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moderators be gentle... If this post does not meet the forum guidelines... please feel free to delete it... I think this might be helpful to some people but who knows... it might just be me ranting... I had a chat today with a guy from work... We were talking about religion and he tore down jehovah's witness to a jehovah's witness by attacking him about who are they witnessing to...? He then went on the offensive about who has the truth... He asked my opinion about who has the truth... I told him... I don't judge a man by his vocabulary or religious pedigree. I judge men by the content of the character that I see demonstrated... not the content of their hearts because honestly... people play a good game of pretend... We then went on to discuss christianity.... He said that the muslims in the koran have a clear edict to kill non-believers.... but that christians do not... I told him that christianity was basically responsible for the dark ages. It advocated killing anyone that did not believe what the priest believed... and even launched the crusades which was responsible for many atrocities against those in the middle east... He said show him where jesus said to kill non-believers. I told him to search the first five books of the bible... I told him the closest jesus came to saying that was when he said... Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. -Matthew: 5:17-18 and by so doing giving tacit agreement to all that is written therein... He said he wanted to read that jesus said this word for word that we christians should kill nonbelievers. I told him the first five books were littered with such references... I even went so far as to tell him that christianity is a warrior religion but he would have none of it. after going back and forth like this I eventually ended the discussion... saying he would have to reach his own conclusions... after leaving the discussion... I took a search and came up with the following... killing in general in the bible http://www.evilbible.com/Murder.htm rebellious teachings of jesus http://www.nobeliefs.com/jesus.htm Now... to be sure I am no athiest... heck I am not even an agnostic... I believe in god... born in a minor branch of the presbyterian church, raised in church leadership and have done everything but speak in tongues... So to say I am a fanatic is not far from the truth... But as fanatic as I am about god. I am a fanatical seeker of the truth... and to be sure... christianity is a great story but it is paganism with a bow on top... christianity is paganism in the vein of "once more but with feeling" It takes paganistic practices but wraps them in a bow with a guilt pill on top... The only way I can now stomach the belief is to look at it from a gnostic point of view... These are stories meant to teach moral lessons... The moral lessons I am still unwrapping. And to be sure they are not the lessons you were taught in sunday school.... As a christian I was not taught to think but given arguments and chains of reasonings along with emotional tautologies so as to stop thought. I guess thats why I have been drawn to budhism but I digress. I am thankful for this board. Due to it I have begun to think. I lament my previous 40 odd years but I am glad atleast I have a little light now... Finally, I have something to help me explain myself to myself. Instead of guilting me into doing what others do and not necessarily what is right. Now I know stef is only human but with stef... I go by the verse follow me only in so far as I follow christ. Meaning there are days... that stef just goes off the deep end.... this is rare but it does happen.... this only means he is human... and either I am not ready to understand what he is talking about or he just wondered into a room that needs more thought... no one can know everything... Thankfully more often than not... its usually more of the former than the latter... hopefully this makes sense to someone... moderators be gentle...