This country needs a heavy-handed secularist police state to crush this kind of religious fascism and create civil order.  I know this sounds undemocratic and imperialist but I don't think this kind of mob mentality will respond to sermons on love, peace, and forgiveness 

 What makes me depressed is that people seem to do it so easily.  

It happened in Canada, but for other reasons, and it is not the reasons for killing that bother me the most but that people will kill other people.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Reena_Virk

Reena Virk (March 10, 1983 – November 14, 1997) was a resident of Saanich, British Columbia, Canada.

Virk was first swarmed by eight teenagers (seven girls and one boy). 

On the evening of Friday November 14, 1997, Reena Virk was invited to a "party" by her friend near the Craigflower Bridge.

While at the bridge, it is claimed that teenagers drank alcohol and smoked marijuana. Virk was subsequently swarmed by a group later called the Shoreline Six. Witnesses said that one of the girls stubbed out a cigarette on Virk's forehead (Nicole Cook) and that while seven or eight others stood by and watched, Virk was repeatedly hit, punched and kicked. She was found to have several cigarette burns on her skin, and apparently attempts were made to set her hair on fire. This first beating ended when one of the girls told the others to stop.

Virk managed to walk away, but was followed by two members of the original group, Ellard and Glowatski. The pair dragged Virk to the other side of the bridge, made her remove her shoes and jacket, and beat her a second time. It is believed that Ellard forced Virk's head under the water and held it there with her foot until Virk stopped struggling.

Despite an alleged pact amongst the people involved not to "rat each other out," by the following Monday, rumors of the alleged murder spread throughout Shoreline Secondary School, where Virk was a student. Several uninvolved students and teachers heard the rumors, but no one came forward to report it to the police. The rumors were confirmed eight days later, on November 22, 1997, when police divers found Virk's partially clothed body washed ashore at the Gorge Inlet, a major waterway on Vancouver Island.

Hush Beshpin, run and play while the adults talk.

Unfortunately, humans who have convinced themselves, or allowed themselves to be convinced, that this is what GOD demands, are capable of just about any atrocity.

I know what you mean. It's just that it happens everywhere. The human race, has bruility in their blood. Violence is in our nature, it's the way we were made I think. To protect ourselves, but with so many other different kinds of people on Earth it's hard not to be over violent . !

- I am concerned about how violent this world has gotten.

You're right to be concerned. Part of me wants to argue about it being that ingrained and part of me remembers Cain and Abel. Regardless you and I can choose to not be violent people and I can (and you someday) raise my little girl to be a person of peace as well.

Yes, you can choose peace over violence. But sometimes even the most determined peace can be easily overpowered by violence and anger. Like sometimes, you just meet that one person that makes your blood boil to a breaking point and suddenly you imagine yourself doing evil things to that person. I never do it, but I think it. Maybe it's something like that, but these people can't stop themselves from doing the evil things their doing ?

Maybe, it comes down to self-control. That determines whether or not a person can kill someone.

Some people have it some people don't.

Animals have instincts that lead to when and where and how violence happens. They have fighting instincts. We also have cultural.

I think we, as humans, are violent from both our evolution and our culture. Personally, I think we learn most our violence tendencies.

I think it has components of evolution, components of  psychology... and is multi-layered.

There is also a component of  materialism. Hunter-gatherers want to improve their lot, want more... they take more and fight to take it.  Every (hu)man for himself or herself.... Usually, animals and humans end fighting before actually killing.  Done often enough, violence becomes culture. Land, food, wealth, power, control.... They fight and/or kill who has whatever "it" is they seek. It is perhaps easier to give in to the idea of collective violence when there is a lot of personal violence. Maybe then there are less brake pads on the brakes to stop before killing?

I cannot think of killing without it fulfilling something, money, possession, territory.... even if it is a warped psychology and it provides a sense of respect or obtaining power or maintaining control or even a thrill....  For me, I see a material motivation, there is usually some type of payoff.

For some, it is all they believe keeps them alive....  

For some, it is what makes them think they are righteous....

For some, it makes them think they are popular or cool...

As the child of a murder victim, I know how often things go awry. I also know how capable we, as individuals, are of violence even when we insist we could not kill. It can be one step from a push to a death, one step from a punch to a death... Life hangs by a thread.

Satan has lied to us so damn much & did such a great job of making the church of christ in genral a joke to the secular world.

& people are just sucking it up like chicken soup for the soul.

The corruption of organized religion has chased the enlightened away to seek answers from a soarce elsewhere.

That is what it all boils down to, the blind leading the blind for the last 2000+ years.

The key to the Kingdom is unity in the Spirit, & it is where contentment is.

For the Authority belongs to One who is "trust"worthy.

Bolt

There are nuts in every fold.