spread of language and religon?
917045
Each to his own honey
461589
As the society drifts further from its Judeo-Christian moorings, it loses its reason to care about real literacy.  The shift is from the word (or more appropriately, the proposition) to the multimedia "image," which can include words (as a soundbite) but is predominantly visual and always aimed at emotive, rather than mental, impact.  With a vast educational establishment, it has taken a while for spelling and grammar to become affected, but they have been.  Absent another Great Awakening, look for it to become worse instead of better, and look for the church and the synagogue to once again become repositories of print culture (and therefore, Western civilization).\nWhy the connection with Judeo-Christianity?  The adherents of propositionally revealed religion have been the custodians and promoters of literacy wherever they went.  The history of the modern literacy movement *is,* to a large extent, the history of what Christians have done.  Even today, virtually the only people willing to help reduce an unwritten language to writing and teach a people group to read their own language are Christian missionaries.
633888
FYI\n\n.   Opinion of historian De Lacy O’Leary.\n\n\nThe best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by the noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book "Islam at the cross road" (Page 8):\n\n"History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myth that historians have ever repeated."\n\n\n.   Muslims ruled Spain for 800 years.\n\n\nMuslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The Muslims in Spain never used the sword to force the people to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out the Muslims. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who could openly give the adhan, that is the call for prayers.\n\n\n.   14 million Arabs are Coptic Christians.\n\n\nMuslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years. For a few years the British ruled, and for a few years the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia for 1400 years. Yet today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians i.e. Christians since generations. If the Muslims had used the sword there would not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.\n\n\n.   More than 80% non-Muslims in India.\n\n\nThe Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years. If they wanted, they had the power of converting each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam. Today more than 80% of the population of India are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Indians are bearing witness today that Islam was not spread by the sword.\n\n\n.   Indonesia and Malaysia.\n\n\nIndonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask, "Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and Malaysia?"\n\n\n.   East Coast of Africa.\n\n\nSimilarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. One may again ask, if Islam was spread by the sword, "Which Muslim army went to the East Coast of Africa?"\n\n \n.   Thomas Carlyle.\n\n\nThe famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book "Heroes and Hero worship", refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: "The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in a minority of one. In one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and try to propagate with that, will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can."\n\n\n.   No compulsion in religion.\n\n\nWith which sword was Islam spread? Even if Muslims had it they could not use it to spread Islam because the Qur’an says in the following verse: \n\n"Let there be no compulsion in religion: \nTruth stands out clear from error"\n                                [Al-Qur’an 2:256]\n\n\n.   Sword of the Intellect.\n\n\nIt is the sword of intellect. The sword that conquers the hearts and minds of people. The Qur’an says in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse 125:\n\n"Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord\nwith wisdom and beautiful preaching;\nand argue with them in ways that are\nbest and most gracious."\n                              [Al-Qur’an 16:125]\n\n\n.   Increase in the world religions from 1934 to 1984.\n\n\nAn article in Reader’s Digest ‘Almanac’, year book 1986, gave the statistics of the increase of percentage of the major religions of the world in half a century from 1934 to 1984. This article also appeared in ‘The Plain Truth’ magazine. At the top was Islam, which increased by 235%, and Christianity had increased only by 47%. May one ask, which war took place in this century which converted millions of people to Islam?\n\n\n.   Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and Europe.\n\n\nToday the fastest growing religion in
908427
race, religion, culture
40642
Shouldn't all churches be multi-cultural/multi-ethnic?  How is a (Christian) church supposed to spread the Word of God throughout the nations if they don't spread it to other cultures?  And how can you spread it to other cultures if you're not multi-cultural, yourself?  Heaven will be multi-ethnic.  Shouldn't we be...now?
602193
Yes. It's a free place, isn't it? People start wars over religion. It's better to be friendly.
874045
Bigotry and religion are associated in that there are bigots who practice religion. Just as there are people with pure hearts and pure motives who practice religion, there are also those who are less enlightened, more misguided. But it's the way of the world for the wheat and the tears to grow together. Whether we practice some religion or none at all, it's up to us to examine ourselves and, as Ghandi said, become the change we want to see in the world.
