By Madison S. Hughes (07.25.2011)
Since Norway’s tragedy, at the hand of a right-wing Christian terrorist, I have noticed two interesting, albeit predictable, responses from Christians.
1. “He is not really a Christian; he is a madman that is mentally ill.” Why is it that when a right-wing Christian terrorist commits an act of terrorism it is presupposed that the Christian has a mental condition, but if a Muslim terrorist commits an act of terrorism the Muslim is presumed to be an Islamic terrorist?
2. “Anything to an extreme is bad.” Well, this particular tragedy was committed by a right-wing religious extremist. Consider this, if you will, religious extremists would not exist if there were no religion.
Always Question Authority 
Very well put! I can only advise that anyone waiting for a logical answer to part 1, should not hold their breath!
People of all faiths and philosophies make wrong (can I use the word evil?) decisions, but that alone is not enough to deem a belief system -or philosophy like Atheism- false. I hope you are not trying to make that connection, and if so, we’re all in trouble…
Did I say that I made the connection? I don’t think I even hinted it. I wasn’t even touching upon the veracity of dogmatic belief systems. I was simply saying the mechanics of dogma propagate such events.
Oops, I thought you were responding to me.
I love the name of your blog. Bertrand Russell is probably the most influential person in my life (his book Why I Am Not a Christian and other essays changed my life), and he espouses the same ideas, both in the name of your blog, and this particular post.
Any belief system that relies upon pure dogma is subject to events like this, be it the Soviets or the Crusades or fascism or anything similar.