Vs: Why Are We All Fighting?

There's only one thing in the world worse than YouTube comments, and that's Digg comments. Usually they just devolve into trolling, and worse, people cursing each other out. But sometimes, they can be a forum for learning and discussion. Not usually though. Someone just posted a story about Jon Stewart talking about Mitt Romney's decision to drop out of the race (more on that later) Anyway, I was reading the Digg comments for the story, and came across this conversation:

Some d-bag: Mitt would have been a great President. He understands the imminent threat of all the Muslims abroad and within our borders. I do not agree with his Mormonism because Christianity is only way to heaven; but we could've used this man for the next 4 years to finish off the biggest threat of our times: Islam

Another d-bag: People will digg you down for this, however, the reality is Islam is the biggest threat to the security of the world, not George W. Bush.

Some smart guy: Islam isn't a threat, people with radical off the wall nonsensical pictures of reality are the threat. Islam, Christianity, whichever one tells you in it's book to kill the non-believers (sometimes with stones!). Some people choose to believe it so far as to carry out obviously evil acts in the name of their god, allah, whatever. Christians were guilty of all the same shit back in the day. It was a Wednesday I believe.

Me: You are so right that it makes my brain hurt. There is nothing wrong with religion in its best forms, it gives people hope, and really does help the world. This is the same for Christians, Muslims, Jews, everybody. It's just when people twist it around and make it 'evil' does it start to suck, and atheists start making sense. We talk about 9/11, but what about all the people that were killed in abortion clinic bombings in the US? What about 'Thank God for IED's'? I like to think of people of all religions as brothers and sisters in faith, and even atheists and agnostics as part of the family, I mean, religion (be it Islam, Christianity, Mormonism, whatever) does not have to be a dirty word. The person that Christian revere the most would never agree with all the crap that's carried out in his name. Jesus believed in love most of all, and if we (Christians) can remember that, then we can rise above all our petty little conflicts. Mohammad preached peace and understanding and some radical factions forget that too. We have our own problems, and people like Mitt Romney are only stirring up the pot, when we need to be working towards a greater understanding.

I don't understand why some people have taken the idea that Islam, as a whole religion, is a terrible thing. More terrible than Christian fanatics, moreso than Jewish fanatics (not sure how many of those there have been), etc. etc. People forget that in Spain, Catholics wiped out so many 'non-believers' that it's estimated that about 3000-5000 people have been killed. This isn't just one instance of Christians gone wrong, we've killed so many people so many ways, we're probably a bigger murderer of people than any plague or conquerer ever to cross the Earth. Remember the Aztecs and Incas that were 'converted' by any means necessary? I can think of dozens of instances where stupid people killed someone because they didn't believe in the same deity. But of course, you don't need a deity to kill another person, and it's been happening for no good reason for just as long. The point is Islam isn't the problem, it's people that can't see past the end of their noses. It's people who have been brainwashed to believe that their religion teaches that there should be no tolerance for anyone else. Christians, Muslims, and Jews believe in the same God, for crying out loud. I mean, the same entity, the same person, being, whatever. It's the same thing! And the fact that we can't come together is frickin' retarded. We're getting wrapped up in whether or not we should wear a burka, or get circumcised or whether or not the Sabbath is Sunday or Saturday. Do you really think God cares about all that? I mean, really? I hope not, because I feel like God knows we're not perfect, and we're human. I mean, we're going to get some of the details mixed up, but the fact that we kill somebody because they don't believe the same way we do is not going to be made up for the fact that we didn't eat fish during the week. I can't believe in a God that would condemn you to the deepest pits of hell because you showed your legs to a guy who wasn't in your family. That's not to say that you can't believe what you want, but understanding love, and forgiveness means understanding that other people have the choice, and THE RIGHT to believe as they want, and you should love them regardless. And that's something that can bring all faiths together. Okay, do I sound like a hippie? Maybe, but if you think about it (and I'd only want to speak for my own religion here) Jesus said the same thing, right? Love everybody, even if they don't think or look like you, or do what you do. And it's true, even today, cause Jesus had it right, I mean, he's who we base everything we believe on. I know for a fact that Islam instructs that Christians and Jews are 'People of the Book', which means they share the same God, and same origins (the Pentateuch, Adam and Eve, uh, I dunno, Allah/Elohim/Jehovah). "And you do not dispute with People of the Book except with means better, unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong: but say, "We believe in the Revelation which has come to us and in that which has come to you; our God and your God is One; it is to Him We bow." (The Qur'an, Surah 29:46, The Spider) Christians have many statements about killing those of different beliefs, and while I don't say throw out the Old Testament, it was created because there was no pathway for people who believe in God to God. Jesus was created as that pathway, because nobody could make it their on their own. Jesus dismissed some of the laws of Old Testament through his own teaching, "You have heard it said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy, But I tell you, Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, To show that you are children of your Father Who is in Heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers." Matthew 43-45. I think the broader sense of His speech was love everybody, even when you don't see eye to eye. This is something that Christians who can quote the whole Bible to you seem to forget. Anyway, I didn't mean to make this a thesis on religion, but I just don't get how people can take some parts of their religion and follow it to the letter, and forget other parts because it's convenient. There was no religion founded set up to destroy another religion, we all have our goals, and if we can just stop killing each other, we can reach them. Though, I don't expect that to happen anytime soon.