Ted Cruz booed off stage at Middle Eastern Christian conference

[Darth Executor]

But I haven't said such crazy things about you. I have asked you some questions that you refused or neglected to answer. I can't force you to answer my questions.

I don't see a single question mark here:

Depends on whether your view of friendship is more meaningful than mine. I think your view is rather shallow and simplistic. Your view does not account for degrees of friendship, whereas mine does. One can like many things about a friend and also dislike a number of things. One can like some things but dislike more things. That does not mean you will try to kill that person as an enemy. If one considers political views to be the most important criteria in determining who one's friends are, those items will be weighted more in judging who one's friends are. Personally, some of my very best friends have practically opposite political views to mine but we are great friends and enjoy discussing politics.

For the record, my opinion about your views on friendship was, for the most part, not serious (which isn't to say that I like or agree with it). I just thought your original negative spin on my views on friendship was ridiculous (to say nothing of the fact that I corrected you on the bold part already) and merely spun your definition in a highly negative manner in return.

No, I would not. People who believe that all women, not just themselves or their enemies, have abortion rights are not trying to kill all women or only their women enemies.

But suicide bombers are also not trying to only kill their enemies. I mean, it's obvious even to the dumbest terrorist that it's a one way trip. It's also questionable whether Al Quaeda wants to kill all their enemies. It seems to me that they'd be happier if they could convert them all instead and only kill them because they won't cooperate or as part of a plan to work towards that final goal.

I never said or implied that you did.

Then why bring up that Hitler's depravity would be different?

Not if he gassed himself first. If he thought that by gassing himself he might cause others to also be gassed, then I suppose you could compare him to a suicide bomber.

I'm pretty sure that whether suicide bombers blow up others isn't a matter of opinion. It certainly wasn't on 9/11.

If he merely believed that everyone should have the right to commit suicide, that might make your analogy a little more pertinent, but by being so, it would not illustrate your point.

Your analogy makes a lot less sense than mine. Suicide is not the same as murdering others, so comparing it with abortion is way out there. Jews most certainly have a desire to harm unborn children against their will since that's what abortion does. More importantly, you generally have to be born to advocate abortion so the advocates themselves are not personally hurt. In this regard the suicide bomber analogy may be inaccurate because it's not depraved enough, not because it's too depraved.

You might not agree with this hypothetical Hitler's beliefs, but that would not make him your enemy if he had no desire to harm you against your will.

People who desire to harm innocents against their will (or even with their will) are enemies. Someone needn't threaten me personally to be my enemy.

[Darth Executor]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2012[/ATTACH]

I'd like to request that all future posts made in my thread by the passive-aggressive duo KingsGambit and Catholicity be removed if they contain no substance or entertainment value.

[robrecht]

I don't see a single question mark here: ... Your view does not account for degrees of friendship, whereas mine does. ...

For the record, my opinion about your views on friendship was, for the most part, not serious (which isn't to say that I like or agree with it). I just thought your original negative spin on my views on friendship was ridiculous (to say nothing of the fact that I corrected you on the bold part already) and merely spun your definition in a highly negative manner in return.

You have not corrected my view. You may think that I did not realize that you accept that there can be degrees of friendship, but that ain't it, I was not contesting that. I was asking how you account for the fact that there can be degrees of friendship? Your view is that you are either a friend or not, and if one is a friend there can be degrees of friendship. But how do you account for degrees of friendship? Is it not an admixture of love and hate, a number of things that one likes and dislikes. Jews can like some things about Evangelicals, respect their humanity, rights, community service, but dislike other things, eg, differences in religious and political views, but that does not mean they are enemies, that they would try to kill Evangelicals.

But suicide bombers are also not trying to only kill their enemies. I mean, it's obvious even to the dumbest terrorist that it's a one way trip.

Don't just look at the suicide bombers, but the whole organization of al Quaeda, which was your comparison to Jews. The suicide bomber is duped into believing in a larger cause that the organization is promoting.

It's also questionable whether Al Quaeda wants to kill all their enemies. It seems to me that they'd be happier if they could convert them all instead and only kill them because they won't cooperate or as part of a plan to work towards that final goal.

So you're saying that al Quaeda members have evangelical zeal.

Then why bring up that Hitler's depravity would be different?

Because, to try and work with your own analogy, to make it better fit the topic under discussion, one must construct a hypothetical Hitler that believes different things and is no longer the kind of enemy of the Jews that he was in fact in reality. Believing in everyone's right to suicide is different from believing in one's own right to murder one's enemies.

I'm pretty sure that whether suicide bombers blow up others isn't a matter of opinion. It certainly wasn't on 9/11.

I'm certain of it. Do you think I'm claiming it is a matter of opinion???

Your analogy makes a lot less sense than mine.

Exactly my point!

Suicide is not the same as murdering others, so comparing it with abortion is way out there.

I am not comparing suicide with abortion, but rather a political stance that says that everyone has a right to suicide or a right to abortion. Both political positions allow others to take their own or their own child's life, neither of which is good, but that political view, misguided as it is, is not the same as killing 6 million of one's enemies. If suicide bombers were merely advocating for the right of all people to commit suicide, they would not be all that dangerous.

Jews most certainly have a desire to harm unborn children against their will since that's what abortion does.

I do not know if it is an active desire or merely a misguided view, but even if it were, it is not a desire to harm Evangelical children, and unlike al Quaeda members, American Jews certainly do know who Evangelicals are, and they dislike their religious and political views, but they are not trying to exterminate only Evangelicals because they are enemies of Evangelicals. They recognize and respect that Evangelicals have the same rights as themselves.

More importantly, you generally have to be born to advocate abortion so the advocates themselves are not personally hurt. In this regard the suicide bomber analogy may be inaccurate because it's not depraved enough, not because it's too depraved.

It is your analogy, not mine. I brought up al Quaeda's 9/11 achievement as an illustration of their hatred for their enemies. You tried to make an analogy between suicide bombers and support for a legal right to abortion favored by American Jews, seen as a right for all, and not as a means of exterminating only Evangelicals.

People who desire to harm innocents against their will (or even with their will) are enemies. Someone needn't threaten me personally to be my enemy.

But American Jews do not only advocate abortion rights for Evangelicals, thus their political advocacy of abortion rights for all, including themselves, are not an expression of their enemy desire to annihilate Evangelicals.