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Christian sharia is called 'the law' in much of the Western hemisphere, which is pretty much what 'sharia' means. Americans (and others in the liberal democrac

Christian sharia is called 'the law' in much of the Western hemisphere, which is pretty much what 'sharia' means. Americans (and others in the liberal democracies of the West) forget about things like 'blue laws' or attempts to prohibit gay-marriage, 'miscegenation' and other moral policing primarily because we have moved away from those practices. So while the current Christian version of sharia is somewhat limited to things like whether folks can buy beer or get their car fixed on a Sunday, it's still there exerting its influence. I mean, swearing on a Bible? heh

ng12 9y ago
Sure, but these are laws which were the result of shared beliefs of it's constituents. They were not laws because the religion says they should be laws.
- devdas 9y ago
  The shared belief rose from them being laws first, and people growing up with those laws as normal.
- fellellor 9y ago
  Islamic laws are also from the shared beliefs of their constituents.
  - flukus 9y ago
    So if the beliefs change then islamic law can change? What makes it Islamic law then?
    - dragonwriter 9y ago
      Religions change when the beliefs of people in religious communities change. Christianity, including both beliefs and ecclesiastical legal systems (which Christianity has, and which have historically been enforced with State power, or State-like power by the Church.) Consider, in the Roman Catholic Church, the modern Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as compared to its early 20th Century predecessor, the Congregation for the Holy Office, and it's predecessor, the Supreme Sacred Congregation for the Universal Inquisition, both in terms of the body of law applied, the beliefs underlying that body of law, and the practical methods applied and the persons subjected to the jurisdiction of the Congregation.
    - PhasmaFelis 9y ago
      > So if the beliefs change then islamic law can change? Yes, of course. Why wouldn't it? I feel like people don't understand how religion works in practice. A major religion is never a changeless monolith. Some practitioners will always insist that their way is the unchanging and eternal word of God, but even with a 2000-year-old book at hand, religion is a human institution and has always changed to fit the needs of the people practicing it. As a liberal Episcopalian, my religious practice couldn't be more different than a fundamentalist Baptist's, and both would be unrecognizable to a Catholic from a few centuries back.
- PhasmaFelis 9y ago
  > Sure, but these are laws which were the result of shared beliefs of it's constituents. ...What do you think Islamic laws are?
tn135 9y ago
Church in India uses its influence to pass "Bible compliant" laws. Christians in India caused a riot because government proposed reservation for women. (Local christian community believes women should remain at home).

ng12 9y ago

Sure, but these are laws which were the result of shared beliefs of it's constituents. They were not laws because the religion says they should be laws.

devdas 9y ago
The shared belief rose from them being laws first, and people growing up with those laws as normal.
fellellor 9y ago
Islamic laws are also from the shared beliefs of their constituents.
- flukus 9y ago
  So if the beliefs change then islamic law can change? What makes it Islamic law then?
  - dragonwriter 9y ago
    Religions change when the beliefs of people in religious communities change. Christianity, including both beliefs and ecclesiastical legal systems (which Christianity has, and which have historically been enforced with State power, or State-like power by the Church.) Consider, in the Roman Catholic Church, the modern Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as compared to its early 20th Century predecessor, the Congregation for the Holy Office, and it's predecessor, the Supreme Sacred Congregation for the Universal Inquisition, both in terms of the body of law applied, the beliefs underlying that body of law, and the practical methods applied and the persons subjected to the jurisdiction of the Congregation.
  - PhasmaFelis 9y ago
    > So if the beliefs change then islamic law can change? Yes, of course. Why wouldn't it? I feel like people don't understand how religion works in practice. A major religion is never a changeless monolith. Some practitioners will always insist that their way is the unchanging and eternal word of God, but even with a 2000-year-old book at hand, religion is a human institution and has always changed to fit the needs of the people practicing it. As a liberal Episcopalian, my religious practice couldn't be more different than a fundamentalist Baptist's, and both would be unrecognizable to a Catholic from a few centuries back.
PhasmaFelis 9y ago
> Sure, but these are laws which were the result of shared beliefs of it's constituents. ...What do you think Islamic laws are?

tn135 9y ago

Church in India uses its influence to pass "Bible compliant" laws. Christians in India caused a riot because government proposed reservation for women. (Local christian community believes women should remain at home).