I can't say much about Catholocism to much extent. However, I do know enough of the muslim religion to say this: your 'muslim' friends aren't really muslim, then. Muslims despise Christianity. If a family's kid gets converted to Christianity, it is considered to be one of the most terrible things that could happen and it is perfectly okay to kill the converted family member for having committed such a 'sin.' I know this because a recent convert in my church came from a purely muslim background. And this person is having to hide from their parents. Even the people who led them to Christ are having to try their best to keep them from finding out where they live. This new convert said that it is a normal, everyday thing in the muslim faith for this kind of thing when someone converts to Christianity only. If I remember correctly, she said that it's even mentioned in the Koran (but my memory of that particular detail is hazy). So you won't convince me that muslims, true muslims who actually practice their faith in its wholeness, do not believe that Christianity is absurd.

I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY, YO. LIKE MY MUSLIM FRIENDS BELIEVE IN THEIR RELIGION AND DO NOT WISH TO CONVERT TO CHRISTIANITY. BUT THEY ALSO RESPECT MY RELIGION AND DON'T THINK IT IS ABSURD. IT'S POSSIBLE TO HAVE A DIFFERENT BELIEF FROM SOMEONE AND YET NOT THINK THEIR BELIEF IS ABSURD. THEY SEE IT THAT I HAVE HAD A DIFFERENT BACKGROUND FROM THEM, AND THAT IF THEY'D BEEN BROUGHT UP IN A CHRISTIAN FAMILY, THEY'D PROBABLY BE CHRISTIAN, BUT AS IT IS, THEY ARE MUSLIM. IN GENERAL, I FIND MUSLIMS TEND TO SAY THEY HAVE MORE IN COMMON WITH ME, SPIRITUALLY, THAN WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS NO RELIGION.

TO SAY THAT SOMEONE IS NOT A 'REAL MUSLIM' BECAUSE THEY DON'T DESPISE CHRISTIANITY IS A BIT DAFT, YO. LIKE, THERE ARE CHRISTIANS WHO WOULD SAY THAT SOMEONE IS NOT A REAL CHRISTIAN WHO DOESN'T THINK THAT MIXED RACE MARRIAGES ARE WRONG AND EVIL, OR WHO READS ANOTHER VERSION OF THE BIBLE THAN THE KJV. AS WITH THE BIBLE, THE KORAN IS INTERPRETED DIFFERENTLY BY DIFFERENT BELIEVERS, AND MUSLIMS HAVE GROUPS RATHER LIKE THE DENOMINATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY. MANY CHRISTIANS IN THE PAST HAVE THOUGHT THAT IT WAS GOD'S WILL AND BIBLICAL TO KILL PEOPLE WHO GET IN THEIR WAY. THERE ARE EXTREMISTS IN ALL RELIGIONS, YO, AND THEY WOULD ALL CLAIM THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY 'REAL' BELIEVERS IN THEIR RELIGION.

I suppose I'm going to be the one fatty that responds to this in a different way than, it seems, everyone else has.

I disagree with, well, everything. And, over time, I've come to find out that I disagree with everything you say, especially your "yo." I find it very immature and unnecessary. And you call Americans childish and claim that we have an over-inflated sense of our own importance (coming from the one who uses nothing but caps just so (s)he'll be noticed).

1. I'm not into my feelings. And I don't know anyone personally, nor have I ever met anyone, that will use hurt feelings to shun responsibilities. I've never heard of very many people who do. Take advantage of the welfare, etc? Yes. But Use their hurt feelings to shun responsibility? I'e never read, seen, or heard of any such case. Maybe I'm just "ignorant," though, right?

2. And this is supposed to be something worth mentioning?

3. And I do. It is better than your country and I, as I posted on the other what do you think of the uk?" thread, have never been and will never go there. I call it being a patriot. If I thought the UK (or any other country/nation/state/city/etc) was better, I'd live there. Why live in a country when you think another country is better? So, throw milk at me: America rocks, and your country sucks.

4. I'm not ignorant of the rest of the world. I just don't like it. Because you think you're better than us because you "have more history" or "have been around longer." Well, attack us and we'll see who wins.

5. Hah. The only country that America dominates is America. And McDonald's has nothing to do with America. It is one person's (or group of people's) company. They can do whatever they like with it.

6. No I don't. I see life as a walk with God and loving and providing for my family.

7. Over-inflated? Let's see how "over-inflated" it is when your country needs help. Who do they run to? Oh, wait..EVERYONE runs to us! How convenient. If anyone has an over-inflated sense of America's importance, it is everyone else; you all seem to think we should help everyone in the world.

8. Removing a murderous dictator from power so the people of a certain country can have a chance at a better life is not a "big favor?" Keeping another country from taking them over is not a "big favor?" Inflict values? You make it sound as if values are a sickness. How twisted.

