Bookstore guy: Thanks for the Erikson tip, I will order him from my library today
As for inflammatory, I really was not being inflammatory. I have heard similar statements throughout my life, and even here on this board.... but again, religion, by nature, is "holier-than-thou" - it must be, if it was not, then it wouldnt be much of a religion. If you believe, as Christianity preaches, that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ, then thats it. Everyone else MUST be wrong. It is a de-facto requirement. The Bible preaches that non-believers are going straight to hell, do not pass Go, do not collect $100. If a religion taught that all other religions were equal, it wouldnt be a religion for very long, whhich is one of the main reasons that Wicca and the Greek/Roman gods either died out or do not do very well. They do not preach superiority.
Direct from the King James Bible:
Timothy 5:8 "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
John 3:18: "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
The Bible, in many points, specifically calls out those who do not believe in the Judeo-Christian God as less of a person, as one without moral, one with a heart of evil. I do not put these things form as disrespect, just to show the nature and necessity of this particular religion. Most other religions have similar phrases within their texts. How they are interpreted directly impacts how the followers are expected to act. Islam, becuas eit has no central authority, has widely divergent interpretations, which leads many to believe that the path to heaven is through killing non-believers and infidels. Fortunately for me, Christianity as a whole has evolved since the 16th Century, even if a very small number of its followers have not.
Even my religion-or-lack-thereof of atheism breeds a thought of superiority "I am right and you are wrong" which in turn is what led us to this discussion in the first place. Right vs wrong and all things in between.