If fundamentalist Christians are really going to be taken seriously in America then we might want to start collecting stones because we'll be needing them in abundance.
Did you know that the biblical punishment for taking the Lord's name in vain is death (Leviticus 24:16)?
Did you know that the biblical punishment for working on the Sabbath is death (Exodus 31:15)?
Did you know that the biblical punishment for cursing one's father or mother is death (Exodus 21:17)?
Did you know that the biblical punishment for adultery is death (Leviticus 20:10)?
Did you know that the biblical punishment for homosexual sexual relations is death (Leviticus 20:13)
Sam Harris raises many of these points in his book, "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason".
It is a book that takes a critical look at faith-based religions, while also proposing a way to study ethical problems scientifically.
People of faith will probably hate it because it points out the obvious, and I suppose people like me have little to gain other than entertainment in its pages, but if you are like me then there is much entertainment to be had.
The world would be so much better if "morality" promoted human happiness or at least averted human suffering. As Sam points out, "Any person who lies awake at night worrying about the private pleasures of other consenting adults has more than just too much time on his hands; he has some unjustifiable beliefs about the nature of right and wrong."
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