[Atlantic Friend]

Well, I haven't my Bible readily at hand, but I prmoise you this : this evening I'll re-read the Leviticus, and also the New Testament. So tomorrow you'll either have my apologies or my arguments.

[Cronos]

I do apologize for making it so personal, but I really do think that unless we read theKoran we really can't fathom the mindset of this "religion."

[Atlantic Friend]

As promised, here are my apologies. I re-read the Leviticus, and the death penalty was not supposed to apply to people sleeping with, or seeing the naked body of, an impure woman.

As for the New testament, you're absolutely right, there is no excerpt that can be used out of context to justify violence - quite the contrary. My own claims were related to the Old Testament, whose Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Judges contain some very harsh precepts (like the stoning of unruly children or the rules of Holy War against enemy cities).

I never wanted to liken Christianity to some bloody and murderous cult, just to point out that by quoting every holy book without taking into account the context of such excerpts, one could always justify one's views. For example, I suppose an Hindu or a Taoist reading the Apocalypse (or the Leviticus) could get funny ideas about what Christianity is all about.

This being said, I apologize for all those who felt offended because it certainly wasn't my goal to offend them.