Can we agree that, "Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul."?

Question

Regardless of who said it or when or why, can we agree to this?

I mean simply that we should not be violent. Whether God is or ever was violent is beside the point.

Will you promise not to use violence to promote your beliefs?

Can I get some Muslims to agree to promote tolerance and nonviolence in their religion?

In the seventh conversation (*4V8,>4H - controversy) edited by Professor Khoury, the emperor touches on the theme of the holy war. The emperor must have known that surah 2, 256 reads: "There is no compulsion in religion". According to the experts, this is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat. But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Qur'an, concerning holy war. Without descending to details, such as the difference in treatment accorded to those who have the "Book" and the "infidels", he addresses his interlocutor with a startling brusqueness on the central question about the relationship between religion and violence in general, saying: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".

The emperor, after having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable. Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul. "God", he says, "is not pleased by blood - and not acting reasonably (F×< 8`(T) is contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats... To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death...".

The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is this: not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God's nature. The editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident. But for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality. Here Khoury quotes a work of the noted French Islamist R. Arnaldez, who points out that Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God's will, we would even have to practise idolatry.

Keep in mind, this is a lifetime Protestant quoting the Pope! I find what he actually said perfectly reasonable and quite admirable. Certainly better than the bigotry coming out of Muslim circles. For shame!
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060912_university-regensburg_en.html

Answer 1

As an Orthodox Christian, I often like to find fault with the Pope. However, I have to agree with Benedict on this one. I also happen to agree with what Byzantine Emperor Manuel II said about Muhammad. If you actually think about it and put aside your desire to be PC and not to offend Muslims, everything Muhammad said that was good was borrowed from Judaism and Christianity and the only genuine innovation he had which is one of the facets of Jihad, i.e., forcibly converting your non-believers, which are both in theory and generally in practice against Judaism and Christianity, is awful.

Answer 2

Mat 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Answer 3

With the nature of God and the soul yes.

But that doesn't mean God won't use violence or allow for it to allow for his plan of the earth. In which case, it could be classified as punishment or impliment of the plan for the future.

But anything negative is of the devil. Violence, hatred, greed, jealousy.. etc

Answer 4

OK lets say the nature of god exist and created the earth and its inhabitants.

First god created a predator / prey food chain which is the very core of violence. Hunting, killing and eating your prey is a violent act.

The bible says jesus whipped a man with a rope in a temple, jesus slaughtered pigs, and a tree. Somewhat violent acts.

God killed millions of people in a violent flood, killed first born, threw plagues at people, and a collection of nasty and cruel ways to die, when if your creator is all powerful could of come up with some painless ways to kill them

Violence is the nature of the animal, and animals created god.
God being a creation of man took on the violent nature of mans primal and carnal nature.

Answer 5

God is pure Love. Love is the nature of God. Violence is a human condition resulting from our false perception of being separate from God and from each other.

Any religious text that ascribes acts of violence, hatred, judgement, jealousy or anger to God are mistaken.

Answer 6

Until God decides to kill you for one of the following:

1) being firstborn in Egypt
2) being a resident of a city that stands in the way of his people
3) touching a holy item to keep it from falling on the ground
4) not giving all your money to the apostles
5) laughing at a prophet because he's bald
6) you're a sacrifice to him because he let your father win a battle
7) you're a wizard
8) he's trying to win a bet with Satan

... and that's just the outright deaths. Not to mention the suffering from curses, insects, disease, animalistic regression (Nebuchadnezzar), and so on.

Answer 7

No! Not at all! I don't know where you'd get that. God is a regular homicidal maniac. He killed more people in the Bible than Satan.

And I think it's beyond obvious that the human soul is very violent.

Answer 8

Nope. You can't tell me that drowning the entire population of earth (except for Noah's family) doesn't display some violence. I believe violence IS compatible with God's nature and our own.

Answer 9

Look how the christians In the time of Jesus suffered, why would we be any different?

Answer 10

ya