Is it okay to hurt people who don't share your beliefs?

"Is it okay to hurt people?" cartoon by nakedpastor David Hayward (Like this cartoon? Get a reproduction HERE.) Is it okay to hurt people who don't share your beliefs? Of course, the short answer is NO! I do suggest that all religious people examine their holy scriptures. Examine their theologies. Examine their traditions. Examine their histories. Examine their legacies. Examine themselves. Violence is rooted in our minds and bears violent fruit. Our gods and books and cultures rush in to nourish these roots. Some might say, "That was the God of the Old Testament!" But what about the New? Doesn't the idea that we should not fellowship with unbelievers or excommunicate sinners suggest that we should rid our lives of people not like us? Doesn't the theology of eternal punishment by fire feed our fantasies that people will suffer for being different? We need to evolve. So should our ideas about God evolve. Some haven't. (*** One of the things we talk about at The Lasting Supper is the evolution of our own spiritualities and beliefs. It's cool! Join us. ***)