>> When was the last time you heard anything of a Christian killing anyone in the name >> of their God? > > Just a few...
That link is a joke. The Church has certainly had its dark days- no argument there. Taking the Holocaust as an example from his site, the only thing Christianity had to do with it was sitting by and doing nothing in most cases while it happened. His assertion about Hitler being a Catholic can be countered at this link with Hitler's own words.
> It doesn't matter if it's recent or not, Christianity has just as much, if not more > blood on its hands than the Muslim religion. Do you think the widespread christian > base is so large because of the warm, fuzzy feeling that Jesus gives? It was started > and spread through fear, intimidation, and bloodshed. If you were not a christian, > you were killed, tortured, or imprisoned. With those tactics I doubt that most people > at the time claimed to be christian because of the teachings of Jesus....they did it > to save their skin. While not as blatant, the christian church still uses fear and > intimidation to keep the fold in check.
Spoken as someone who has never read the book of Acts in the Bible. In that book you will see how Christianity was really spread, and how it is still spread today- through the Holy Spirit. Once you have an encounter with the Holy Spirit you know it. Through Him (yes, Him- the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and as much God as the Father and Jesus the Son) you will know God's love for mankind. Followers of Jesus are constantly guided by Him. Being filled with the Holy Spirit as the Bible talks about is an experience not soon forgotten in anyone who is truly a Christian. You are forgiven for not understanding this and how He works in people's lives as you really can't understand until it happens to you. But reading Acts is a beginning.
> > It doesn't matter that they're not burning "heretics" at the stake, or strapping non > believers to the rack anymore...the fact still remains that it happened and by > subscribing to the core beliefs you're still supporting, and subscribing to those > beliefs that are responsible for the deaths of thousands if not millions. > > How can any christian with a conscience ever say things like "that doesn't happen > anymore" or "that's not what the church is about anymore" and still feel good about > their religion? It happened, by the church's "holiest" and highest men. Their pope's > and priests, bishops and pastors. These are men that claimed to speak with god, or > get direct orders from men who can communicate with god who did unspeakable things to > their fellow man because they thought they were doing god's work. > > Whether 4,000 years, or 4 days ago it's evil, immoral, and sickening and you, yes YOU > support how the religion spread whether you object to it or not and if you were born > somewhere in the middle east I'd wager you'd be defending a muslim or arab offshoot > religion.
Again, dark days in Church history. Fortunately everyone (at least in Western cultures) has access to the Word of God and can read for themselves that this behavior is not condoned and in fact doesn't convert anyone to being a follower of Jesus, but can certainly turn them away for years or even forever.
> >> These religions worshiped Idols, and anytime you have a physical object (e.g. 'graven >> image') of worship - you delve into matters of demonic powers. > > This is funny to me because I see christian graven images all the time. Crosses > litter the landscape and statues of saints and Mary, and a bloody, beaten Jesus are > worshiped and idolized just as much as any golden calf was in the past. Religious > people seem to be impervious to their own irony.