Belguim: Explosions at Airport and Subway.

[AJ Dual]

Except that you are talking about religious organizations.  So you are positing that the Pope is not a True Believer?  Osama bin Laden was not a True Believer?  The Saudi Royal family are not True Believers?  The Iranian Ayatollahs are not True Believers?

Seriously?

I agree to a point, but I bet there's a higher proportion of realpolitik in their makeup than that of the rank-n-file true believer. So I don't think that assessment is completely incorrect either.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

The guys at the top of large organizations are almost never true believers, whether you're talking Soviet communism or Chinese communism or Islamic terror or etc. The level of political acumen needed to ascend to that level is not generally present in the actually fanatical.

At the very top? Yea they believe. But the high level political staff under them? Not so much. They are ambitious seekers of power and they transcend administrations. They control access and information flow and are truly the ones directing decisions


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[cordex]

So you are positing that the Pope is not a True Believer?

There are a number of Popes that were almost certainly not True Believers who sought out their office specifically for power and control.

Osama bin Laden was not a True Believer?  The Saudi Royal family are not True Believers?  The Iranian Ayatollahs are not True Believers?

I don't think Bin Laden or the House of Saud believe(d) what they tell the guys who strap on the Semtex underoos.

[Balog]

Except that you are talking about religious organizations.  So you are positing that the Pope is not a True Believer?  Osama bin Laden was not a True Believer?  The Saudi Royal family are not True Believers?  The Iranian Ayatollahs are not True Believers?

Seriously?

There may or may not be a figurehead who is a true believer, but the actual powers that be in major orgs are in that position due to realpolitik. And I'd say that most "religious" orgs that transcend a certain size and scope become more about politics than piety. This is especially true of Muslims, since their messianic figure made their religion explicitly political.

[Perd Hapley]

I'd say that most "religious" orgs that transcend a certain size and scope become more about politics than piety.

Let's not get into the Mark Driscoll row again.