Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

Anthony Jackson2 said:The media wants us to look at these politicians—as if staring at them actually changes anything. It’s all just a performance for the cameras.

Nobody's out here asking for justifications regarding something like this—honestly, I don't know why it even needs to be mentioned, let alone debated. It’s just a pointless conversation.

I think we’re all mature enough now to actually talk about what caused this—without the theatrics. The root issues go way deeper than just religion, and that should be obvious to anyone who does more than glance at a headline once a week—or even those who've been paying actual attention to how this attack unfolded.

As for the whole religion debate—I only jumped in because I felt physically sick reading someone claim you have to distance yourself from Christian teachings just to justify killing. Apparently, they forgot that history spans a bit longer than twenty years.

Anthony Jackson2 said:The media wants us to look at these politicians—as if staring at them actually changes anything. It’s all just a performance for the cameras.

Nobody's out here asking for justifications regarding something like this—honestly, I don't know why it even needs to be mentioned, let alone debated. It’s just a pointless conversation.

I think we’re all mature enough now to actually talk about what caused this—without the theatrics. The root issues go way deeper than just religion, and that should be obvious to anyone who does more than glance at a headline once a week—or even those who've been paying actual attention to how this attack unfolded.

As for the whole religion debate—I only jumped in because I felt physically sick reading someone claim you have to distance yourself from Christian teachings just to justify killing. Apparently, they forgot that history spans a bit longer than twenty years.

mellowotter36 said:You're really going to try and convince us that ISIS has nothing to do with Islam? Please. Remember back in January when they killed those cartoonists? They didn't do that because of some drawing; they did it because they were mocking their history of colonial suffering. Isn't that the real reason?

Amanda Evans2 said:I find myself in total agreement with the cartoonist here. Honestly, everyone needs to stop leaning so heavily on prayer and religion; it’s high time we all started evolving...

Jeffrey Edwards76 said:So what?

Fine, Christians killed people and fought wars. Let's bring this back to the present day, shall we? What does that have to do with the fact that in 2015, we have people ready to blow themselves up and take innocent lives in the name of Allah? People weren't doing this stuff even 1,000 years ago.

Not every Muslim is a terrorist, but every terrorist is a Muslim.

Anthony Jackson2 said:You're missing the point because your entire argument starts from a flawed premise. They didn't attack because of religion, they didn't attack because we're "infidels," and it's not some grand scheme to Islamize us (?). The attack wasn't about faith—it was driven by other factors that you, Emily Ward3, that wannabe comedian Ken, and the rest of you seem determined to ignore, which is exactly what this thread has been debating for three days now.
They use religious rhetoric because the people pulling their strings have brainwashed them into thinking there’s a reward waiting in paradise—but that isn't why the attack happened.

For three days now, you've been bashing Islam, yet you conveniently forget how many people have been slaughtered in the name of Christianity—and you also forget that "peaceful" Christians in this country have only managed to nearly wipe each other out twice in the last century.

Besides, when you start quoting the Old Testament—all those lovely verses about forgiveness and peace...🙄

No, Islam isn't inherently violent, just as Christianity or Buddhism aren't—even though millions have died in the name of all three. Why? Because there are enough corrupt people in this world to twist any belief system to serve their own petty interests. Attacking Islam is an insult to the millions of people who have lived peacefully in America for generations under that "violent" faith.

Personally, I don't think religion does anyone any good, but I can understand why some people need it. Still, seeing one religion like Christianity being placed on a pedestal above all others—it's honestly nauseating.

Amanda Evans2 said:I honestly cannot wrap my head around why this handful of self-proclaimed intellectuals feels the need to dig up bloody historical grievances just to justify something like this.
I mean, if I were to go out on December 5th and massacre 120 people at a Bruce Springsteen concert in Madison Square Garden, would I really be entitled to an apology based on the fact that I’m "traumatized" because my home state was hit by a war twenty years ago?
Trying to find excuses for violence, while simultaneously trying to lecture us uneducated masses on how beautiful and wonderful Islam is—usually by using those French flag emojis on their Facebook profiles—is quite possibly the most sanctimonious level of nonsense I've ever encountered...

