[MEGoody]

"True, but only Judaism, Christianity and Islam have ever believed in killing or forcibly converting the non-believer. Every other religion I know of has been satisfied with looking down on non-believers."

While claimed adherents of these faiths have done these things, it is a whole other issue when we get to whether that faith's scriptures actually instruct such a thing.

We know the Quran does instruct Muslims to kill those who will not convert.

It could be argued that Judaism didn't kill to convert. When ancient Israel waged war, it was because they believed God was calling them to do so as a way of executing justice on pagan nations around them.

As to Christianity, there is nothing in our scriptures that would indicate that Jesus ever commanded us to 'kill or convert'. Only preach the gospel. Therefore, it is obvious that those who went the 'kill or convert' direction in the name of Christianity were violating the tenets of their own proclaimed faith.

Of course, we could bring up the issue of certain pagan religions that didn't kill to convert but did sacrifice human beings to their 'gods'. But that is probably a topic for another thread.

[Servant of the 9]

As to Christianity, there is nothing in our scriptures that would indicate that Jesus ever commanded us to 'kill or convert'. Only preach the gospel. Therefore, it is obvious that those who went the 'kill or convert' direction in the name of Christianity were violating the tenets of their own proclaimed faith.

True, but that isn't much comfort when a majority of Christians believed it was a part of the faith as they seem to have between the 4th and 18th centuries.

So9

[wardaddy]

I suggest a history of India in the 20th century.