General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Couple Stoned in Mali [View all]hifiguy
(33,688 posts)that indicates that standing up to an eliminationist force by preaching peace, tolerance , reason and non-violence is effective. The religulous fundamentalists (of all stripes) are by their own definitions and internal logic (I use that term very advisedly) eliminationalist movements: Convert and believe or die. These are not people to whom one can say, "Come, let us reason together." Reason is anathema and heretical.
There was no way to deal with an eliminationist state like Fascist Germany except to destroy it and destroy it down to its foundations, which is what the Allies did. Unfortunately, the only way to deal with eliminationalists is to be ready to destroy them when they inevitably attack civilization. One of history's more unpleasant ironies, to be sure.
"With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil that takes religion." - Nobel Laureate physicist Dr. Steven Weinberg
"Many people do simply awful things out of sincere religious belief, not using religion as a cover the way that Saddam Hussein may have done, but really because they believe that this is what God wants them to do, going all the way back to Abraham being willing to sacrifice Issac because God told him to do that. Putting God ahead of humanity is a terrible thing." - Dr. Steven Weinberg (emphasis added)