Jessica Gonzalez said:Even if some people think I'm just talking nonsense, I suppose similar opinions have popped up before:
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-34833134

Everything I've mentioned seems to be covered right here.

Adam Williams2 said:I guess they just need a little reality check, maybe a bit of fun while they're still around, you know? Like, instead of all this, they should just enjoy life while they can. It might make things feel a bit better than obsessing over bombs or religious stuff. I don't know, maybe it's just how it is. 🙂

All these psychopathic issues seem to come back to basic instincts, either it's performance anxiety or just a total lack of drive
,and that happens because they aren't listening to nature. Plus, I've heard Americans have more passion than others, whereas some people just seem totally uninspired ☕

Sandra Johnson58 said:It makes total sense why terrorists wouldn't head to China or Burma. If they got caught there, even just being suspected of terrorism would make them wish they had actually pulled off the attack instead 🤣. The kind of torture they’d face, whether they were guilty or not... Westerners couldn't even imagine it. Also, it's kinda wild how ISIS doesn't seem to be targeting Israel, considering they're supposedly the biggest enemies of Muslims. Actually, I guess it's not that weird. If they pulled the same crap in Israel that they did in Paris, it’d trigger an immediate "Wrath of God" response, and Rakka would probably be a giant crater by now 🤣

Robert Torres said:The Middle East used to be the absolute heart of civilization. It was where everything kicked off, the place where humanity finally grabbed the tools needed to climb out of the stone age... All along those historic lands sat the most stunning cities of the ancient world, famous for their incredible architecture, the first paved streets, massive monuments, and advanced water systems. It was the birthplace of the first libraries—actual places where knowledge was kept safe so it wouldn't just vanish into thin air.
In the lavish courts of ancient rulers, chemists, mathematicians, and philosophers worked to crack the secrets of the universe, and their breakthroughs often became the foundation for Western scholars centuries later. That old Persian Empire was even one of the first to push the idea of multiculturalism, letting conquered people worship whoever they wanted as long as they paid their taxes to the Emperor. This region was basically the fountainhead of everything advanced and noble. And then Islam hit.

Suddenly, that whole civilization collapsed right back to where it started. Where there used to be progress, there was just devastation. Not to give foreign invaders a pass, obviously, but they definitely played their part in the wreckage.

Any organized religion is potentially toxic, at the very least. But none of them—not even close—have consistently fought against the things we claim to value, like equality, the pursuit of knowledge, and actual progress, quite like Islam does (or at least, the mainstream hardcore version of it).

Matthew Anderson4 said:Not sure if those refugees pulled this off tonight.

Amanda Evans2 said:I honestly cannot wrap my head around why this handful of self-proclaimed intellectuals feels the need to dig up bloody historical grievances just to justify something like this.
I mean, if I were to go out on December 5th and massacre 120 people at a Bruce Springsteen concert in Madison Square Garden, would I really be entitled to an apology based on the fact that I’m "traumatized" because my home state was hit by a war twenty years ago?
Trying to find excuses for violence, while simultaneously trying to lecture us uneducated masses on how beautiful and wonderful Islam is—usually by using those French flag emojis on their Facebook profiles—is quite possibly the most sanctimonious level of nonsense I've ever encountered...

Matthew Anderson4 said:cause = excuse?

Funny how the debate hasn't even moved past one of the causes, mostly because some group of pseudo-intellectuals decided that one single cause is somehow the only cause.

Noah Carter24 said:You're right there, but this constant habit you have of playing everything down and trying to make them seem equal just doesn't fly in today's world. Look, it's a million times more likely you'll get taken out by a runaway train than by Christian terrorism, whereas when it comes to Islamic extremism, you can't exactly say the same thing—it represents a very real, tangible threat. Let's leave the deep dives into history to the actual historians.

P.S. Just looking around, how many Christian groups versus Muslim groups do you see hanging out here?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...us_governments

Amanda Evans2 said:Did you just conflate the cause with the trigger, or am I simply not "intellectual" enough to grasp how you've managed to blur those two worlds together?