507457
Nahimanaism sounds good to me. The world does need a prophetess for a change and Nahimana (puh) will do nicely. Have some visions and write them down (or just post them on Yah00) and we'll take it from there.
1126026
There's quite a few parts of the Quran that's tender to Christians, and from memory even the Jews also. Many Muslims are wonderful too.\n\nIt's just that religious texts, in every religion, are open to interpretation *by humans*. Heck I live in Northern Ireland.\n\nI've read many books on conflict resluton and two of the best things we can do are, first to remember that without words an argument dies down, and secondly we should promote the good parts of our cultures. \n\nGood luck.
541018
Listen What the World says about the Fastest Growing Religion\n\n"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people..." [HILLARY RODMAN CLINTON, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3]\n\nAlready more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion. [ABCNEWS, Abcnews.com]\n\n"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the country." [NEWSDAY, March 7, 1989, p.4]\n\n"Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States..." [NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 21, 1989, p.1]\n\nMoslems are the world's fastest-growing group..."  [USA TODAY, The Population Reference bureau, Feb. 17,\n1989, p.4A ]\n\n"Muhummed is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities. " [Encyclopedia Britannica]\n\n"There are more Muslims in North America then Jews Now." [Dan Rathers, CBSNEWS]\n\n"Islam is the fastest growing religion in North America." [TIMES MAGAZINE]\n\n"Islam continues to grow in America, and no one can doubt that!" [CNN, December 15, 1995]\n\n"The Religion of Islam is growing faster than any other religion in the world."  [MIKE WALLACE, 60 MINUTES]\n\n"MUHUMMAD WAS THE SOUL OF KINDNESS, AND HIS INFLUENCE WAS FELT AND NEVER  FORGOTTEN BY THOSE AROUND HIM." A Hindu scholar [Diwan Chand Sharma in his "The Prophets of the East," Calcutta 1935, p. 122.]\n\n"FOUR YEARS AFTER THE DEATH OF JUSTINIAN, A.D. 569, WAS BORN AT MAKKAH, IN ARABIA THE MAN WHO, OF ALL MEN EXERCISED THE GREATEST INFLUENCE UPON THE HUMAN RACE ... MOHAMMED ..." [John William Draper, M.D., LLD., in his "A History of the lntellectual Development of Europe",- London 1875.]\n\n"I DOUBT WHETHER ANY MAN WHOSE EXTERNAL CONDITIONS CHANGED SO MUCH EVER CHANGED HIMSELF LESS TO MEET THEM." [R. V. C. Bodley in "The Messenger,"- London 1946, p.9.]\n\n"I HAVE STUDIED HIM - THE WONDERFUL MAN - AND IN MY OPINION FAR FROM BEING AN ANTI-CHRIST, HE MUST BE CALLED THE SAVIOUR OF HUMANITY." [George Bernard Shaw, in "The Genuine Islam,- Vol. 1, No. 81936.]
1094767
Most religions want you to spread that religion.  Some religious interpretations of certain religions even allows the spread of religion to be violent (i.e. kill all the infidels).\n\nSo why do you think my religion is crap?  What a hyprocritical question you got!
147401
I dont think it was so much their beliefs but the state of the area.  Europe was very close if not the poorest area of the world in the middle ages.  The world of Islam was wealtheir and were taking time to translate ancient greek and roman works.  With this also comes a desire for new ideas and thinking.  The only literate people in europe were some nobels and clergy.  Most of their works were focused on religion and the bible.  Because of this alot of science and the like was ignored until the crusades and the contact with Islamic people.
1090915
Seems like it is headed that way.\n\nBut wouldn't it be nice-maybe not-if we could all communicate in one language who cares what it is.
619917
Evangelical Christianity has been spreading pretty well outside of the US as a theology.  Since this is the group that holds to dispensationalist theology, then I would say that dispensationalist theology is spreading successfully outside of the US.
847812
You are absolutely correct! AMEN to that! Christianity is being told all over the world. In fact many from other religions are turning to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
318371
Sounds like a new religion is being formed. (Oh great, just what we needed!)
861734
Christianity, Islam, and sometimes Judaism (depending on the sect).