"It sounds like ALL of you have a misunderstanding of what Christianity is."
It's a strange religious sect that lucked out and became a mainstream religion when Constantine decided to use it for political reasons. You worship a schizophrenic deity who promises eternal damnation for not believing in him despite the fact that he hides from us; believe said deity "loves us all" despite the previous qualities; venerate a zombie who was nailed to a tree because he thought it'd be a good idea to piss of the Romans; and you're somehow convinced said zombie was the "Son of God" and that being nailed to a tree in your place placates your god yet he still threatens to send you to hell for you sins which zombie-god's blood cleansed you of.
That cover it?
"It's not a religion. It's the way we live."
Funny then that it has all the trappings of religion and fits every definition I've ever seen of the word.
"The first command is to love God."
He doesn't seem to love us.
"The second is to love others as we want others to love us."
Unless they're gay. Or pagan. Or Muslim. Or some other group you dislike because your Bible or preacher told you to.
"Then we're commanded to tell others about God's love and how He wants to have a relationship with us."
As I like to point out, your god is omniscient and omnipotent; if he wants a "relationship" with me he can find me anytime he'd like. I shouldn't have to go hunting around for such a being.
"Sometimes that love comes in the form of food or medicine."
Only if they convert first. Damned heathens always wanting something for nothing...
"I many cases, you can just help a neighbor with something."
Unless they're in one of those aforementioned groups.
"Many times I don't say a word until someone asks, "why are you helping me?" Then I tell them."
Fair enough.
"It seems to me you are all getting bent out of shape because men and women of the military are practicing their religious freedom -- something the United States of America was founded upon."
They're under orders not to do such things. They're representing the United States Federal Government in deed and action. If they want to gain converts they can join a missionary group.
"We have the right to practice our faith, just like you have the right to speak openly against it."
Correct. Unfortunately when you're in the military your orders come before such trivialities.
"Interesting, though, our founding fathers would have bought the Bibles and sent preaches to help accomplish this mission."
Bullshit. Jefferson in particular loathed your Bible and published his own version that removed all the supernatural bullshit. As I understand it, Washington almost never attended church with his wife. Most of the others are well known to be deists of some sort or other. There were only a handful of Christian's who founded this country and all of them would have known better than to try something like that.
