Don't you love people who will tell you that the bible is the inerrant word of god but there are parts of it they would like to explain away. Jesus was very, very clear when he said that rich people cannot go to heaven. So to be so rich and proclaim yourself a Christian is simply a lie. A lie for a lot of money and power is a hard lie to defeat.

What fun to read people arguing and expounding on what god is, what god does and what god wants. Does god like Jews or hate them? Will the ones from Israel go to heaven but ones from Africa can't be saved? Sane people know that there is no way to know, even with a copy of ancient scripture in their hand.

The sad truth is that violence is easier than peace, love is harder than hate and interpreting ancient holy texts to fit our version of reality is many people's inner dialog. How sad is it that those books lead to violence more often than peace, hate more often than love and isolation more than comradery.

I don't live in the desert 2000 years ago so I can eat pork and shellfish without getting sick. I can love my neighbors without knowing whether they are from an Israeli tribe or if they pray facing Mecca. I just don't care and won't hate anyone for what their parents taught them.

On the other hand I am against the death penalty except in the case of religious violence and while I love my wife and daughter if I die and go to heaven and am told I now have 72 wives I'll kill myself all over again.