From: Randall Parker 

In news:, Tanj{at}akiben.com says...
> As for Christianity in the Middle Ages, I think all churches are basically
> secular entities and capable of being nasty if they are powerful.

But what they were inclined to be nasty about was at least partially
related to what they found in their operator's guide.

>  Even
> Budhist sects, which come from roots as tolerant and pacifist as any
> religion, have had murderous and tyrannical forms.
>
> So I don't see Islam as particularily similar to the Christian Middle Ages

I see it as worse in a lot of ways

> (not to mention the much more horrifying Catholics of the Renaissance)

Lucrezia Borgia's father the Pope probably threw some really great parties.
Now, her brothers were pretty nasty (and one likely killed the other over
their common desire for her) and Dad did marry her off to a succession of
powerful men as part of his political scheming.

>but
> rather a church (or group of churches, since it varies by region) that are
> best looked at for themselves, not simply as ciphers.

For certain religions it is hard to view them as other than dangerous if
they really do take their operating guides as literal and correct. The
Muslims have an even harder time disregarding inconvenient sections of the
Koran because its of more recent origin and its authorship and intent are
more clearly spelled out. Given what some sections of it says I'd say Islam
is pretty dangerous.

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