Cologne Cathedral

[dextrous63]

No doubt.  Mind you, Protestants weren't entirely averse to doing particularly unpleasant things to Catholics.  And vice versa, no doubt.

Just seems to me that the religion of peace has so many splinter groups, with plenty of them happy to destroy/kill/maim Allah's other creations that eventually it'll just all kick off.  Or at least it'll never settle down, a bit like someone with lifelong acne, there's always be some unwelcome pus.

[JBR]

No doubt.  Mind you, Protestants weren't entirely averse to doing particularly unpleasant things to Catholics.  And vice versa, no doubt.

Just seems to me that the religion of peace has so many splinter groups, with plenty of them happy to destroy/kill/maim Allah's other creations that eventually it'll just all kick off.  Or at least it'll never settle down, a bit like someone with lifelong acne, there's always be some unwelcome pus.

Mainly in Northern Ireland, of course.

[dextrous63]

I was thinking more of the 16th Century.  

[JBR]

I was thinking more of the 16th Century. 

Oh yes, but it still goes on.

One thing about religion generally, it does tend to prevent people being friends with each other.
Not, I suspect, what God really intended!  🙄

[ansu]

I think the diffeence is that - at least here in Germany and above all after the fall of the wall - religion doesn't play any important role anymore and we got very critical. When my greatgrandparents lived and only a few people were able to read and write, people believed what those people told them who were able to read and write and in some parts of the world this hasn't changed. Moreover, wouldn't it be wonderful for a boy/man to die as a martyr when seven virgins are awaiting him???
In the Middle Age people had a very hard life and believed that when they died they came to paradise and had a wonderful life there.
As to New Year's Eve - some years ago I spent it in Vienna and in Berlin and I must admit that the main places are so crowded and you can easily avoid the controls, so it's no problem for a terrorist to carry out an attack there. In our papers I read that more police will be there this year - so let's hope that we will welcome the new year without any attacks.  

[klondike]

wouldn't it be wonderful for a boy/man to die as a martyr when seven virgins are awaiting him???

According to this - https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/islamic-scholar-punctures-72-virgins-theory-says-martyrs-will-only-get-raisins-in-heaven-340579.html there are going to be a lot who are very disappointed.

"Nowhere in the Quran does it promise 72 virgins, 70 virgins, 48 virgins. ... The Arabic word for 'virgin' has been mistranslated. The original [word] that was used in the Quran was the word for raisin, not virgin. In other words, that martyrs would get raisins in heaven, not virgins," Manji said.

Not even chocolate ones either 

[dextrous63]

I wonder if it's the disappointment in the removal of those poppet dispensers in tube stations that made them think that life simply wasn't with living.

[JBR]

According to this - https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/islamic-scholar-punctures-72-virgins-theory-says-martyrs-will-only-get-raisins-in-heaven-340579.html there are going to be a lot who are very disappointed.

"Nowhere in the Quran does it promise 72 virgins, 70 virgins, 48 virgins. ... The Arabic word for 'virgin' has been mistranslated. The original [word] that was used in the Quran was the word for raisin, not virgin. In other words, that martyrs would get raisins in heaven, not virgins," Manji said.

Not even chocolate ones either 

72 raisins as a reward in heaven!  Oh, I can't wait!
It isn't as if we can't have as many raisins as we can possibly eat here on earth.  🤣

[ansu]

Some days ago on German TV a muslim boy - about 15 years old - said that he wanted to die as a martyr - quite a different mentality. 

[JBR]

Some days ago on German TV a muslim boy - about 15 years old - said that he wanted to die as a martyr - quite a different mentality.

Religious brainwashing!

I was going to say that I hope he gets what he wants, but that would be a bit nasty!  Wouldn't it?

[klondike]

It certainly would be for the poor sods caught up in the bang.

[ansu]

New Year is here and if our papers are correct - no martyrs and not too many problems in Berlin, Leipzig, Cologne etc. 
When I was a teenager new year's eve was a peaceful day and evening with fireworks. No idea why people got so aggressive in the meantime.

[klondike]

Calm old New Year's Eve in France too. Only 745 cars set alight...



https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/01/02/france-hails-calm-new-years-eve-as-only-745-vehicles-set-on-fire/

[Cassandra]

Calm old New Year's Eve in France too. Only 745 cars set alight...



https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2024/01/02/france-hails-calm-new-years-eve-as-only-745-vehicles-set-on-fire/

Hopefully most were electric ...

[Alex]

New Year is here and if our papers are correct - no martyrs and not too many problems in Berlin, Leipzig, Cologne etc.
When I was a teenager new year's eve was a peaceful day and evening with fireworks. No idea why people got so aggressive in the meantime.

Our papers say differently Ansu.  Although not as bad as 2023 Berlin commenced New Year in chaos, with riots breaking out across the capital city seeing police officers targeted.

Approximately 4,500 officers were deployed to Berlin's streets on December 31, a police presence not seen in the city in decades.