Originally Posted by: earthman buckBut then, neither are a lot of so-called "Christians." The ones who abhorr and ridicule people with different beliefs than theirs. I believe the Christian Bible says "Love thy neighbour," does it not? Ridicule isn't love. And I know you're gonna say it's done out of love, but is it really? Bashing someone else's beliefs?

No, I'm not going to say it's done out of love. I'm going to say it's done out of bigotry, ignorance, and an over-inflated sense of self-righteousness.

I happen to believe in the Christian conception of God, but that doesn't mean I believe that all other such conceptions are inaccurate. All religions are equal in terms of spiritual validity; recognising this, as reflected in the Biblical passage you quoted, is one of the fundamental tenets of Christian faith. I agree with you, Earthman: if you can't reconcile your own religious convictions with recognising the sanctity of other belief systems, you don't deserve to call yourself a "Christian" - or a "Muslim", or a "Jew", or a "Hindu", or a "Buddhist", or a "Satanist" for that matter! Stackny, I don't believe you are one of these people, as you have acknowledged that Christianity is not necessarily superior to Islam. But you would do well, in my opinion, to show a little more appreciation for the validity of other faiths (sorry, I'm patronising you again, aren't I? :o ).