I've read that the Minaret ban in Switzerland was in some ways a reaction to the Libyan jailing of one of their citizens. Tit for tat as it were.

 

Though considering the din those minarets generate in their calls for prayer, I could see banning them being more common based on just noise ordinances. 

 

To show just how blind and dumb Nanhe is when it comes to his personal hatreds, who is doing the coercing and forcing in this scenario (which is ***EXACTLY*** what happened in Morocco)?

 

1)  National government that enforces laws that mandate which religion Moroccans must not be presented with the choice to change from by being exposed to alternative points-of-view.

 

2)  People who travel to another land to share what they think is the Truth to see if anyone there will agree with them.

 

I've heard the minaret debate from both sides: the freedom of religion side (after all, a minaret is no different than a steeple) and the we're-about-to-be-overrun-by-Islam side.  Both have valid points--European Muslims either cannot or will not assimilate into their cultures, whereas American Muslims by and large have.  Apparently one of the mosques in question in Geneva decided to build their minaret higher than every other structure in the city, because Wahhabist Islam holds that Islam must be greater than everything else around it.  It became an eyesore and it pissed the Swiss off.  (I got that latter from Debbie Schlussel, who tends to see Islamic plots in everything, so take it with a grain of salt...but it does make sense.)

 

As for Nan, well...I disagree, as usual.  God made people.  It is people who decide what religion to follow; you do not come with a tag saying "This child will be Muslim" or "This child will be Christian."  That is a choice that your parents make for you at first, and that you decide on later.  If I decide to convert to paganism, I sincerely doubt that a lightning bolt will hit me from heaven for daring to leave the Catholic Church.  We all have free will, and God desired that such a thing happen.  He didn't want a planet of robots.  Sadly, God gets a lot of blame for the actions of people.

 

I have some friends who are pagans, and I have no problem with them.  It's their choice to make, and I'm glad we live in a country where they have the freedom to make that choice--which they wouldn't have, even in a moderate Muslim country such as Morocco.  I'll let God decide whether or not they are right, wrong, or merely different. 

 

And yes, I believe the same is true with gays.  Sorry to destroy your stereotype, Nan.

 

I'm not concerned that freedom of religion is being abused.  Muslims are allowed to practise their religion, even build mosques.  They are no longer allowed to build minarettes.  There are a number of arguments against the minarettes but personally, I would have voted for the ban also.  Switzerland has beautiful city centres, un-touched by the ravages of the Second World War.  An oriental mosque with minarettes does not fit in harmoniously with the present structures, they would be an eyesore in my view.  I'm not sure a Gothic cathedral would fit nicely into any ancient city centres of Asia or a Neo-Classical Temple next to the Great Wall of China and I'm not sure a Japanese pagoda type building would fit in Paris' Latin Quarter. 

 

It didn't help the cause of the Muslims that a quote taken from Turkey's current prime minister that went along the lines of  "Our mosques are our fortresses and their minarettes are our bayonets..."  either. 

I will try to sift through your bigotry and personal insults and address your major points.  First of all, neither I or the missionaries that go to foreign countries decide who is and isn't going to Hell.  Our FAITH, based upon our understanding of the Bible, however, teaches us that people that do not follow the path to Salvation as laid out in the New Testament will face an eternity in Hell.  You are free to disagree with that interpretation and/or that philosophy (although if you don't believe God I don't understand why you would care), but that is what drives many Christians to convince "non-believers" to convert.  I have talked to many missionaries over the years, and their entire purpose in going overseas (often at great risk to their own lives) is to prevent this fate.  My whole point is to describe their motivation in going to places like Morocco. 

 

God didn't create Wiccans, pagans, Muslims, Satanists, Baptists, or whatever.........he created people, and all people are eventually faced with a choice as to which god (if any) they will believe in or worship.  If a missionary honestly believed that a person was going to Hell if they didn't follow a certain path, don't you think it would be almost criminal if they didn't make an attempt to educate others as to the proper path to take?   In other words, if you observed someone following a certain path you believed would certainly lead to their death, wouldn't you be ethic bound to inform them of an alternate course of action?  If the other person chooses to ignore your advice and go their own way, then so be it.  As far as missionaries going overseas to disrupt people's lives and support their causes, I have no idea what you are talking about.  Most missionaries live in abject poverty, and are absolutely dependent upon good relations with the locals.  Most of their time is spent building schools, working in clinics, and feeding the hungry.  Using coercive preaching techniques or terrorizing the local populace will not only defeat the purpose of delivering the Word to the locals---------it could get you killed, and Christian martyrs generate few converts. 

 

I am a little puzzled and disturbed by your willingness to turn personal so quickly in what could easily be a civil intellectual exchange.  Since you use a variation of the word "you" eight different times in your post, then I assume you are referring to me as a person.  Very well.  I am on