Hi there Pale.. I'm with you on this one... Church should never be a sanctuary for cruelty like that.

My little kitty sneaks in with me under the blankets.. she loves me..and me her.

but the fur flies a bit if 'Pus' (our older cat) is already there and 'baby' comes along ... meeeeeeOUWWW pfffsstt..pfffssst..

WIZO.. you reallllly need counselling me boy... I mean.. *grrrr* all religious (aka superstition in wizzo's mind) should be out ? no no noooo... heaven (literally)forbid. It's only a problem if a person judges or assesses according to their world view..and of course, atheists don't have one of those...now do they ? :)

Though I find the action carried out in a Church to be abhorrent to me there is not enough evidence given to make a judgment. Was the child the daughter of the charged person? Was the goat the property of the child? If the woman was not related to the child and it was the property of another then the criminal act of theft makes her guilty! Was the goat the property of the woman charged? Who laid the charges? Were they laid by a person disgruntled with the woman? What was the purpose of the woman's slaughter of the goat?

BOAZ, I don't need counselling - the problem is solving itself gradually anyway. Organised religion has been losing its grip on society for centuries, and indeed for almost all of the developed world (except perhaps the U.S., which is several decades behind) it's clearly on the way out.

In a few hundred years' time Christianity will be seen as being as quaint a notion as the Roman and Greek Gods seem to us now.

wizofaus,
I might inform you that this claim that Christianity will become extinct is made in every generation. It is not a new claim. It was made in the time of the first followers of Christ by a Jew who said that persecution would only grow the followers so leave them be and the followers will soon dissapear.

The most agregious insult of the day:

<<While making atheism a prerequisite for jury duty would undoubtedly raise the collective intelligence of juries,>>

WOW.. and you feel I have issues ? :) onya CJ.. next time we need a totally unbiased, non bigoted, fair minded person.. we'll call on you for not only your high moral and human qualities,but your superior intelligence also.. *smack*

Wizo.. no I have to disagree..you DO need counselling.. but the OLO kind should do it. I'll work with you to overcome this 'historical blind spot' which you appear to be blighted with.

Christianity, in developed (but degenerate) countries is experiencing a verse of scripture:

Galatians 5:1
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."

then...

13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature[a]; rather, serve one another in love.

You see.. the freedom we have in this life, is progressively being used for 'the sinful nature' because put simply, that is the line of least resistance. Its where the money is.. the cheap irresponsible pleasures... the 'easssssy' way.

But things can only go so far because people realize just how lost they, and their society is.. and then we have a revival like in Wales in 1905 or.. God simple waters plants in other countries.

Philo, and where's the evidence that the previous claimants were wrong? No religion lasts forever. Though undoubtedly some have been impressively tenacious.

BOAZ, there will always be people are opting for "cheap irresponsible pleasures" in preference to more meaningful, worthwhile pursuits. But I never saw religion as a meaningful, worthwhile pursuit.