Unfortunately, that's the excuse given for anyone who commits atrocities under the guise of religion, whether it's Catholics versus Protestants in Northern Ireland or Glasgow, Muslims versus Christians in Kosovo, Muslims vs animists in Darfur, Muslims versus Jews in Israel, Shia versus Sunni in Iraq, Muslims versus Hindus in Kashmir, Hindus versus Buddhists in Sri Lanka, etc. etc. The same excuse every time: oh, they're not
real Jews / Christians / Muslims / Hindus / Buddhists *delete as appropriate.
But adding to the list of dangerous Christians of the protestant variety: Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell in the USA, who both announced within hours of 9/11 that the immolation of 3000+ people was divine judgement on a society that tolerated homosexuality and abortion. You can also add the
Westboro Baptist Church (NSFW) and the anti-abortion groups in the US who have killed and maimed staff and clients of clinics that perform abortion. And then you've got the Mormons, the more extreme of whom have well documented polygamist and paedophilic tendencies...
Or not, as I believe. The people to whom they should be answering are the people they abused or the families of those they've killed. Again, it's much easier for their religious critics (and them themselves) to say that they're ultimately answerable to god, as no-one can check god's paper trail and see whether they did indeed receive a fitting punishment.
There is no excuse. But coming up with no valid excuse is a hell of a lot better than trying to say one's imaginary friend told them to do it.
I was naming atheists, not Christians. I never said that atheists were inherently less evil or immoral.
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