Reply #139: Welcome to DU! If you want to look at things...

[rasputin1952]

from that perspective fine, but Hitler had little to do w/any "mainstream" religion. Today, we have leaders throughout the world that wish to be worshiped as some form of god.

Here is thought; many today who claim to be of any of a myriad of faiths, take those to a base line that encourages hatred and extols death as a remedy for what "ails" others. None of these "mainstream" religions comes anywhere close to the tenets that are spoken of often: Love, Justice, Compassion, Empathy, Forgiveness, to mention just a few of the positive aspects of those religion.

It takes work to make the positives happen, and people find it MUCH easier to look and see the "evil" around them and then add to said evil by spreading hatred and ignorance further.

For what it is worth, I am a base Christian. I believe that what Jesus said makes a lot of sense. But I am not a fool; there are great aspects of other religions and philosophies as well. It does a person good to encompass all of the good they read about, and incorporate it into a lifestyle. One not need believe in a deity at all to act out good. People who blindly follow any leader are essentially fools...it pays great dividends to research move forward in a positive manner. it is tough, but it sure beats the alternatives: ignorance and predisposition of unwavering 'faith' regardless of the empirical evidence presented.