Funny thing that. It was those same "Christians" who torched young women because in their stygian ignorance they thought them witches. It was those same Christians who decided that you couldn't hold political office if you didn't swear allegiance to a particular Christian sect.
Communism was built on top of some very strong, true, insights about economics and human behaviour, but that fact doesn't make Communism something to praise.
And now let's pull out the mirror: you claim that Christianity is the fount of all religious freedom, and yet here you are, slamming one religion based on your own Christian beliefs. Physician, heal thyself.
Well, I see that this thread has had a lot of activity since I went peacefully to sleep last night. And I see that alice has dealt well with your questions, but I will give a few thoughts before I depart this thread for good.
You bring up the classic post-modern liberalism against Christianity by pointing to the sins and non-Christian behavior of a few in history that your liberal academic upbringing has emphasized and completely denying the whole of Christian history, which, as alice has indicated, is a history of sinners who haven't obeyed Christ's teachings, and plenty of history (which you conveniently overlook) that actually has done what Christ taught - help the poor, feed the hungry, love your neighbor.....
I will give you the benefit of the doubt and not say you were lying when you said that I claimed "Christianity is the fount of all religious freedom." I do not think you meant to lie, but this is a completely false accusation which I'm sure you thought was clever, but knew at some level was not at all what I said.
I'm not going to repeat all that I have already said, but in a short version I will say that pointing out the TRUTH that Hindu beliefs are causal in India's poverty is not at all the same as saying they don't have the freedom to be Hindu.
Religious tolerance is completely different than believing that all religions are good and that believing in them makes one prosper. Hinduism's belief in Karma, the caste system, and reincarnation has led to immense poverty and complete lack of caring for the poor. I believe that Hindus have the freedom to worship their gods in America without retribution. I have Hindu friends that I love dearly. That does not mean that I think their religion is good. In Hinduism, there is a tolerance of pain and poverty. If I believe in Karma, I don't think it's my job to help anyone else out of their plight.
Christianity teaches the opposite, and thus we have hospitals, schools and multiple charities based on Christian behavior and belief. Christ taught us to care for each other. Christ taught us that we, as humans, are ALL precious in God's sight, made in HIS image. It also teaches us to work hard and do our best.
America was founded on Christian principles, and that is why we, over the last 200+ have had the greatest country in the history of the world. That is ending as we pull away from the basic virtues that the Founders understood.
I hope you now understand, Oceander, what you missed in spades in reading my posts through your jaded glasses.....