has religion become about hate?

[Flyndaran]

The way I see it, there are some people who pick the most hateful parts of the Bible, Koran, or some other religious text and use those parts to justify their hatred of those who aren't like them. There are also those who are religious, yet they actually practice what their religion actually teaches, which is showing unconditional love or promoting peace.

I don't believe that most religions do teach love and promote peace.
I judge them by what their followers do, not by what they may say.

[Skunkle]

You're welcome to do so, Flyndaran, but I know what my Faith is like and I really don't care how anyone else chooses to do it, alone or in groups. Yes, groups tend to be bad. But not ALL groups are by nature bad. Yes, individuals do tend to be better than groups, but there are plenty of individuals with whom I don't want to deal at all.

My Faith in God says that what another person is doing is not my concern. Not only is it not my place to tell them they are sinning, it is not my place to really believe they are sinning. The only sins I must consider, ever, are my own, and I have my share. I am no more valuable as a person for having Faith nor less valuable because of my sins than any other person. And yes, to me, God is about liove. Religion and many churches have been corrupted.

Smileyeagle, I read that some recent happening has really put you against Christians. It must have been bad, and I'm not going to try to tell you to alter your feelings on them. But please, no one here, decide that God is about hatred and exclusion simply because His followers have chosen of their own free will to be such.

I will, however, state again my offer that, should you ever find yourself in Seattle, you contact me and visit a church here. I can say nothing of what 99.999% of the attendees are like outside the church, in their real lives. But I CAN say that the paster there preaches love and acceptance, and that his messages contain zero "love the sinner and hate the sin". Following said philosophy seems to me to be an easy out, a way to keep hating people while pretending not to. "I hate what you do, and as you live that way, in essence I hate who you are, but I'll pray every day that you don't burn in hell for eternity". If one looks at the Bible, it doesn't even MENTION hell, really. That's just a poiwer trip, saying I'm better than you, but if you work really hard and change the things God (read: I and my people) don't approve of, maybe you, too, can be like me. That's bull.

When describing the church I like, that is Episcopal, I don't mean all of the churches under that name. I like this church, this pastor, and the people I have met there, and there I am accepted as a child of God who is not sinning through homosexuality but is naturally that way and is loved by God. And again... Many of my feelings on faith are carried quite nicely by the song "I Saw God" by Victor Wooten.

...I don't want to be like those people. Jesus DID preach messages of love and brotherhood, really. And MY Faith is NEVER about hate. I refuse to hate anyone. For one, I believe I sin by hating. For two, what point does hatred have? What GOOD point does hatred have?