I'm not criticizing christianity or any other biblical religion, per se. Where I have a problem is in mindless loyalty to the bible, as if it all must be taken literally and never questioned. I have met many religious people who, when confronted with the shortcomings of the bible, choose not to think about it. The old bumper sticker, "The bible says it, I believe it, that settles it" is a great summary of this kind of faith in non-thinking.
We have a large population of gay and lesbian people out there who are being persecuted to this day (in the marriage debate that's been in the headlines these last few years) as a direct result of biblical literalism. The problem is, if you take the bible as gospel (no pun intended), then you pretty much have to assume that God is not only violent and evil, but most likely insane as well. Who holds onto such a religion, and for what purpose? To vindicate one's own violence, evil and insanity?
The Rev