9. Paranoid? I'm not. If someone attacks us, whether "to our face" or "behind our backs," I can take comfort that we can retaliate. I'm not paranoid, I'm confident. Wimpish? Well, we will be getting that way with Obama in office, so i'll let you have that one.

10. This coming from you. How rich.

Firstly, perhaps we should add "so simple that they get irrate about something as insignificant as a little word like 'yo'" to the American stereotypes. ;D

Wherever do you get the idea that being a patriot means never leaving your own country??

And no-one was suggesting you come and leave here (I'd rather you didn't actually, thanks), just that you be a little more open minded and consider that just maybe there may be some amazing sights to see and experiences to get in countries outside of your own. I don't believe Puck said anything about the UK thinking it's better because we have history. The point being Brits can be patriotic without being so ignorant as to think their own country is the only one of any importance.

Gosh, you really are doing wonders in this thread for those who claim Americans aren't all really stupid and ignorant! Still, it's you that's missing out ultimately, since there's so many wonderful countries and cultures out there and because of your own ignorance you'll never get to experience them.

That should have been live here.

"Wherever do you get the idea that being a patriot means never leaving your own country??"

^^ Took the words right out of my mouth XD

Exactly, surely a lot of the most patriotic americans are those in the forces, they've certainly been abroad!

But not of choice, see? And they don't live there. They just stay there for a prolonged period of time, until they come home. And I am not in the military so I get to choose. And I, as a patriot, choose not to live in another country.

"But not of choice, see? And they don't live there."

LOL, are you kidding me? I met so many service members who were excited to be in Japan and requested (as in, wanted to, chose to) be stationed there. Your choice to stay in the US has nothing to do with patriotism. In fact, I would say that service members who want to do good things in other countries and represent the US well are much more patriotic.

It is a choice, if you choose to join the forces, your are choosing to live in a country other than your own, they do live there, sometimes for decades, its not a holiday!

Being a "patriot" simply means you love and defend your country. It has nothing to do with not living somewhere else (you can STILL be an American, but living abroad for whatever reason...and NOT be in the military, and STILL be an American patriot). Of course you can choose to live in America and not live anywhere else, but THAT is not what makes one a patriot.

Firstly, perhaps we should add "so simple that they get irrate about something as insignificant as a little word like 'yo'" to the American stereotypes.
I doubt that many more people find it as annoying as I do. So that stereotype wouldn't work very well.

Wherever do you get the idea that being a patriot means never leaving your own country??
What, exactly, do you think patriot means? And, I repeat, if I thought anywhere else was better, I'd live there. I do not. And that has nothing to do with patriotism..it is pure opinion.

And no-one was suggesting you come and leave here (I'd rather you didn't actually, thanks)
I never said anyone was, Thanks.

Puck said anything about the UK thinking it's better because we have history.
I didn't either. I quoted those phrases because I have heard people say them. I also quoted have been around longer and she didn't say that either. I quote anything that isn't MY words. Doesn't necessarily mean it's HER words, either. My term "you" is always a general term. I almost never use it towards a specific person.

Gosh, you really are doing wonders in this thread for those who claim Americans aren't all really stupid and ignorant!
first, not too many claims of that. Secondly, I don't appreciate anybody calling me stupid or ignorant when I've called nobody any names. Just because I'd rather not go to the UK, or anywhere else, doesn't make me ignorant or stupid. It just makes me apathetic to the rest of the world. I like where I am, and I can get more than enough to provide for me and mine without going out of the country. So why should I?

Fair enough, it's just you then who's so simple to get irrate about something as little as a little word like 'yo'. I apologise for generalising and suggesting all Americans were like that. ;)

What do I think patriot means? See definition below.

patriot (oxford dictionary) - a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it.

^^ Where in that definition does it say that to be a patriot you have to never leave your own country??

if I thought anywhere else was better, I'd live there

I can't believe I'm having to repeat myself, but I'm not sure if you can't read properly and missed it the first time. It's not about one place being better than another! It's about different places having different things to offer. Like, I love Scotland, and I want to live here because it's what is best for me. However, I realise that there's a big world out there, and that there's things that Scotland doesn't have (just as there's things America doesn't have! For example, you don't have our amazing Scottish scenery. You don't have castles! These are just examples, there's many many things America doesn't have). And I have a desire to see as much and experience as much as possible, and you can never do that just in one country. I don't go and visit France because I think France is better than Scotland... I go there because the fact is you can't see places like the Eiffel Tower in Scotland!

Do you understand now?

And if you use terms like "you" innappropriately in an online discussion, you can't expect people to be psychic and know that you're not referring to them personally.

I apologise for the idiot comment. But your stupidity is just an observation based on what you've said here. And I'm not suggesting you're stupid for not wanting to go to the UK. You ARE stupid if you really think that the British prime minister has no effect on the lives of Americans.

