The Great Fundamentalist Hoax: “Thoughtful Americans have long wondered how it is that fundamentalist Christians–followers of someone who preached pacifism and tolerance–became the poster boy for hate speech, touting ‘moral values’ indistinguishable from those of the Taliban. They wonder why, for example, fundamentalist Christians so seldom quote from the New Testament–which is supposedly what Christianity is all about–but prefer citing the Torah and Old Testament prophets.

One reason is that the Old Testament is full of murder, vindictiveness, and genocide–all supposedly ordered by God. So when fundamentalists want a Biblical excuse for hate speech and hate crimes–which they seem to need with considerable frequency–they turn to Old Testament sources.” — Philip Slater (HuffPo)