, of soon to be 41 years. She lets me think I am in charge ALL the time!

It is funny how often it seems that flawed observation from afar, or, 3rd or 4th hand "stories", seldom hold up to the realities.

When I was growing up, learning about life, I did not learn from books, I had real life examples of how to treat women and have a lasting marriage. I looked to my grandfather on my mother's side, they were married 74 years when my grandmother died. I looked to my grandfather on my dad's side, they were married over 40 years when he was killed. I looked to my parents, they were married 58 years when my mom died. Only ONE of all of my aunts and uncles were ever divorced. All mentioned above were "modern" Christian" men and women. I guess they had it all wrong. Too bad, they were all happy.

I wonder, how many of those who feel we are "holding" our women back, would wish to share THEIR success stories? How well has THEIR "modern" ways worked for them?
 
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Pilgrim

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
The irony that strikes me as the most hypocritical is, when a Christian does something wacko, the response is, invariably, "He's not a TRUE Christian, " but when a Muslim does something wacko, the response is... to make him the poster boy for Islam.
When a Christian (or non-Muslim) individual or group does something wacko, it's true that he/they are labeled "not truly Christian". However, they are also publicly denounced and repudiated by the Christian community (eg, the Westboro Baptist Church), and if their wacko activities are criminal in nature they're prosecuted and punished according to a Judeo-Christian based legal system.

Islamic radicals and terrorists on the other hand, seem to be given a pass by their so-called mainstream brothers and are considered jihadists. Muslim mobs in the hundreds of thousands protested in the streets against cartoons published in a Dutch newspaper that were considered offensive to their religion, but no such mass protests have ever been seen against the atrocities of Islamic terrorist groups like al-qaeda or boko-haram. With the exception of Egypt, these radicals are simply accepted or tolerated by Islamic governments, religious leaders and mainstream Muslims. Sharia law simply adds to the barbarism, while serving as justification for the terrorists' atrocities.
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Yeah, "modern Christian men" do THIS ALL the time in the US, or maybe just in the "bible belt".

[h=1]Sudanese woman sentenced to death for apostasy[/h]

Sudanese woman sentenced to death for apostasy

Did you read about this Sudanese woman or did you actually experience it yourself?

In any case, it has nothing to do with life in Appalachia or in the Bible Belt. It has nothing to do with southern men ensuring their women are subservient and the women accepting it (even do the point of "modern" women writing entire Web sites informing other women why they should too).
 
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layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Did you read about this Sudanese woman or did you actually experience it yourself?

In any case, it has nothing to do with life in Appalachia or in the Bible Belt. It has nothing to do with southern men ensuring their women are subservient and the women accepting it (even do the point of "modern" women writing entire Web sites informing other women why they should too).

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

I doubt very much that a majority of southern men "force" their women into subservience. I also doubt that those who believe that can prove it. I also doubt that a majority of southern women would STAND for being forced into subservience and that there is any proof of that.

Does it happen? Yep. Is it the norm? I find it unlikely. "Modern women" writing web sites, telling others what THEY should do? What makes them think that THEY are right? What makes them think that those who CHOOSE, (notice I did not say forced) a lifestyle that is different, are wrong?

People, even women, in THIS country, are entitled to live as they choose. So called "modern women" have NO business telling others how to live. Just as those who have more "traditional" tastes should not be doing the same.

I will tell you one thing, and this is just my personal observations over my 63 years, far more women today look "grumpy" compared to what I remember in years passed. I don't know that is what I am seeing, it is how I perceive what I see. Large number just look unhappy most of the time.
 
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Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
When a Christian (or non-Muslim) individual or group does something wacko, it's true that he/they are labeled "not truly Christian". However, they are also publicly denounced and repudiated by the Christian community (eg, the Westboro Baptist Church), and if their wacko activities are criminal in nature they're prosecuted and punished according to a Judeo-Christian based legal system.
Well, they are denounced as my being a true Christian, and they publicly repudiated because a Christian will flat throw another Christian under the bus out of fear of being associated with that particular flavor of Christian fervor. There are plenty of Christians who sat back in silent agreement with Westboro, for example. A very few even agreed in public. At least two did so right here on these forum boards.

Islamic radicals and terrorists on the other hand, seem to be given a pass by their so-called mainstream brothers and are considered jihadists.
I dunno. I guess it depends on where you look. I heard and read plenty of comments from mainstream Muslims denouncing Islamic radicals and terrorists actions.

Muslim mobs in the hundreds of thousands protested in the streets against cartoons published in a Dutch newspaper that were considered offensive to their religion, but no such mass protests have ever been seen against the atrocities of Islamic terrorist groups like al-qaeda or boko-haram.
I haven't seen Christian mobs in those numbers protest against the atrocities of Christian groups, either, but Christians certainly protested in very large numbers against the building of a mosque a few blocks away from Ground Zero.

With the exception of Egypt, these radicals are simply accepted or tolerated by Islamic governments, religious leaders and mainstream Muslims. Sharia law simply adds to the barbarism, while serving as justification for the terrorists' atrocities.
This may come as a shock to you, but life, attitudes and cultures in other countries are often very different from that of the United States. Then again, we have our own Christian radicals that are tolerated by the US government, religious leaders and mainstream Christians.

Clearly, sharia law just scares the pee out of some people. Otherwise, they wouldn't care one wit about the religious rules that people in other countries decide to live by. They wouldn't go to great lengths to associate the rarely handed out extreme punishments of sharia law with that of any and all implementations of sharia law everywhere, and to associate barbarism and terrorist atrocities of extreme Muslims with all Muslims everywhere. These people lie in bed at night quivering over sharia law and Muslims, all Muslims, and they wet themselves. They dream that Muslims are dead, because the only good ones are the dead ones. And they wet themselves again. Only only different.
 
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