A couple of thoughts:
Why is it that people react so negatively to the question "Does Jesus love Osama?"? Is it perhaps because that they *all* know that what Osama does is, in an absolute sense wrong? Is it perhaps because they know at a fundamental level that Osama (and Hitler/Stalin/Pol Pot) deserve justice and punishment for their crimes? That when wrong is done there must be a payment made? Imagine if hitler/stalin/osama/pol pot and co. received no punishment at all for their crimes. If there were a supernatural being who didn't punish these people, we would be most irate and aware by our innate moral conscience (hmmm. Why do we all have one of those?) that this would be wrong. Yet by what standard do you judge? Compare Osama to us and he is pretty bad. But hey, wait a minute, what makes us qualified to judge? When we find out something of ours is broken, what is the first step we take? Maybe take out the manual, see if we can fix it. If that doesn't work, maybe take it to a technician. But ultimately, the inventor/creator is the best person to judge the status of the invention/creation. If there is an almighty God (and by logic, all that now exists requires an infinite first cause), then surely he is the one whose standard we must apply to this question. Assuming this God were good, if he allowed any imperfection to unite with him or any evil to go unpunished, he would no longer be good. Hence, the very goodness of this God requires that all who do anything imperfect or evil be seperated from Him forever. I don't know about you, but I'm not perfect. Are you? Good intentions are not enough. Hitler and Stalin both believed they were doing good. But what is it they say? "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"

People say that a good God wouldn't send people to hell. I have two responses. Firstly, God has provided a way, at great cost to himself, that no-one go there and that they may exist in perfect heaven with him forever. Jesus took on horrific punishment and death for the very people that reject Him. Yet he, as C.S. Lewis put it, is the perfect gentleman. If we insist our entire lives on having nothing to do with God, insist on not wanting God controlling our lives, he will grant our request. People only go to hell because they choose to go there. Secondly, if God is truly good, then there must be a hell. If he just said, "No, I know you've done wrong, but you did some good, so I'll let you off", would he still be good? If we knew a judge or a politician that let off someone of crimes repeatedly for any reason, we would say they aren't good. So how could a perfect God do so?

One final thought. "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life". Will you? God has already paid the price. Will you enter?

Rhys wrote "...it would be nice, wouldn't it, to believe in a god that actually judged people on their own merits, rather than punishing them for the actions of a supposed Adam and Eve."

Ah...the original sin...well, going from the bible, genesis, when god created man, eve after adam, he intended that they remain forever as little loving children in that without the sense of wrong and right. (dont eat the fruit from that tree, otherwise be free in the garden of eden...)

Yep...apple, from tree of knowledge and with it came the above said knowledge which carried on to all of us, and all that is then left is our own individual choices we make to acts in each situation in our lives while being fully aware of wrong and right...yes, god also gave us the power of choice and with it responsibility for it and its effects on all other souls the act affects, bad and good.

So if our act is deemed a sin by god and gives justice by the weight attributed to that sin considering all the souls harmed by it (or on earth as civil wrong or criminal like in a court of law...I guess we try to mimic day of judgement) we are responsible for our own act...so I guess that first mess up originated from adam and eve which is carried on...

If not, then we will not know right from wrong like animals and plants and fish, and cannot earn sin...unfortunately that is not the case with us and we must carry our own burden on...

Sam

It we see a God who loves only those who love Him we have a fickle God indeed- a god like the death-loving moon god of mecca or allah. Christ Jesus taught "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you etc." Would the Great God do anything else other than what He has commanded us to do? Or do we suppose that God requires us to behave in one way towards the unrighteous while His own disposition towards them is the complete opposite? Some say that God does not send anyone to hell but they take themselves there - what an absurd unspeakable cop out. It is God Himself who has all power over every creature, there is no power but of God He is Judge of all. NO ONE can go to hell(that's the hell the churches preach about that doesn't exist)except God banishes them there. Christ did indeed die for sinners-ALL of them/us even the worst of them and God will work with them and have them acknowledge Him and Christ Jesus. "As in Adam ALL die as in Christ ALL be made alive" This statement is from God, it's in His Word the Bible. Regards, numbat

John a few things.

Firstly god is the ego so whatever you say about god you are talking about yourself. In essence to talk about what god thinks, wants, says is wearing ones self on ones sleeve.

No Christian who forgive Osama cares about Osama, it is a public relations exercise for the church to say “look at us aren’t we great!”. Osama is a parody and in the dungeons and dragons realm of Christianity a cartoon character imbued with magical powers. Churches or groups will announce that they are so wonderful they can forgive Osama in the meantime they continue to persecute women, atheists, homosexuals, divorcees, indigenous , everybody who does not belong to the Christian Cult. Forgiving Osama is essentially meaningless.

Who are we to Judge? We are the people who are killed and maimed by terrorists , we are the people who lose loved ones , have our lives affected for no reason other than Osama believes in God and God belief leads to violence and tyranny.

On a strictly biological level human society will not survive if it tolerates homicide. Human society has always rejected Homicide and has punished killers; it is part of natural selection. Yes Popes, prophets, presidents, kings and messiahs have got away with mass murder in the past but never when an opposing force of good was strong enough to stop it.

Besides not being a god believer I regard one murder equal to a million. There is no justification to take a life except in the pest control process of Justice which can only be undertaken by secular law.

Numbat Jesus was clear only Jews went to heaven.

You really need to study history.

The Greeks, the Romans (very much the founders of our civilisation), the Persian, the Chinese, the Indians, the Vikings etc all managed to do quite nicely with out the bible and the Christian "God".

Islam provide much input and thought into Western Europe during the middle ages (maths, astronomy, food, clothing) when our civilization was barely able to read.

I’d feel confident that during the crusades, Islam regarded Christianity as humanities enemy.

Oddly enough I agree with part of you post, "We are at war with an ideology that is embedded in a religion" -- it makes no difference if the religion is Islam or Christianity. It is ultimately conservatism that is the enemy. Whether it is conservative religions, political systems, whatever, that is where enemy is.