If you are truly religious it seems to be me you cannot harbor hate in your heart. Most especially not when you are in church. That seems blasphemous to me. Does it to thee as well? Why?

ideally... i agree with you.

but then i look at the Koran

and all of the terrorists say it is their guide and says kill all of the infidels...

and i wonder is that Religion?

Some of the most hateful people I know are very religious.

I don't see much love in their hearts or their attitude when it comes to other people who don't believe the way they do.

I have seen people who were nice, calm, sane people, turn in to total religious nuts who most of us can't stand to be around anymore.

It's a sad thing to see.

I am a Believer and do NOT think I am better than anybody else in the world.  My beliefs are shown through my actions. If I act like a jerk, then how can I have the nerve to say I believe in a higher power??  If I have HATE in my heart how can I say I am a Believer?? Tbh....I shouldn't be able to say that.

My brother is an atheist, I am not.  We were born of the same mother and father. We were both raised to love and to help others.

I have seen both sides of this issue.  

I was brought up around very religious grandparents that were incredibly kind and caring people.  I loved going to church with my grandma when she was alive and I found a lot of comfort in knowing about God.

As I grew older, I ran into some religious people that were as mean as they came.  It was a shock to my system to see people that were raised with what I was raised with be so ugly to others.  

Some of my closest friends of today are believers and they are beautiful people.  They quietly walk the walk and never preach at others.  THIS is what I think someone that is truly faithful should look like.

I must add though that I am also equally close to people that aren't "believers" in a faith and they are just as kind and loving.

To answer your question directly, it bothers me to see someone preachy, yet rude.  I keep thinking they are missing out on something in their own faith that should make them want to be kind to others from all walks of life.

Some, not ALL of the cruelest people are those who claim to be religious, but are as hateful as the day is long.

 On the other hand:  I worked with many Christians/Believers who were the kindest souls I ever met.

The ones who were cruel and mean were obviously converted falsely. No love in their heart equals no God in their heart....imo.

Spot on!

I feel sorry for anyone following any religion and missing out on the joy that should come with that faith.  

I know my loving grandmother was at peace inside and being around her made you want to know what gave her that outlook of life.  

My husband works with a man that follows the Koran and believe me, he is a very peaceful, nice guy.  We both have spent time with him outside of work too.

 I think they were not truly religious then in the truest sense of the word Lulu'sMom. To me that means having a heart full of love so there is no room for hate. Perhaps my idea of what religion should be is naive . But any  racist/bigot/hatemonger/homophobe who purports to be a Christian is just lying to him/herself. In my opinion. Thank you for your thoughtful reply and Happy Wednesday! :)

Very nice reply SA. I  totally agree with thee. We share what you wrote in common except  I don't have a brother. One certainly can have a heart full of love and be an Atheist. But one certainly CAN NOT have a heart full of hate and be a Christian. That just mocks Christianity in my opinion and is insulting. Thank you for your thoughtful reply m'dear and Happy Wednesday! :)

 I don't believe for one minute that anyone who HATES is religious and certainly isn't a Christian. They self-righteously will quote you multiple verses of the Bible and tell y ou how often they attend church while all the while feeding the hatred they feel for others not like them.  That is insulting and blasphemous in my opinion. They fool no one but themselves. Thank you for your thoughtful reply PeaPod and Happy Wednesday m'dear! :)

 Exactly right. They only fool themselves. Thank you for your reply SA! :)

Anyone can say they are a Christian, but unless they can walk the walk, they are just all talk.

Or openly admit their shortcomings when they fail.  That is a nice quality in anyone.  

Thank-you Rosie.  I think I was very lucky to have been raised with a nice church when I was growing up.  The Methodists are not exactly all about fire and brimstone preaching.  I probably heard more about turning the other cheek than judging others.  I was taught actually that it was wrong to judge others.  

Christian or not, I think it's a good thing to remember when dealing with others.  Yes, we all judge and we all have opinions, but we better keep that inventory on ourselves at all times.