That's correct, and I notice in most parts of the world Christians are being the ones to do most of the controlling, dominating, and repressing.
Why, here in the US, 19 Christians even flew a couple of jets into the WTC. Christians are leading insurgent armies around the world, strapping bombs to themselves and killing Jews, murdering Russians in Checnya, assassinating missionaries in Pakistan and the Philippines, selling people into slavery in Sudan, bombing night clubs full of Aussies in Bali, threatening to nuke India, and plotting to release Ricin somewhere in the UK.< /sarcasm >
According to my understanding of Christian scripture, this world has been given over to Satan. Christians know that the Kingdom of Heaven is not earned by praying five times a day or by blowing yourself up to prove how "holy" you are.
The message of Christ is that salvation is a gift, paid for with the blood of Christ, freely given to all, and all are free to accept or reject this message. All those who seek to control, dominate, and repress are doing Satan's work.
One religion seems to encourage murder and violence. One explicitly condemns it.
I wonder which religion is performing Satan's will on earth...?
Freebilly replied in sarcasm: That's correct, and I notice in most parts of the world Christians are being the ones to do most of the controlling, dominating, and repressing.
Not now, but they certainly went through their extreme, murderous zealot phase during the era of the Crusades ( c. 1100-c. 1300). Judaism as well fostered a savage, murderous and suicidal fanaticism during the 1st and early 2nd centuries - their behavior during the Jewish Revolt and the immediate years leading up to it is little different from what the Palestinians are doing now. And currently Islam is in that stage.
My point is that this is not primarily a specific religious problem, but an innate human problem. Like the Christians of the 11th century, and the Jews of the 1st century, Islam in the 21st century is mired in a period of resentment and grievance, which is exorcising itself in violence. Even the arguments are the same: 1st century Jew: "the infidels are occupying the Holy Land", 11th century Christian: "the infidels are occupying the Holy Land," 21st century Muslim: "the infidels are occupying the Holy Land".
Modern Islam is a cultural and economic backwater, and will remain that way as long as its practitioners blame others for their lack of status, and seek to dominate and humble a much more powerful foe.