Religious divides fuel Syrian war

The battle lines in Syria are being drawn along sectarian — that is, religious — lines. Both sides fear that whoever wins power will obliterate the loser. Religious civil wars are longer and bloodier than other types of clashes, according to studies. They are also twice as likely to recur and twice as deadly to noncombatants. People hold onto religious fights longer than battles over land and water. It becomes existential and related to belief in a higher calling. If we come and give one group a total win, we may be setting up an ethnic cleansing. The situation is Syria is fluid, with a lot of conflicting reports and shifting alliances -- Alawites, Shiites. Sunnis, Christians, etc. Here is a breakdown of the religious groups at war and some background on their beliefs.

Read the complete article at -- http://www.sentinelsource.com/cnn/religious-divides-fuel-syrian-war/article_887a5d1e-27a0-5cb7-9b80-962813cd7079.html

Comments

Why did they lay their coats at Saul's feet?

The witnesses, laying their coats at the feet of Saul, were the men that would cast the first stones at Stephen in Acts 7. Why did they all lay their coats at Saul’s feet? The Talmud contains a very interesting account of the act of stoning that may provide the answer. “When the trial was over, they take him [the condemned person] out to be stoned. The place of stoning was at a distance from the court, as it is said, ‘Take out the one who has cursed.’ [i] A man stands at the entrance of the court; in his hand is a signaling flag [Hebrew sudarin = sudar , ‘scarf, sweater’]. A horseman was stationed far away but within sight of him. If one [of the judges] says, ‘I have something [more] to say in his favor,’ he [the signaler] waves the sudarin , and the horseman runs and stops them [from stoning him]. Even if [the condemned person] himself says, ‘I have something to say in my favor,’ they bring him back, even four of five times, only provided that there is some substance to...

Human Lives are Valued more than Religious Institutions and Rituals

Human lives are valued more than religious institutions and rituals by the unnamed god in the first account in Genesis . That message is repeated throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. Read the complete short articles at - https://mailchi.mp/2116c809b552/human-lives-are-valued-more-than-religious-institutions-and-rituals

Which Jesus Model Are You Using?

Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical wording. Their linguistic models of Jesus are similar, but not identical. John’s content and linguistic model of Jesus, stand in stark contrast to those of the Synoptic Gospels. Continue reading at - https://mailchi.mp/77dbb92ed693/which-jesus-model-are-you-using

Biblical Heritage Center Blog

Search This Blog