• USA, Bush, Evangelicals, "Republican Party is God's Party", "you're either with us or against us..."
• UN Human Rights Council and the ban of "criticism of Sharia law"
• Israel-Palestine, Islamic Waqf or Jewish Promised Land?

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So long as the church and state are separated as institutions then anything goes:

http://ozpolitic.com/polanimal/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8

Islam presents some special challenges to progressivism:

http://ozpolitic.com/wiki/index.php?title=Islam_and_Australian_values

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One can have a religion and be part of a secular political system

AND

One can be involved in politics and still have belief in The Creator (or Not have any belief)

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god has always led politics... the progression has been directly stopped the fredom of people
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8394844811105390386&pr=goog-sl

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How well does the belief in God (Gods ) and the idea of progressivism fit together?

Traditionally all the great religions have sprung from progressivism. From a desire to improve human conditions, and I think that if that is kept at the fore of the mind, belief in God or Gods fits very well with progressivism. One very good example is Liberation Theology in the Americas.

Should God be kept on a second place to society, people, sociological and political issues?

No. Society should be ruled by Secular Humanist principles (f.i as expressed in the UDHR), but I don't think it's possible to separate out belief in God from one's basic human values, political aims or the sociological context of people in general. If one believes in God, that belief is going impact everything one does.

Belief in God can either turn one into a Dom Helder Camara or a Tomás de Torquemada, and to me that is the pivotal point in this issue; the practical consequences of one's belief.

Should God have ANY place in political issues?

I don't think it's avoidable that it will have, unless we legislate to make belief in God illegal, but that wouldn't be very progressive, would it?

Is it Progressive to let "God's Law" precede the "Man's Law"?

No. It would be progressive to create room in legislation to provide for Freedom of religion.

Is it Progressively ethical to continue suppressing people "in the name of God"?

Absolutely not!

Theocracy or Democracy? Or Theodemocracy? Rule by "God's people"? State religion or separation of state and religion?

Separation.

Nemo

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Progressivists seem to be bashing Islam a lot lately.  Politics and progressivism are run by religion for the most part.  It seems that when a religion is no longer liked, the other religions turn against it.  My point is that any religion can be as good or bad as any other and that any religion can be overtaken by propaganda.  This is why we need to keep logical and cool heads.

there is no room for religion in progressivism if it is used as a primary tool.  It is fine, however, if people use it for reference and any other secondary matter.

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Ted I did not make up those Islamic laws. They are not a misrepresentation of Islam. Not all religions are equal. One that requires it's followers to stone people to death for having gay sex is not progressive. This isn't the case of a few extremists attacking gays. This is the Koran telling people they have to stone them to death.

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I agree with you, Myke.
"A really progressive society allows for individual freedom of conscience in both the matters of religion and of political affiliation." Very well said.
I agree in much with you too, Nemo

I think the belief in God and progressivism go very well together, as long as one doesn't use "God" to stop some people from progressing.

I think God shouldn't have a say in politics. I think one's individual religion has - of course - a big effect on one's individual decisions, but when a town's, city's, county's, state's matters are decided according to "what God says" (according to some few people), then it has gone too far.

I think the "Man's Law" should be made in accordance to what is good and the best for the society, and if "God's Law" works for that purpose, it can be used as inspiration to "Man's Law".
But I think if a law violates UDHR, it's bad. Even when the legislative unit agrees that it's the "best" for the society - for example when a religious community outlaws homosexuality, children's rights or women's suffrage.

In my mind theocracy is always wrong, because it is based on ONE "right" religion. Theocracy cannot help but outlaw dissidense and freedom of religion.
Theodemocracy is the vilest form of all.

State and religion should be separated.

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I'm not active in progressive circles, so I don't know how they have been bashing Islam. Do you have any examples?

If you are referring to the opposition to the mechanisms in Islam that for example caused the United Nations Human Rights Council to "outlaw" any "criticism" of Sharia-laws as "violation of the Muslim's religious freedom" or the opposition to vile practices like FGM, honor murders, child marriages etc. then that's not a question of "bashing Islam".
If you have encountered a lot of views like "Muslims are trying to take over the world" or any other Islamophobic opinion, I'd say you have been discussing with people who SAY they are Progressivists, but in reality aren't. Xenophobia isn't a progressive quality, who ever the "stranger" is.

"Politics and progressivism are run by religion for the most part."
I must be misunderstanding what you are trying to say here, because as far as I see, most politics are very secular. Unless, of course, you are referring to people who make their political ideology their religion.

"It seems that when a religion is no longer liked, the other religions turn against it."
Most religions are against other religions, totally in spite of whether the religion is "liked" or not.

"My point is that any religion can be as good or bad as any other"
True. More precisely, "your religion is only as good as you are"

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Progressivism can be linked to religion, with the Social Gospel, and Socialist Christians.

Though, not exclusively.

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Where in the Qur'an do you find mention of stoning people?

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Would you mind asking them yourself? I've got about a dozen similar questions waiting for answers. I don't want to give you third hand info.

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1215058243

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'Where in the Qur'an do you find mention of stoning people?'


Apparently, it is part of Sharia law.

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"Sharia law derives from the teachings of the Koran and from Sunna (the practice of the prophet Mohammed)" (from BlackCat's link above)

The operating words would be "derives from". Sharia Law is the interpretation of the Quran. The Quran doesn't specify stoning as a punishment.

Stoning, or lapidation, refers to a method of execution in which an organized group throws stones or rocks at the person they wish to execute. Although it takes many different forms, stoning has been used throughout history and in many religious and cultural traditions as a kind of community justice or capital punishment. For instance, the practice has been documented among the ancient Greeks to punish people judged to be prostitutes, adulterers or murderers. It is also documented in the Jewish Tradition via the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, and the Talmud, or Jewish Oral Law. In the Old Testament of the Bible, stoning is prescribed a method of execution for crimes such as murder, blasphemy or apostasy. Although there is no mention of stoning in the Quran, the practice has since grown to be associated with Islam and Muslim culture. (http://stop-stoning.org/node/9)

It is important to separate out the Quran from the various interpretations of it and put the blame with the interpreters, not the Book or the Religion. It is also imperative, imo, for progressivism to "ally" itself with the denominations within each religion that stand for a Humanist understanding of the human conditions. Belief in God is most often an inspiration for people, and imo it woould be a waste of human resources to discard passion that is aligned with Humanist values. But that's just me. As an Agnostic Theist I have no objections to religious interpretations of human life, as long as those interpretations value human life and human existense. Where this doesn't happen progressivism has failed.

Nemo

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It is probably from the hadiths.

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Here is a group I started recently:

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I'm having difficulity in my understanding of Theism Can anyone give me some light, Des

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