Yep

I hate to say it, but this is one of the problems with religion. It can be used to manipulate people to commit unspeakable acts against others. Because, of course, if god is on your side, you must be doing the right thing.

All it takes is one determined, charismatic person with a personal adgenda, and the sky's the limit. We saw it in Hitler, we see it in Bin Laden, and to a lesser extent, we see it here, with Jerry Fallwell and others of his ilk. With Bin Laden the enemy is the American people, with the Fallwells it's gays, but the end result is the same. They mutilate and manipulate religion as a way to coerce people into hating what they hate.

I think it all has to do with removing the limits we all learn at an early age. We learn killing is wrong - a sin in god's eyes, so step 1 for these lunatics is to change that. These terrorists invent a special condition where not only is killing ok, but it's actually a "get into heaven free" pass. I also recall seeing on an anti-abortion web page once that those who kill abortion providers where guaranteed a place in heaven as well. Same kind of stuff.

Dealing with this crap is a real problem. As long as there's a lunatic somewhere, and weak-minded people to follow him, things like this can happen. It's impossible to defend against everything, but I think getting all the governments of the world to interact peacefully is a good start.