Foxy: I should have given a different example - but my intention was to focus on the harm that hate can do. So I suppose I did make my point with your reaction.

I don't think there in any hatred in what the Myanmar Government is doing. There is a problem with the type of Refugees that have entered their Country & settled illegally then started abusing their status by murdering the local people because they weren't moslims.

The Government took a stand, not out of hatred, but out of safety & the protection of their own people.

They did what anyone would & should do when there is a problem. Find the source & & fix it. They did & I commend them for that. Now , if only Australia could recognize that we will have a similar problem in 20 years time as has happened in Myanmar & now in Europe Australia could fix the problem by stopping any more moslims from entering our Country & sending those who don't play by Australia's Rules home now.

Nothing to do with hate, just recognizing a problem before it starts & dealing with it now, rather than later, in a calm positive manner. that's all.

David,

" Both religions are superstitious entities as are most religions."

Which ones are not?

So Paul was the founder of Christianity?

What about the eleven Apostles who were left after Judas topped himself?

Funny thing about history, I always understood that Paul was a persecutor of Christians until his experience on the road to Damascus.
http://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Story/TabId/2672/ArtMID/13567/ArticleID/16755/From-persecutor-to-Christian-The-conversion-of-St-Paul.aspx

Apparently, your version of history has Paul persecuting Christians before he founded them.

Dear Is Mise,

There was a Jewish sect which followed Jesus. They were persecuted by Paul. However, it was Paul who got gentiles to become Christians. The original followers of Christ were Jews. Paul extended Christianity to non-Jews who did not have to follow the Jewish laws such as the dietary laws and circumcision. You see in the stores hams for Easter. Jesus never ate ham. He was a Jew who followed the Jewish law. Paul created a new religion whose communicants did not follow the Jewish law. They did not follow the religion of Jesus. Christians do not follow Jesus since they reject his religion. The Jewish followers of Jesus that Paul persecuted were wiped out in the failed Jewish revolt against the Romans. The people around now who call themselves Christians have the religion started by Paul. It is not the same religion as the religion of the Jewish followers of Jesus that Paul persecuted.

To Foxy, Jayb, and David.

I am the one who brought up religion in my first post on page 3. When I brought it up it was not a focus, it was to alert people that my views stemmed from studying the bible. If Belly or anyone else wanted more information on where I was coming from, I could go into that direction. I wanted to give that much of a warning so people would be prepared and not angry if the conversation went in that direction. After that on page 5 (I assume because I said I studied the bible) David when into the topic of the bible specifically dismissing it from anything about the topic of hatred. Belly also commented in that direction (I assume because of David's comment) on page 6. Page 8 I decided to head it straight on and told David to focus on the topic of hatred regardless of his opinions on Christianity and the bible. Specifically I challenged him to look at the points I made on page three regarding fending off hatred. David did address several of the points I made (while making another quip on Christianity and Islam). To which I haven't yet defended.

Ok now that everything's been summed up. Let's move on.

To David F.

•Conquer evil by doing good.

You said that good does not conquer evil. I disagree. Try it you'll see what I mean. When a person wrongs you, if you repay them later with still something good (or with silence), then they will either be ashamed of what they did or otherwise change their attitude and behavior to you. Or if their purpose is to get a rise out of you, seeing nothing happened they will move on to try it with someone else. On the other hand if you try to repay them with a similar action (for getting even or a sense of justice) then the evil that was passed to you is passed back to them. Too often making a cycle of intensifying behaviors and harsher words between the two people. In essence if you don't conquer evil done to you by doing good (or by walking away) then what you do is breed more evil into the situation.

More then just a reaction between two people if you show kindness to someone it takes the edge off of some of their bad day if they were having a bad day. It might conquer an evil they were going to do later on because their mood calmed and aren't going to take their frustrations earlier in the day, and be the motivation to take it out on someone else later.

These are my observations, not just my philosophy. I've seen it work out this way, and it goes back to the idea of doing things to redeem each other. Another way to look at it is that the world is broken too often. Be the salt of the world that makes it last, and keeps it from crumbling. Be the light of the world and shine on it with several things that count as the light. But kindness, compassion, and goodness among them.

(Continued)

(Continued)

•Let justice be in the hands of the authorities.

You're point is that authorities don't always provide justice. But here is where it goes. If someone wrongs you, if it's not bad enough to call the cops on them, then don't seek out justice in the matter on your own. If it was still bad enough, address it to them directly, first privately just between the two of you, then if that doesn't help address it to them with a few witnesses, who can then gauge who was in the right and who was in the wrong. If it has to go above that point, but still not a call the police issue, then yes leave it up to the authorities. Take it to the leaders in your community, whether it's a judge in a court or the HR department at a job, or the elders of the church. Give it to those who's responsibility is to look after the community.

If it is bad enough to call the cops and justice isn't served, then you have two options. Let it go, or pressure the authorities on the need for justice on this matter. But it's in their hands from there.

(Continued)