FIRST AND FOREMOST: You can dislike and even disrespect a belief system without disliking or disrespecting the people who subscribe to a given belief system. What follows are not my judgments of people, but rather of belief systems that are dangerous to the future of human civilization:
Brainwashing a child from birth into thinking that if he does not believe Jesus is the only way, he will burn in a lake of hellfire for all eternity, is not only brainwash, but it is child abuse.
So much of the violence in the Middle East arises out of the idea that "God's chosen people" were promised a plot of real estate and they have moved the natives off their own land to build settlements.
Mohamed was a slave owner, a murderer and a warmonger.
Jesus said "I am the ONLY WAY to God". More people have died for his sins than the other way around.
The Abrahamic faiths have caused more suffering than they have comforted. We need to evolve as a civilization beyond superstition, beyond the rules created by men in the Bronze age and mature spiritually.
The 10 commandments tell us things are are mostly obvious to anyone - but they fail to mention anything about slavery. Why? Probably because the men who wrote them, and then said "god" wrote them, owned slaves.
The Apostle Paul made it clear that women are second class.
Christianity is mostly anti-science.
The religious right is the biggest hate group in America.
All throughout the old testament "god" orders mass killings and ethnic cleansings.
The Abrahamic faiths are mostly homophobic.
The Abrahamic faiths mostly discourage critical thinking and encourage "faith" which is the absence of critical thinking.
So yes, I do have some issues with the Abrahamic faiths. They are inherently violent, anti-intellectual, pro-war and fear-based. It is time for us to grow up and out of them.
"I'm right, you're wrong, and god is on my side" has been the source of countless wars and too much suffering. We must grow out of this. It's time.
Peace,
Eric Allen Bell
http://www.EricAllenBell