What do you respond to this?

[brewer]

"What those fanatics do is not true Catholicism/Islam/etc. They are misinterpreting the texts, any religion well studied will lead you to peace."

"Then why do they all lead to dissension?"

Lead Poisoning?

[robvalue]

"It says here kick the shit out of people who aren't like me."

"Ah, my child, but later on it also says love those who are not like me and don't kick the shit out of them."

"So which do I do?"

"Do whatever you want, and either way, the book told you to do it. Ah."

http://youtu.be/VyfYDYLS76Q

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

I generally respond to the claim that all religions are peaceful by laughing and pointing.

Boru

[Bob Kelso]

"What those fanatics do is not true Catholicism/Islam/etc. They are misinterpreting the texts, any religion well studied will lead you to peace."

Usually with this;

[robvalue]

Threatening people with hell isn't very peaceful. It amount to saying, "Do what I say or my massive brother will kick your ass later."

[paulpablo]

"What those fanatics do is not true Catholicism/Islam/etc. They are misinterpreting the texts, any religion well studied will lead you to peace."

Peace and war are going to exist without religious so it's no consequence.   Is it logical to think that any texts are from god? I think that's more important.  You have to rule out other possibilities such as organized cult leaders who might have provided the texts, aliens from another planet.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

any religion well studied will lead you to peace

Aside from being dead wrong on the face of it, this is a very provincial attitude to take. A deep and serious study of Mesoamerican religions, for example, will lead you to the inescapable conclusion that human sacrifice is necessary and just. Several Celtic religions practiced head hunting, and there are scads of world religions where warring on your neighbours wasn't a misinterpretation of the religion, but part and parcel of it. Pretty tough to support the claim then that, studying religion leads one to 'peace'.

It is important to remember that there are more religions in the world than the Abrahamic ones.

Boru

[robvalue]

Careful study of religions will lead you to the conclusion that they are unsupported nonsense and offer only pre-packaged answers to difficult questions.

[ignoramus]

And if there's a fire in the church, you'll be the first one out cause the minister's already packed your shit...