It could be argued there shouldn't be anything to learn from the Woolwich murder that we don't know already. Justification and roots are familiar, and despite the visible horror, it still represents a incredibly rare event event in the West (thanks in part to significant ongoing efforts to identify and monitor the radicalised). However, … Read more
Everyone probably has their own beliefs on the role that religion plays in society, and I guess the part it plays in global peace is directly relevant to that.
Whilst it's true that many of the world's worst atrocities have been religiously motivated, it's also true that a lot of our moral, ethical and philosophical background … Read more
It's probably worth defining religion in the context of the question before going too far with this. Let's stick to definitions that emphasise the “belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power..” (Oxford) for now, although the label is often applied to other reverent beliefs and controlling principles involving obligation and solidarity.
Christian's drift to the pejorative proves Sam's point!
It all depends where you are coming from. My company provides business management software for manufacturing companies, on both Apple and Wintel machines. I also use a mixture in the home. I have therefore worked for many years with people who use both, or who use mostly or … Read more
I think the decision was made for us Christian, by the necessity to survive! Even in the most abundant environments, with enough fruit, vegetables and game for all, it was necessary to hunt and gather most days, and on off-days to make shelters, weapons and clothes, and to cook and preserve food. If we … Read more
It's hard to imagine how a terrorist can bring themselves to bomb innocent people.
I can only guess events in their lives have reduced their feelings towards others, or created so much hate for Americans that they thought such action could be justified.
They must think they have a point, organising a successful bombing would involve … Read more
I think what we can't avoid is that people can act in such a callous way, given the right psychological profile, personal history, circumstances and manipulation. I suspect that very few people would be immune to the right combination of these, and that most of those that actually do commit an act of terrorism, … Read more
