I have to side with Lonesome EJ on this issue. The simple fact is that the "fundamentalists" and "extremists" are the ones who follow the messages in their respective sacred texts; the "moderates" are the ones who disregard their sacred texts, other than the parts that suit them. Anyone with an open mind who reads the Koran or the Bible will find that both are full of admonishions to kill the nonbelievers. Some (fundamentalists) accept these in their entirety as the teachings of their god; others (moderates) pick and choose which of the teachings they will follow, and still somehow claim to be the true adherents of their respective faiths.

And no, this is not just a case of fundamentalists reading poetic or metaphorical language and mistakenly taking it literally. Sure, some of the language in these texts is open to alternate interpretations, but much of it is very specific, and clearly meant to be taken literally. If the Bible is the word of God, then God means for the nonbelievers to be killed in brutal fashion. If the Koran is the word of Allah, then Allah means for the infidels to be killed in a similarly brutal manner. If you actually read these things, honestly, and with an open mind, it is almost impossible to reach a different conclusion.

Instead of engaging in increasingly tortured twists of logic to hang onto these ancient religions, it's about time for humanity to recognize these books for what they are; ancient myths that may have served a purpose at one time, but can only do us harm in our time. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are hateful, hurtful, and dangerous, and it's time we outgrew them.