Sushiman, I absolutely agree with you that evil people have used religion to justify all kinds of evil things, but that doesn’t make the religion itself evil (speaking very generally here). Even your description still shows the person is the evilness, not the ideas they twisted. To say that “religion has been the cause of more atrocities…” implies that the people weren’t evil until they took up the religion. No way! These people used religion as a reason to justify their evilness, just like “Christians” who bomb abortion clinics. Their faith did not make them evil, they already were. The brainwashing involved to get multitudes of people to commit atrocities does not stem from the religion, but the evilness. Its like saying guns have been the cause of more crime in the history of man than anything, even though we know it was the guns in the hands of CRIMINALS that caused the crime.

I don’t think Judaism is evil, and I don’t think Catholicism is evil (though many evil things have been done by people of those faiths). I have my own opinions about Mormonism (I think its a cult), and there are many many other faiths that I don’t believe are inherently evil, even if I don’t agree with them. My personal faith is not an “organized religion”, although your definition of that is still extremely ambiguous (but I think I’ve listed the ones you are referring to), but I’m sure lots of people that have attended my very same churches have committed evil acts. Does that mean my faith is evil because someone who believed what I did, and went to the same church, did something evil? Of course not. They wanted to do something evil, and twisted their faith enough in their own mind so that it went along with their evil intentions. People who are legalistic and say you aren’t a true [insert name of religion or faith] if you are doing something, are judgmental and yes, its all in seek of power of some kind.

Religion has been the cause of more atrocities in the history of man than… well, than anything. I’m not saying these atrocities follow along the ‘good’ nature of the intent of a religion, but rather that religion was used to an end. Just because a religion is intended to be for peace and good, does not mean that is how people will follow it. Just look to history. There are more examples of poisoning the true meaning of a religion than I could ever possibly hope to cite, and I’m sure every religion would agree. Also, note how I said organized religion… which is basically brain-washing IMO. Someone’s personal faith or belief in a higher power, even if it follows along with those of an organized religion… completely OK… but telling someone they are not Christian or Jewish or Islamic if they dont do this, or if they do that… is ridiculous and is nothing more than a form of control.

http://mosquewatch.blogspot.com/2007/03/dealing-with-non-muslims.html

I agree with you on most of your points, but the whole “religion is evil” is a slippery slope.

Who cares what a piece of paper says, unless people actually take action upon it. Which is what these Islamofascists do. And no, I and the authors of this site do not think that all Muslims, or all Islams, are evil terrorists… it is no secret there are many many peaceful, tolerant, and moral members of this group all over the world. And, like you said about Christians, they choose their denominations, choose what they will follow and what they will ignore… even though they dont really have denominations in Islam, rather local Imams that preach their own agendas. Some of which are good, and others are nothing more than the Islamic version of a KKK meeting. If these people were white and wearing hoods and robes talking about killing jews and blacks you would be foaming at the mouth you’d be so mad.

Its difficult for many people to believe that these people are simply not good… that evil does exist in the world. ‘Liberals’ and the like want to pretend there is a perfect way to live and exist with others… the flaw in that is that not everyone feels the same way. The people that live this way of life do not want to exist alongside other cultures, having equal rights and respecting their neighbor: they want to kill you. They want to kill me. They want to kill anyone that is not one of them, or willing to convert to their way of thinking, and take over the world. And if they had the chance, they would. No, not all Muslims feel this way, but too many do, and there is so much hate.

The extremists of other religions in modern day will protest and preach and basically use alot of words: the extremists of Islam murder, rape, behead, suicide bomb… need I continue? Also, think about how Islam does not separate church and state… to them, religion IS government. How dangerous do you think that is?

Just for the record, I am not a member of any religious group or denomination, and think that organizing a belief or faith in god into laws and a way of life that was written by men in a book is about the worst thing to ever happen to this planet. That being said, there are certain religions that have ‘grown up’ as Infidelesto likes to say, and these religions (although I do not agree or follow their religion) are tolerant for the most part, peaceful, and are more interested in debate, opinion and free speech/choice than they are in rape, murder, torture, genocide, slavery, abuse, and suicide bombing.

