AJ
Not a slippery slope but religion can be expressed as Nazism or communism. Humans need some structure.
It's just that facts are not suited to you. Scandinavia has high rates.
Japan's rape rate is recorded down for cultural reasons which give police and judicial rejection of sex abuse reports. The true figure is 10 times up , at 1.2%. The secular Japanese are similar to religious Muslims in abusing women.

One for you AJ.

Moses disappeared for forty days & came down from the mountain with the 10 Commandments under his arm. The first thing he sees is some people worshipping Baal. So, he tells his brother to go & kill them all. Now considering he hasn't told anyone about the new Laws. You shall not worship false Gods & Thou shall kill etc. Just Who committed the first Sin?

Dear Jayb,

The people worshipped a golden calf which they made - not Baal.

Now according to Exodus 20, the people have already heard it all directly from God, 40 days earlier, they just didn't have it in writing yet:

1) And God spake all these words, saying,
2-17) ... the ten commandments ...
18) And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
19) And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.
20) And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.
21) And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
22) And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.

Now according to verse 19, they already heard the ten commandments, they just didn't want to hear any more... and there was much more indeed, which God told Moses on the mountain, but that much they already heard. Also, the "you" in verse 22 is a plural "you" (which is missed in the English translation).

'There are pictures of 'satan' with horns in a 14th century Arabic text (Wikipedia) so maybe the Christians borrowed the horned look from the Muslims?'
The goodies had horns , such as the gods Teshub and Baal 4000 years ago. Viking and Celt ceremonial helmets had horns and Alexander wore ram horns when he was Great at slaughtering baddies who weren't Greek or Macedonian . Good horns are on the Hornet F-18 in NSW named for Wales which has a dragon flag.

Yutsie: Now according to Exodus 20, the people have already heard it all directly from God, 40 days earlier, they just didn't have it in writing yet:

No that's not correct. The God didn't speak directly to the people. He spoke to Moses & Arron up on the Mountain.

Appart from that there is nowhere where God says, "Kill anyone who does worship strange Gods." God did command, "Thou shalt not kill."

How say you AJ?

Yutsie: Baal.

Baal, or Ba el. There were not only the descendants of Jacob that joined the Exodus. There were disaffected Egyptians & other slaves as well. It is only natural that these people bring their own Religion with them. For some it was the Sun God, for others it was the Worship of the Apis Bull. Now that they weren't in Egypt & they needed a new God to replace the Apis Bull then they would have to reincarnate the Apis Bull in the form of the "Son of the Apis Bull" or "Ba Al/El" (Ba=Son of, El or Al=God.) Hence the Son of God. Hmmm.... where have I heard that expression before?

' They are simply people who believe that the state and the churches should be separate, that the state should not interfere in the way religions govern themselves and that the religions should not interfere in the way the state governs itself.'

Glenc

u r extremely blind if you can't see that as a result of secular/feminist dogma we are now a more violent/immoral society. You obviously have not visited many state schools recently where teachers are assaulted at a rate even alarming to secularist. After 40 years of secular dogma drug use is at epidemic proportions and teenagers are topping themselves like never before. What don't you get or do you enjoy twisting things to deny reality. Quoting a few dodgie figures from Europe just confirms your bias. The secularist are the fools who allowed Europe to be Islamised due to their blind ignorance.

btw I think church should be separate from state also. What secularist are totally intolerant is having people with a different view from their own. Obviously you have not watched abc for the last 20 years. They are among the most intolerant bigots in this country.