QUOTE (Goliath @ Mar 21 2008, 09:19 AM)
More people have died in the name of religion than probably anything else in history. Salem Witch trials, the Inquisition, Crusades (both sides there, not faulting Christianity or Muslims entirely, Muslims attacked what they believed to be theirs, Christians retook what they believed to be theirs).
Stalin, Mao, and Hitler (remember, he was doing "God's work") killed so many because they desired power. Claiming moral highground because of faith is silly, as there is no winning as one party will judge who is "right" by their set of beliefs and the other does the same.
What I do find ridiculous though is that a Thiestic Satanist could come here and put "Thiestic" because they do meet the criteria because of the way the poll is set up.
My issue is with religion, not with God, I pray each night.
Don't be too hard on the medieval Christians. You really have to do some serious study to understand those times. There were some really good point about the Church in the early days.
Take for example, you mention Inquisition. I blame Edgar Allen Poe for that (I have seen his grave btw, in Baltimore).
In fact, the conception most have of the inquisition stems from English propaganda leveled against the Spanish at the time.
If you were to be tried by a court in Europe at those times, you sure hoped it would be the religious court and not the civil courts. In the religious courts you had a chance at least. The civil courts were the true Kangaroo courts in those times.
Take Witch Burning. Not one witch was ever burned by the Spanish Inquisition. And estimated 100,000 were put to death by the civil european courts.
Read about the early church, not perfect by any means, you will have more respect for the good things that were there, if you study it seriously (I mean by reading scholarly books, written by professors at universities). It had its flaws at times, sometimes serious ones. Part was circumstantial. For 150 years or so the entire continent was a mess due to Viking invasions, things were really disrupted. And it was political of course. But for example, the Crusaders were under orders by the Pope on Crusades to not commit atrocities that they committed (such as at Constantinople). I am just saying, they had good things, not all bad.
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This post has been edited by fkalich: Mar 21 2008, 08:57 PM