Christians don’t deny that God said in the bible that a wife should submit to her husband (which does not mean what liberals want everyone to think it means), but to compare that to what the Quran says about women is laughable. Did you read the USC link? You really think the bible saying women came from man (FYI its talking about how God made Eve from Adam’s rib, literally) is the same as Islam saying a man can have 4 wives, should get more inheritance than women, its ok to beat wives if they don’t obey, etc etc etc? The oppression of women is a huge problem I have with Islam, and if you truly cared about that issue (it seems like you do, since you referenced Roe v. Wade) you would do some real research on the issue. Do you see Christians going around killing females in their family as an “honor killing” to avenge their family? This is happening in Islam right now, not centuries ago.

Your examples of what Christians choose to “ignore” are all from the Old Testament. There’s a reason its not relevant in today’s time, and has nothing to do with picking and choosing, but has to do with Jesus.

You claim to not be bias, but you have clear anti-Christianity bias by saying Jesus wouldn’t “sully himself” by being with a woman. Ever think that maybe it has nothing to do with sex? Maybe he devoted his life to other things, and chose not to have a wife and make a family? Saying you have no bias because you aren’t one of those three religions is absurd. Only people that aren’t a part of the religion can be non-biased?

The argument that we shouldn’t think Islam is a dangerous religion because there are “bad seeds” in every religion is completely naive. Of course there are evil people of all races, religions, genders, occupations, etc. The difference is that if you read studies on the amount of Muslims in the world, entire countries crying for death of Americans and Jews, you can’t say that’s as bad as Pat Robertson saying things you don’t agree with. He’s not starting a big organization saying “death to Katie!” that’s funded by millions, and if he were you would certainly not be here saying nothing was wrong with it. The BIG difference you conveniently leave out is that all those examples you list (roe v. wade, etc.) are issues that anyone in this country can have an opinion about. Plus, Christians condemn people who commit evil crimes in the name of God. You don’t see that with Muslims.

If there is a majority that believes a certain way, and that majority is in power, then policy that you don’t like or I don’t like might happen, but we live in a country with free speech that has a democratic system so that these things are even possible. This is NOTHING like Sharia law, which demands that everyone is Muslim, converts to Islam, or is killed. There may be moderates who would simply want the non-Muslims exiled instead of killed, but no one would be allowed to live under Sharia law and not practice Islam. To compare theocracy to democracy and say they are the same is completely ignorant. Do your homework.

Addressing your comment that “thousands of innocents” are dying in the war, where are you getting this? Any sources on this? Our troops are not killing innocents, and the thousands you probably are referring to are innocents killed by the terrorist insurgents in Iraq, not by Americans. Also, its pretty close-minded to say that only Christians are supporting the war, which once again only exposes your bias. I don’t really care if you can’t stand Christians, but when forming an opinion on the war do some real digging and get facts instead of conjecture. You’ve been hanging out in the liberal echo chamber too long.

I’m going to have to disagree with you that religious supremacy and bigotry are the “most dangerous things in our world today”. Terrorists, murderers here on our own land, disease, etc. are much more dangerous than people that have an extreme point of view. Sure, having a religious extreme point of view is dangerous is when you mix it with Islam, but I have a feeling you are referring to a different religion. I would say that Muslim terrorists are worse than Christians who are pro-life, but that’s just me.

Sure Christians have committed atrocities over time, nobody is denying what the Bible says, but atleast we (the west) grew up and learned to live like a civilized people. These people are still living in a time that is stagnant to them. There’s no hope for them, no jobs, no future, they’re so opressed they have nothing to do but march the streets in protest over the latest Al-jazeera article. There’s no passion or niche to fulfill the human spirit. No hope for the future for them other than the one thing then KNOW, that they have been TAUGHT, one thing that they know will earn them noteriety and respect and that is….JIHAD