Frank said: > Um, but it seems that the definition of "thy neighbor" pretty much means "other Christians," from what was quoted from Luke and Matthew earlier. That would tend to agree with history, as well. > The story of the Good Samaratin was specifically told to show that the hated ourcast and alien was also our neighbor. Yes, much of history consists of Christians persecuting non-Christians. A lot of the rest consists of Christians persecuting each other. Did God approve? I don't believe so. Some of these persecutions were indeed fueled in part by a horribly distorted piety. Non-Christians were threatened with death if they did not convert to Christianity in an effort to "save their souls." Christian heretics were tortured and burned to "keep the faith pure." Ultimately, though, I think that all of these incidents were about base human needs for power. The fact that the Christian faith was twisted to their ends is not surprising. In this day, in this country, patriotism, democracy, and again religion are still twisted in the quest for power. These things are powerful and, like all powerful things, dangerous in the wrong hands. Mia