21 beheaded by IS

Is it right to bring up this thread again, because of its subject matter? It doesnt feel quite right. Perhaps it is better left. I think I will leave it.

The article does not differentiate between what is belived. And that is crucial.

sorry, I meant got it right in the comparisons between any 'blind' faith or unquestioning belief in an ideology.

Thanks to thatbags and mishap for their posts. I enjoyed the article and like others, feel it got it right.

Not sure that I am keen to disagree with about 7 different things in there.

I will do it at the weekend.

Which things in it were wrong soon?

Some things in that article are right.
And some are wrong.

What matters is what the person believes. Are they believing in peace. Or hate?

They believe that killing any who they see as 'non-believers' will result in martyrdom and Paradise. Religion has a lot to answer for.

A good article indeed and gets to the nub of things. Whenever anyone says that a religion is behind an act of terrorism, believers jump up and down and talk about communism and fascism and the ills perpetrated in their name, as if that lets religion off the hook! The common factor, as this article points out, is blind faith, whether secular or religious.

As soon as we switch off our minds and stop asking and seeking, we run the risk of falling into this fundamentalist trap.

Most Christians amongst my friends are happy to admit that their faith is not blind; that more questions are left to be asked than answered, and I can deal with that. But blind faith to a tract, whether it be religious or political is indeed a dangerous thing.

As I have said several times, the danger with religion is that it deals in fundamentals (Why are we here? What are we meant to be doing with our lives? What happens when we die?) so, if it consists of blind faith, it has a natural tendency towards the sort of fundamentalism that we see being played out around the world.

This is a good article: what do all acts of terrorism have in common?

Jingl it's interference well before 9/11 I mean. But re that failed child suicide bomber. I was crying with him. Poor misguided child, for that's all he was.

and there have always been young men killed in the wars soon.

We cannot not know these things in our current world - head in the sand is very tempting, but not realistic.

Yes mishap. It's the grandchildren we worry about isn't it.

I think it is important to remember that there have always been wars, and rumours of wars.

But we wouldnt have heard of most of them, like we do know.
That isnt a good thing in my opinion.

God Almighty - the young IS bomber captured in Baghdad. Hardly more than a child.

I don't think we have any choice but to hold back in the west. The countries in the middle east should be the first defence against this. IS are trying desperately to draw the west in.

I just despair o0f the world my DGC might be living in.

Ref the media - of course they must report this, but the terrorists are using and manipulating this by their staged executions and use of social media.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-31486879

I received this via facebook this morning. The Adenis haven't a clue what's going on and are seriously worried about their safety.

Trouble seems to be breaking out everywhere.

I've never even heard of the Houthis.

Obama could end up getting some blame for letting IS grow bigger, and kill more people.

Hopefully the Middle eastern countries will overcome these people without western interference. Obama seems determined to hold back. I hope Hilary gets in after him. Hers would be a sensible pair of hands.

I think you are right Anya. But how could the west not interfere after 9/11?

Anya, you've put it better than I have. Someone please tell me that I'm being too pessimistic.

It's really worrying, I think, and the things these people do, whether IS or Boko Haram or whoever, are so appalling that I'm afraid that someone is going to have to fight back. I would rather it wasn't just the US and the UK and a couple of other European countries, as we seem to have a habit of making things worse, but I think it needs some leadership from the Middle Eastern countries. I fear for the future of our civilisations, not just our own, but Eastern and Middle Eastern ones as well.

I find it all so hypocritical, the beheading of these people is horrific yet we have our future king and PM paying respects to a leader of Saudia Arabia where beheading is the punishment for practising Christianity

Part of me is relieved that other Arab countries eg Jordan and Egypt are, at last, reacting to ISIL. This situation may, in fact probably does, all stem from interference by the West, in Middle East politics in the past.

Nothing can justify these barbaric beheadings.