[The Reaper]

I think that a cogent point we seem to be missing here is that we are a nation of (primarily) Christians. We are NOT a Christian nation. Our founding fathers saw to that. A representational democratic government of elected civilians, operating under a constitution guaranteeing our freedoms, and under the rule of secular law, passed by an elected Congress and judged by educated jurists, form the basis of our laws. I can build a mosque or a temple in virtually any place I wish in the U.S. Minority religions are tolerated, and are protected by the law. Religious figures hold no official role in government. The Pope, heads of Protestant faiths, imams, mullahs, rabbis, etc. have no role in the rule of this nation. There are many bad Christians. But Christianity itself is not bad.

On the other side of the coin, most Islamic nations are the antithesis of that. There, religion takes precedence over government, law, common sense, etc. There are very few majority Islamic nations where religion is not the dominant factor in governance, law, and societal interaction. They are almost all de facto theocracies. The only exceptions I can think of have been the dictatorships held together by military power and secret police. Religious officials are the real power in Islamic nations, whether they are overtly or covertly doing so. Islamic rulers serve at the whim of the religious leaders. As for progress, where are the modern Islamic scientists? Is A.Q. Khan the best they can do? What benefits to the planet have been made by the Muslims in the last 500 years? What Muslim nation sets the standard of living for the global community? Islam trumps law, constitutions, democracy, and election results itself. If an Islamic religious leader orders a follower to violate civil or criminal law, even to do harm to fellow Muslims, it must be obeyed as Allah's will. Under Islam, women are chattel property and 2nd class citizens, non-Muslims are 3rd class, or less, Jews are sub-human, the law is the one laid down by the founder of the religion 1400 years ago, and bestiality, pedophilia, sodomy, murder, rape, slavery, etc. are supported by religious doctrine. IMHO, Islam, is a seriously flawed religion, one that dogmatically disallows peaceful coexistence with any other faiths, except as an Islamic caliphate. If you believe otherwise, go to one of the majority Muslim "nations" and perform some missionary work. Build a church. Hand out Bibles. Reality check. See what happens.

TR