Peaceful little Thread?
Ferd, you need to take a little trip to the Middle East, where this all started. This is the most violent and volatile area on our Planet, where people are slaughtering each other in the name of Religion.
This is the problem with most American Christians: They see through the corrupted lens of our Culture, where we go to Church on Sunday and become God's friend if we'll follow a certain Tradition or Teaching. ALL Religions in the World do this in one form or another!
Don't forget, Ferd, Jesus Christ was murdered by the Religious. He made them furious, calling them blind hypocrites, full of dead men's bones, even though they were the most well versed in Scripture. In the United States, we have made Jesus into a United States figure, based upon a Sunday School message, a coloring book, or the latest movie.
When the Thief of the cross was pardoned, no Religion on Earth was there to appease his death bed confession. A man sought for mercy, and mercy was given. But to you "Know it All's", you would be trying to yank him off of the cross for a quick baptism, then you would scream in his face until he spoke in tongues.
Religion is the bondage of holding mercy to yourself.