The idea that what they are protesting has anything to do with a conscience is incredible and makes my head spin at their lack of consideration for their fellow man.

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

Unless you can read the mind of the dearly departed JS, (and I'm referring to the resurrection), then you are going to be forced to SPECULATE as to what JESUS MIGHT HAVE DONE, based largely on writings by men, and interpreted over and over again to the point of causing unbelievable suffering and widespread wars. But, with a little help, I'll give the mind trick a shot:

According to the canonical Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 5:44), Gospel of Luke (Luke 10:27) and the Gospel of Mark (Mark 12:31), Jesus commanded to love ones neighbor as ones self and love God more than anyone, and called this the summary of the Mosaic Law.

He further taught his followers to love their enemies. Representing persecution as an act of love is considered irreconcilable to these teachigns by many. However, some have interpreted "neighbour" to only include Christians. Others believe that anyone who doesn't believe in Jesus is doomed to spend eternity in Hell; therefore, doing anything possible to save them from that fate (by forcing them to convert to Christianity by any means necessary) is an act of love.

According to the Christian Gospels, Jesus commanded people to withstand evil with good. Most people consider persecution to be immoral. According to the Christian Gospels, Jesus forbade to hate (cf. Luke 14:26, Revelation 2:6). Persecution implies hate. Paul of Tarsus, as well as Jesus himself, allegedly considered the commandment to love the supreme law.

According to the the Christian Gospels, Jesus said not to judge other people. Persecution can be considered as a crude way of judging others, and so equel measures can be vlaidly taken agaisn those Christians whom persecute others.

Jesus supposedly did not fight back when he was harassed, arrested, and crucified, nor did his disciples, except Saint Peter, who was rebuked by Jesus. A claim is that in the canonical Gospels, the Acts and the Letters, there is no description of any case of persecution by Christians which could be used as a precedent for Christian persecution of other groups.

GREED, JEALOUSY, ENVY, LUST, PRIDE, MURDER

When the Christian authority arrived in the New World with the Spanish, they helped to coordinate the destruction of three major Native cultures in Central and South America: The Inca, Maya and Aztec, labeling them to be pagans and barbarians. Anyone that would not convert was murdered.  The writings of these cultures was considered to be the work of the devil and was almost completely destroyed. 

This was only interrupted long enough to pillage the cities of these races, taking every scrap of gold and other valuable artifacts back to Spain as quickly as possible.  This process went on for centuries and resulted in an estimated 50 million Native deaths.  Who were the true barbarians here?

ON THE HIGHWAY TO HELL

I am also perplexed at the fact that Christians seem to be so stuck on their destructive paths even though their religious beliefs have led to widespread death and destruction from within their own ranks as well.  Millions of Christians have been killed by other religious sects (as have millions of Muslims, Hindus, and many others).

However, I am convinced that humans are not equipped to break the repeating cycle of history, and the major religions help to make it a certainty that we will be stuck on this treadmill forever.

For example, Christian anti-Semites blame Jews in general for the death of Jesus (whom Christians believe to be God made man). This belief has been cited by many Anti-semites as justification for their animosity towards the Jews. St Matthew's Gospel (Mt 27:25) quotes a Jewish mob crying, shortly before the Crucifixion, "His blood be on us and on our children"; this quotation is taken by some to refer to all Jews. This view held sway in many parts of Christian Europe throughout the Middle Ages, including by Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger (aka Jacob Sprenger) in the Malleus Maleficarum (1486).

"And again, the Jews sin more greatly than the Pagans; for they received the prophecy of the Christian Faith in the Old Law, which they corrupt through badly interpreting it, which is not the case with the Pagans. Therefore their infidelity is a greater sin than that of the Gentiles, who never received the Faith of the Gospel."

The same biblical quote fom the Gospel of Matthew was used by Adolf Hitler, but in modern times it is held by only a scarce minority of Christians.  There are many quotes from Hitler proclaiming the actions of Germany as the actions of a Christian nation. In retrospect, Hitler was indeed correct since it obvious that Christians seem to gravitate towards a position of feeling superior to others, so much so that in their fervor anything is possible.

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." - Blaise Pasca

INSTANT RELIGION, JUST ADD NUTS

In the early 1800's, the newly founded religion of Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) found itself unwelcome in the United States. The church and its followers were driven out of the country into the western territories where they eventually settled in the Ute territory, taking the land away from the Ute Native Tribe (as Jesus would have done I'm sure), and settling in to build a state that eventually would join the Union.

