Paris bombings

[Peter Lemkin]

It is NOT really about religion nor really about a sect in Islam. I personally am against all 'organized' religions - so everyone can be equally offended here. I think if your religion has more than yourself (and perhaps your immediate family) in it, it is too large and potentially a problem to Peace - personal, domestic, or World. History is full of wars between sects of Christianity - either because they thought the other sect heretics or for power. There was even a time of multiple Popes who went to war with one another - and Catholics and Protestants have had so many European Wars; even divisions of each of them fought one another. I can't think of a major religion that doesn't have peace as its theme and killing as an offense...but some in all religions have found ways to 'get around' that with 'justifications' not in the 'sacred texts' - or interpretations they find for their convenience in the sacred texts justifying what they wanted to do. We have many completely death loving Christians and Jews, who I would consider equally insane and evil as death loving and justifying Muslims. Most people in any religion are for Peace and brotherhood to others - even others of other religions. Religion, in an organized form, if you ask me is the main problem, but not one that will go away anytime soon. ISIL is really horrible, but the overwhelming number of Muslims are against their ideas and interpretations. The West has constantly supported such death cults in Islam - from the Muslim Brotherhood to Taliban to Al Quaeda to ISIL... Along with that we have been invading their lands and putting in or supporting despots so we can control the oil and other resources. None of these current groups or problems would have organically happened IMHO had the West not acted in an imperialistic and oppressive manner. The ongoing wars and megadeath are fueling them. Non-Muslims are equally to blame for groups like IS as anyone else - in some cases more due for the blame. That said, it doesn't take away from the horror of groups like that...but when you create a monster, you have to expect and deal with the monster...but if you don't see that you created or helped to create it, you are doomed to do so again and again...as history has shown. Lastly, aside from the modern offenses on the Muslim lands from outside, while the 'West' may tend to forget, the Muslims do not forget when long ago the Christian World attacked them - it was called the Crusades...and in many ways most of them feel, with good reason, that it never ended and is back full-throttle again...and some are determined to fight back, as anyone would if a foreign power was interfering with them. I make NO apologies for IS or any other violent groups; however, we mourn the deaths in Paris, as we should, but does the West also mourn the daily deaths/suffering in the Middle East and Afghanistan of Muslims - most of this our own doing?! 'Those who do not learn the lessons of History, are doomed to repeat them!'