PURITANS!
We need them to help us become more righteous.
We need to feel the sting of their whiplash and suffer the tongues of flame, branding irons, and denouncement.
Why?
Gosh - we aren't as pure as THEY are, that's why!
8th century Christian Orthodox Iconoclasts smashed statues used by Catholic Christian worshipers - to save them from idolatry.
Let us us cheer that intervention! Hip Hip Hoooraaaaay!
(St. Augustine died of starvation at their hands)
In 2001, The Taliban blew up ancient Buddhist statues for equivalent reason of religious purification.
Thank you, Taliban.
Those Puritans in early America protected us from Quakers by whipping them, imprisoning them and by hanging!
In June of 1600:
Mary Dyer's feet were twitchin' like crazy as she hung on that rope - but - she must have deserved her judgment because (duh) she believed God spoke directly to individual worshipers rather than through the Clergy! Hang that crazy bitch! Yaaaaay
Funny thing about Puritans...
they were kicked out of England due to persecution.
Puritans suffered at the hands of harsh-hearted "less-righteous" Christians who - (scratchin' my head here) thought they were a menace.
When the Puritans arrived in America - were they tolerant themselves?
Hell no!
Ain't got time for that.
Puritans persecuted without tolerance any fellow Christian who did not AGREE with them.
On Judgement Day, it is reputed, God will call to account each of us for all our deeds -- but heck, why wait for God to judge us?
If only we had Puritans with us today.
Why? Because some of us are less righteous and have greater sins.
Or - wait a minute - I mean: some of us (although sinners ourselves) need to take out our own virtue (in certain areas) and beat the crap out of those without (those particular) virtues.
I mean - why the heck not?
The End Justifies the Means ...
right?