UM...GOSH, I THINK YOU TOTALLY MISSED THE POINT OF MY CONVO WITH MOD CHRIS, YO! I WASN'T CALLING AMERICANS CHILDISH. I WAS STATING SOME POPULAR STEREOTYPES ABOUT THE UNITED STATES. YOU ARE NOT DISAGREEING WITH ME (AS I TOTALLY STATED I THESE WEREN'T MY PERSONAL VIEWS) - YOU ARE SIMPLY DISAGREEING WITH SOME STEREOTYPES HELD BY A LOT OF NON-AMERICANS, WHICH I HAPPENED TO CITE. MOD CHRIS ASKED WHAT THE STEREOTYPES WERE AND I ANSWERED, YO! YOU ARE FREE TO AGREE OR DISAGREE - IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO ME, YO! AND YOUR OPINION ON MY YO HAS ABOUT AS MUCH RELEVANCE TO THE TOPIC AT HAND AS MY OPINION ON YOUR DEFENSIVE STYLE. BUT PERHAPS IF YOU DEMONSTRATED AN ABILITY TO READ WHAT IS ACTUALLY SAID BEFORE LEAPING TO YOUR DEFENSIVE DISAGREEMENTS, YO, YOUR OPINIONS MIGHT CARRY A LITTLE MORE WEIGHT! ;D

I agree, yo!

Yo, just for the sake of saying Yo! Yo!

I understand your reason for posting it. I just thought I'd respond to it, seeing as how nobody else was. Well, at least not in the way I liked.

I don't particularly care about my opinions carrying weight with anyone on these forums. I don't particularly care if your opinion carries more weight than mine to anybody on these forums. I have found this sie to be primarily liberal and a lot of what people believe and think here is opposite of mine, and so not too many people here are worth really paying much attention to (when it comes to the actual "weight" of someone's opinion). The point of free speech is not the weight behind an individuals spoken/written word, it is the fact that an individual can speak/write those words no matter what.

YOU MISS MY POINT AGAIN, YO. WEIGHT OF OPINION HAS NOTHING TO DO WHETHER SOMEONE IS COMING FROM A LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE PERSPECTIVE, BUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THE ACTUAL LOGIC/INTELLIGENCE WITH WHICH THEIR VIEWS ARE EXPRESSED. IF SOMEONE REVEALS A BASIC LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT SOMEONE SAYS (BY, FOR INSTANCE, ARGUING WITH THINGS THE PERSON DIDN'T EVEN SAY) THEN THAT PERSON'S OPINIONS CARRY NO WEIGHT TO ME, WHETHER THEY CLAIM TO HOLD THE SAME POLITICAL VIEWS AS ME OR OPPOSITE ONES.

OF COURSE FREE SPEECH MEANS THAT PEOPLE CAN STATE THEIR OPINIONS, AND STATE ALL KINDS OF ILLOGICAL AND DAFT THINGS - BUT EQUALLY ANYONE WITH HALF A BRAIN WILL PAY ATTENTION TO WHETHER THERE APPEARS TO BE ANY INTELLIGENCE, LOGIC AND ORIGINAL THOUGHT BEHIND THE PERSON'S WORDS, AND THUS DECIDE WHETHER TO TAKE THEM SERIOUSLY OR NOT. I DON'T DISREGARD A PERSON'S INTELLIGENCE JUST BECAUSE THEY HAPPEN TO HAVE A DIFFERENT POLITICAL VIEW FROM MINE - THAT SEEMS A RATHER WEIRD APPROACH TO ME, YO! I'D BE MORE INCLINED TO QUESTION THE INTELLIGENCE OF SOMEONE WHO TAKES THAT APPROACH - IT SUGGESTS THEY DON'T LISTEN TO ANYONE EXCEPT THOSE WHO SHARE THEIR VIEWS! HARDLY AN ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH DEPTH OF UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE CAN GROW!

I can't say that I really fit any of those stereotypes, so of course I don't agree with them for myself.

However, just from observing others online, in the news, or even people I came into contact with at work, I can say there are PLENTY of Americans that fit every one of those perfectly.

What an interesting observation. :D :D :D

What they don't understand is that it doesn't matter "what u were trying to stir up" but how they respond to it. Ur questions weren rude, ignorant or anything to that effect. How they respond dictates how this thread will go. Hence a few of the replies so far.

America itself is maladjusted. It's the proverbial guy with a small wang. Overconfident, egotistical, irritable. Americans, on the other hand, are generally very nice people. Some Americans fit the stereotype, but that can be said of the inhabitants of any country. Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with American law, etc. At least not familiar enough to make an informed opinion. Naturally, though, there are policies I don't agree with. But again, that could apply to any country's policies. Even, and especially, my own.

For a country of only 300 million people, it's done pretty well for itself. It's had a very dark history, but that falls in step with every other country. I think everyone has given it a hard time simply because of its beginnings. People from the Old World came to North America to start anew, but they not only brought along some backward beliefs, they began new ones. I'm just glad they're starting to catch up to some of the more advanced countries (there, I said it.)

So. What all that means is that America isn't as bad as everyone thinks it is. :P

/agree.

well i'm pretty fond of oregon, at least.