Taz writes:
I'm just trying to figure out what you guys would define as a true christian.
To start with, we need to ask ourselves if a human has similar traits, tendencies, shortcomings, sins, if you will...whether they are religious or not. In other words, do all humans have potentially the same potential for killing?
We seem to have case examples in History, as PD points out, that include human regimes of all religious or secular persuasions and differing religions.
Next, any Christian who is honest with themselves
knows that Jesus was not some Nordic Aryan proclaiming himself as a conquering Messiah. I would assume some consensus for the character of Jesus Christ as presented in the gospel books and that a true christian would attempt to live emulating those characteristics and standards.
Has Christianity been used as an excuse for ethnic cleansing and blatant capitalistic expansion? Yes. I disagree with nwr, however, that the christian belief system itself was to be blamed...except as a convenient excuse. The human nature was to be blamed and responsibility accepted.
No group of people can claim a moral high ground, for we are all human and all equal in that regard.