Tuesday: The thing is, you can always find radicals in any group. This proves nothing.

I know a girl (I watched her grow up here) who left the comforts of the US to work with people in the Sudan. It's a dangerous place where she is. She's worked hard to get the people clean water (they need 300 deep water wells in that region) and she's making progress. She's opened a health clinic and she and another Christian volunteer care for the medical needs of the people. She recruits doctors for help (she's not a medical person and only has a little training). Still, she's learned to stitch up cuts, deliver babies, treat wounds of all kinds, and preform minor surgeries (via google and consultation from a US doctor). What she does isn't legal in the US but there is NO ONE ELSE to do this work. She's young, attractive, smart, and living in a remote part of the Sudan. THIS sort of story doesn't make the news. This kind of sacrifice (which is multiplied by the thousands) doesn't get quoted with links. The kooks get the press.

It's STUPID for anyone here to point to a fringe group and make any kind of generalization to apply it to the whole. If they think that's justified, then why don't they point out what the majority does? The majority of Christians do good works. They preform community services (here in my small town the Churches (Catholic and Protestant) work TOGETHER for the betterment of the community. We feed the hungry, visit nursing homes, care for people's needs (like clean their yard or help with painting or house cleaning etc). We do this regularly (it's called the Boaz Project. Churches throughout the US are involved in these sorts of community outreaches. There's no preaching, just service.

For every knucklehead "Christian" out there saying God hates fags or claiming they know who is going to hell etc, there are hundreds of REAL Christians living out their faith.

Tuesday: Yes they do. And that's the problem. But clearly the message of Christianity can be summed up in this: Love thy neighbor.

Artful Dodger: Aye... And the Samaritans story helps to reinforce your neighbour is EVERYONE.. even your enemy.

Tuesday: Unfortunately just like with those who claim they are Islamic and then break basic Islamic laws on respect to fellow Islamic folk and folks of other faiths.

... despite false claims. The Qur'an is quite specific on respecting others and true believers of God/Allah. The Qur'an makes quite specific comments on not attacking civilians.

A recent program on some of the African churches spreading in the UK, comments on how they are perverting the Bible regarding the so called 'witch' text to abuse children. Preachers saying a child is a witch then beating the 'demons' out of them.

Yet in the NT there is some quite specific text on how those who do such things to children will not find a good reception in front of God.

A certain commandment says to not say God made me do this (take name in vain) but people will. It has been an easy cop-out to justify hate and anger for thousands of years and I don't see it changing over night.