*sigh* Another broken irony meter.

[trotsky]

How Can Killing Innocent People Ever Be Justified In The Name Of ‘Holy War’?
http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2016/06/terrorism-misinterpret-religion-jihad/

Many times have I indulged in debates and discussions on whether or not God shall have a different judgement for non-Christians when that day (Judgement Day) comes. Of greater concern to me is how man has misinterpreted the core of religion. Sometimes what seems complicated has the simplest answer.

I am Christian by faith and the living words of God did not teach me to condemn other religions. When man cannot even love his own kind, heaven is a far distant subject. If my propagation spreads enmity among people, let me not propagate for man living in peace is better than uninformed doctrines. Religions are sensitive stuff and when misinterpreted, it can lead to staunch fanaticism and radicalisation of beliefs.

In essence: 'What is wrong with these people who think they've interpreted their religion correctly? Obviously *I* am the one who has interpreted every religion correctly.'

And to answer the question posted in the article's headline, I would suggest the author read 1 Samuel 15. "This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroya all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys.’ "

Gee, no idea where people might get the idea it's OK to slaughter innocents because they think their god wants it.

[NeoGreen]

1. It might be religion if... (nt)

[AlbertCat]

2. the living words of God did not teach me....

anything.

"Living words" (?) from a made up entity?

[DetlefK]

5. "living" as in originalist, "still valid even though everything has changed"

[RussBLib]

3. contradictions abound

Yeah, I don't see how people can get so confused by their holy books. Or how they can NOT be confused. With all this contradiction, why do they even bother? It rather bothers me that so many people seem to "need" this kind of guidance in their lives. Anyone who proclaims that the two holy books are all about peace are liars or idiots.

So many passages in the Bible urge killing

http://www.evilbible.com/evil-bible-home-page/murder-in-the-bible/

Then we have multiple passages that urges against killing

https://www.openbible.info/topics/killing

And the Koran urges killing

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/pages/quran/violence.aspx

And Koran passages that urge peace

https://themuslimtimes.info/2013/10/29/three-hundred-verses-about-compassionate-living-in-the-quran/

[progressoid]

4. I know someone who used to use the "they aren't real Christians" canard a lot.

She was the New Testament, love thy neighbor, flavor of Christian. Took a while for me to convince her that you can find passages in the bible that justify being a racist, murderous asshole and still be a Christian.

She doesn't go to church anymore.

[onager]

6. I mostly blame Martin Luther...

Yes, he destroyed the authority of the Pope. But he seemed to think most right-minded Xians would fall in line with his religious ideas and he would become the supreme pontiff of the new Protestants.

Then the Law of Unintended Consequences struck, as usual. Luther created hundreds of Protestant mini-Popes, competing with him to see who could be the most fanatical and intolerant. Of course, every one of them claimed to have uncovered the real meaning of the Bible. And only their version was the real deal.

Luther helped with that because he translated the Bible and opened it up to everyone. Well, now every single Bible reader could be his or her very own Pope, and interpret the scriptures any way they wanted. Which they proceeded to do.

A few years ago, the Lutheran church bankrolled an epic movie about Luther. It was mostly propaganda, but had one realistic moment: during the Catholic vs. Protestant wars, Luther walks thru a sacked and burning village filled with the corpses of men, women and children. The look on his face says: "WTF? l didn't mean for THIS to happen!"

The New World didn't turn out any better, since our sainted Puritan ancestors set up a terroristic theocracy almost the equal of ISIS. The religiously incorrect in Puritan Massachusetts could be jailed, fined, tortured and executed. e.g., if you had taken a stroll on Boston Common in the 17th century, you might have seen the bodies of Mary Dyer and other Quakers hanging from the public gallows.

/usualtediousrant

[JNelson6563]

7. It's doubleplusgood!