What did the Mormon's learn from this experience? Not a damn thing.  In fact, they remained such a racist organization that they were still preaching that blacks were inferior to whites even into the early 1970's.  They are also outrageously homophobic, which seems to fit their religious model of getting married and having as many children as the poor woman can bear. They even took it a step further to allow polygamous families to increase the size of their flock.

The Mormon's helped raise $40 million in the fight to get Prop 8 passed. In my view, it will always be a black stain on their church, and one that will take a lot of effort on their part to remove, if that is even possible for such small minded people.

SHOULD BIBLICAL RULES APPLY TO ALL AS A LAW?

Why would anyone want them too?

By some of the quotes coming out of the Christian camp these days, it seems to me that they would like to have some parts of the Bible enacted into laws.  Well, why wait for your fellow American's to see your tilted light? Pack your stuff up and move to the Middle East!  Yes, in the sunny expanses of Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and a dozen others, you can feel the love and bonding that blending your belief in the mystical with the laws of the modern can create.

You should try this out, you know, kick the tires on living like that for a bit.  Oh, if you happen to be female, well you are in for a treat!  Your right to speak out on any issue that bugs you will have to be clipped.  Sorry!  Women are worth less that cattle in the Bible, and perhaps deservedly so.  You ladies should be prepared to be fully covered in black cloth with the 120 degree sun blazing down on you.  Of course, if you are outside, you better plan to have a chaperon or you may find yourself getting jailed, beat or worse.

Of course, the rest of us will find that our lives are somewhat more peaceful as more of you move to try out what it was like to live in the 13th century.  In the meantime, you can start by getting your religious muscles in shape by examining the laws below:

• DEUTERONOMY 22:13-21
  If it is discovered that a bride is not a virgin, the Bible demands that she be executed by stoning immediately.
• DEUTERONOMY 22:22
  If a married person has sex with someone else's husband or wife, the Bible commands that both adulterers be stoned to death.
• MARK 10:1-12
  Divorce is strictly forbidden in both Testaments, as is remarriage of anyone who has been divorced.
• LEVITICUS 18:19
  The Bible forbids a married couple from having sexual intercourse during a woman's period. If they disobey, both shall be executed.
• MARK 12:18-27
  If a man dies childless, his widow is ordered by biblical law to have intercourse with each of his brothers in turn until she bears her deceased husband a male heir.
• DEUTERONOMY 25:11-12
  If a man gets into a fight with another man and his wife seeks to rescue her husband by grabbing the enemy's genitals, her hand shall be cut off and no pity shall be shown her.

Hey, if you are spouting off claiming to be a TRUE CHRISTIAN BELIEVER and you are breaking the rules above, and you are participating in the repression of gay rights, the you are nothing but a giant, unholy asshole.

IF I WERE KING FOR A DAY

If I were King for a day, and I could make any laws or rules I wished that would be the laws or rules going forward from that point forward, I would make rules that should be easy choices, not the diabolically polarized we see today:

1. 1. Laws with a religious origin cannot be passed by any Legislative Body.  No law may be enforced that has a religious implication.  
2. 2. All religions would be given two choices: keep your religion to yourself and family or; all religions would be banned from public exposition.
3. 3. I would legalize gay marriage, and I would end our wars.

I would no doubt be shot by the day after that!

WRAPPING THIS UP FOR THE FUTURE

As these photos show, there wasn't an ounce of sympathy or mercy given to those caught under the boot heal of the Nazi's.  Their Christian ethics (everyone works, with the state as the beneficiary).  It's a shockingly short journey from being just an asshole to become a full fledged hate monger.

When you started reading this article, you probably have a fully developed opinion on gay marriage, gays in the military and so on.  I know that I have a very strong opinion on these issues BUT I am shockingly able to keep them to myself when I'm outside of my blog and my house.  I don't advocate returning to the Roman era handling of Christians, that was uncool. 

Frankly, I am always a bit surprised that our species has made it to this point when taking into account just how hateful we are to each other. I ask: Is it not time that we stopped being us versus them and instead become on big family?  If you cannot see a point in our history that provides more evidence to our ultimate need to forgive and to heal, you are simply no looking.

WHAT GOD WOULD WANT A GROUP OF BIGOTS IN HEAVEN TO BEGIN WITH?  IF YOU BELIEVE IN THE GOD CONCEPT, THEN YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO ACCEPT EVERYTHING THAT WAS, HAS BEEN OR WILL BE MADE IS THE WILL OF YOUR GOD. TO SAY IT IS NOT IS TO SAY THAT YOUR GOD IS NOT OMNIPOTENT...AND THEREFORE YOUR TREATMENT OF OTHERS IN HIS NAME IS NOW AN ACT OF EVIL.

Think about it.