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Let us not forget that more people have died in Christ's name than any other figure in human history.

Yes, you can not fault the people of the present for the actions of others in the past, but you can fault the religious doctrine that drove the people of the past to commit those crimes against humanity.

This conundrum CAN be resolved... quickly... easily... economically... once and for all.

My simple solution requres only that for one whole month, every newspaper in the free world devote its front page to cartoons ridiculing Allah (peace on him) and Mohammed (peace on him, too). By the end of that time, all of Islam will have self-destructed in a paroxysm of snits, hissy-fits and terminal apoplexy. WARNING: This will not be pretty... but the world will be a much better place for it.

My only regret in this is that I cannot think of a similarly uncomplicated, cost-effective and efficient stratagem to dismantle Christianity... but, oh well... one thing at a time. One only does what one can.

"Christians ought to be extreme, that is, committed to the fullest in loving God and spreading His love abroad."

As long as its the love and not coerced conversions, I'm all for it!

TJ:
Ok, I don't believe the Bible is inerrant. And I have no need for a mechanism to separate the wheat from the chaff. I know a lot of Christians that do believe the Bible is inerrant. And I can't think of one of them that's violent or a lunatic. A lot of them spend their time volunteering at local homeless shelters, working with kids, etc.. Sure, some are posers, but hey, we're human. So from my perspective, the stereotype doesn't ring true. Honestly, what do you think you'd find if you walked into a church this Sunday?

JSH writes: "What rings hollow are the endless attacks on religion based on things that were done in the past in the name of god. Every people group can have extremists. If I choose to commit a crime in the name of America does that illegitimate America? No. Stereotyping a group based on the actions of a few is meaningless. If you want a realistic view of who Christians are, visit a local church this weekend and tell me how many violent lunatics you meet there. (unless of course, you're too content with your current perspective)"

So god didn't instruct Israelites to slaughter innocent infants or the bible isn't inerrantly true? If it isn't inerrantly true, then please describe the mechanism by which you separate wheat from chaff.

Brother Colson
The existance of our own faith owes to some violent extremism. I think we are taking too narrow a view to paint the picture as simple and rosy as to deny the extremism of figures who fought and killed in God's name all over the Bible. And we are conditioned in our thinking to just read over those passages without raising an eyebrow, assuming thse giants of our faith were right and God sanctioned. So correct and proper we think, when we read that Elijah had 400 religious rival slaughtered.

Maybe Brother, if we can see this glossing of such events in our own mind, to sense our own religious desensitization to otherwise revolting acts of violence, then maybe we can understand the mindset of religious extremist.

As long as our faith in God is intact, we cannot and will not see the actions of our heroes like Sampson and David as anything but warriors for God. But if our faith were destroyed, then like the atheist we would see our heroes as attrocious madmen killing for God.

We won't convince these religious extremist they are less than champions for God by compalining about their evil deeds. They want us to complain about them! That's the point! Make us hurt!

When we destroy their faith, an act which is easy by comparison, then they will realize what fools they are on their own.

I know American sensibilities are to tolerate religious beliefs. I need this tolerance, you need it. But to destroy the faith of the religious extremist will be the primary tool for convincing them they are wrong. In other words, we are refuting "false gods". Breaking faith means pointing out to those adherants, how miserably those idols have failed them, cannot provide for or help them, cannot save them from all the catastrophies that come upon them, or alleviate their suffering. Yes we attack their faith with ruthless and cruel facts, and do so at every turn and opportunity. This is what to say to religious extremeist. We mock them and say, look how your God fails you and how you and your people suffer. But we are blessed by our God!

Showing the contrast to our adversaries was a tactic used on the old Soviet Union. We had Disneyland while they had nothing. We let them know it often. It destroyed that nations faith in its ideology. We literally stole their souls. We can and should take the stand, to affront the faith of the religious extremeist, rather than be upset about the mere expressions of it. Attack the roots, to kill the fruits.

Prophet Bryson Hughes

To TJ: What rings hollow are the endless attacks on religion based on things that were done in the past in the name of god. Every people group can have extremists. If I choose to commit a crime in the name of America does that illegitimate America? No. Stereotyping a group based on the actions of a few is meaningless. If you want a realistic view of who Christians are, visit a local church this weekend and tell me how many violent lunatics you meet there. (unless of course, you're too content with your current perspective)

God created man
Man chose his own way, including fighting his own battles
This created war
Since man chose his own way, God lets man do it his own way...for now.
Man created slavery. Man wanted divorce. God told man you cant keep a slave forever. You must give them freedom eventually. Did man follow Gods guidelines? No, not every time. So what else is new?
God chose to involve himself when and where he pleases, for his purpose (remember, ...man chose his own path).
Kind of like a father trying to teach a child that wants to learn the hard way. "OK you can do it your way...but..."
Even to this day, man blames God for what man has wrought upon himself.
Many ask.."Where is God...why doesnt he intervene, stop killing, etc?"
Because man chose his own way.
And so the circle goes.

Eternal God our Heavenly Father, who has created this vast world and yet watches over the lonely sparrow, humbly I pray that You will be with our nation's pilots protecting and guiding those who leave the bonds of earth to fly high into the sunlit sky or into the stormy night. May our wings guard the United States of America and be a safeguard for all those who travel the airways of the world on their peaceful mission. May we continue to worship You and live in love and brotherhood.

Amen.

Our panelist writes: "Extremism which leads to violence is contrary to the very nature of the God whom we worship. He and the tradition which has arisen from His teachings countenance violence only as in the Just War tradition when it is in protection of innocent life, a proportionate response to evil; or when it is necessary to enforce the law and to administer justice."

Did the Midianite babies constitute a threat worthy of the treatment that they received at the hands of your god's helpers? Was it a proportionate response? Was it necessary in order to enforce the law or administer justice? Or was it just infanticide committed by a bunch of violent lunatics whose actions were later justified with the supposed instruction of your god? "Hey, we wouldn't have done that unless god instructed us to". I don't suppose the 9/11 perpetrators would have did what they did unless god told them to do it either. Imagine that.

While I'd like to agree with the gist of your message, it rings pitifully hollow. Messages of peace and love from your god, and from followers of that god, are hopelessly hypocritical and without any merit whatsoever. Simply put, I don't trust your god because talk is talk and the proof is in the pudding.