But she has a point re crusades. And if we're being honest about the role of religion as a whole, we have to admit that science/cultural advancement often developed separately (and in many cases, against what the church wanted). And from what I've read about the printing press, it most likely wasn't invented so much to specifically print the bible as to make money for Gutenburg (church approved items being the safest and most lucrative for inventors). He was also printing indulgences for the church with the same printer....


No, you won't see most of that now, but we did see Columbus enslaving Indians in the name of god, and manifest destiny in the name of god, blacks being used to work for the god-fearing, etc. The "crusades" really weren't the only time Christianity has been used to justify the actions of a very large group of people.

As a new country, we have advanced past those atrocities primarily because we've worked hard for our freedoms and separation of church and state. Worked hard to ensure that the two entities can exist separately, each with respect for the other - many Islamic nations have not had that opportunity. It makes sense that their development would have to form differently than that of the west.

I can understand why people say this particular case is insensitive, but when we have people who are trying to foster inter-faith communication, education and relations, I feel that that takes precedence. Given the above, seeing how we managed to fight against our dirty history and turn out like you described, it's important that we take the leadership on this. I don't care if that means I look like I'm boot licking. I'm proud of what we're supposed to be, and I have no problem sharing the opinion that we're letting politics and hate get in the way of that.