Let us remind ourselves that our greatest forefathers had deeply rooted religious beliefs and practices. Look at it from both sides instead of completely dismissing the possitive attributes that religion possesses. To not agree that both points of view have possitive applications is just ignorant. You don't think that "Thou Shall Not Kill" has saved any lives, or are you saying it has cost more than it has saved?
First of all, the commandment is 'You will not murder,' not kill. Second of all, just because it is considered a biblical law doesn't mean it originated with the bible or religion. Do you think the Ionians, Egyptians and other pre-biblical cultures, including pre-Exodus Hebrews didn't have laws against murder and theft? Morality comes from culture, not religion. How many of the Ten Commandments coincide with our current laws?
Which forefathers are you referring to? Do you know that many of the Founding Fathers of our country were not Christian? Their values and laws came from many sources including the Greek and Romans, The Code of Hammurabi, the Magna Carta, English Common Law. They were men of reason and of the Enlightenment. Some of these men may have been very spiritual and believed in a divine creator but not necessarily religious.
Let's look at all of the positives that religion gives us: The Inquisition, The Crusades, witch hunts decimating the populations of many towns across Europe, the Thirty Years War; Muslims vs everyone in Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, Kashmir, Macedonia, Thailand, Cyprus, etc.; Catholics vs. Protestants in Northern Ireland, Rwanda genocides, the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, The Buddhists vs. Hindus in Sri Lanka, Suni vs. Shi'ite Muslims everywhere, Sudanese civil war, Everyone against Israel... need I go on?
Please, tell me the positive attributes of religion that balances out all of the killing in the name of religion.
