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Isn't the bible a pretty bloodthirsty book?
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Yep, that's why I said Jesus' words. He, above all, seems to be the poster-boy for the 'Christian' faith, so I presume whatever he says supercedes Old Testament shinanigans.
I don't think violence can be justified in the name of the Old Testament in the Christian faith, but I'm no theologian.
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The notion of leaders interpreting religious text as an excuse for violence is as old as the hair on gramma's chest.
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Sure, and if things were the same now as they've been for the past few centuries, then I wouldn't expect things to change. However, the 20th and 21st centuries are distinctly different religiously than all those before, with the birth of widespread secular rationalism and the fact that many, many people grow up without any religious beliefs (unusual historically). I don't think Western-secular nations are as prone to religious-oriented warfare as they may have been 1-2 centuries ago (or wouldn't have thought so, depending on the validity of Bush' statements).
If Martin said we're going into Iraq because God suggests it and the Bible validates it... well... that would be hilarious.
