Yuyitsu, if I was going to consider turning to religion, I would hope to be a gentle, mild mannered person like yourself.

Josephus " To claim that people do not do evil deeds defies the facts of reality. Is shop lifting a sin? it identifies covetousness and theft."

Has anyone here claimed that people do not do evil deeds?
I think you are mixing up laws with your sins.
Some laws don't have anything to do with the 12 commandments eg laws re cars or driving etc.

"The heart of every man has a propensity to evil. "
Lol! Amen to that Josephus.....

Josephus wrote: <<Jesus upped the conditions and said, "those that harbor hate in their heart toward another is as guilty even as a murderer".>>

Dear Josephus,

The above is absolute rubbish. A person is guilty for what they do - not for what they think. That saying is a recipe for unreasonable guilt.

Some of the sayings attributed to Jesus are dead wrong, and that is an example. Our law courts have never condemned anyone for what they think only for what they do. I am glad our law courts are more reasonable than Jesus.

<<Sin is a violation of the law. Law is there to protect each other in society.>>

Dear Josephus,

Sin is not a violation of law as defined by our legal code and according to religious authorities. Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury, said: "In a civilized society, all crimes are likely to be sins, but most sins are not and ought not to be treated as crimes."

david f, Today in Australia we have "Hate Laws", hate is an attitude of the mind it is now considered as good as murder. Get with the developments on terrorism. They are hate crimes against innocent people. You can be arrested for inciting hate. They haven't actually murdered but is as equivalent to murder. Try bullying on online is now a crime because it attempts to destroy another. Jesus was not far wrong!

Dear Josephus,

I oppose the antivilification legislation because it confuses words and action. I am quite conversant with the legislation on terrorism, and it is absolute rubbish that hate is the same as murder. It one limits speech because someone is offended by it you simply do not have free speech. If speech presents a clear and present danger such as inciting a lynch mob or yelling 'fire' in a crowded theatre then it should be banned. Mere offensive speech which does not present a clear and present danger should be left alone. Jesus was completely wrong. People feel guilty because they have thought of doing something bad. That is neurotic.

One is free to say what offends nobody in a tyranny. Equating a thought with an action as the words attributed to Jesus did is sick, sick, sick.