However, it is my firm conclusion that this nation called into existance by God Himself, its Federal Government has completely gone off the track laid down by the Founding Fathers ever so slowly but surely. Just one quote from George Washington to prove my point: "Overgrown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to Republican liberty". Dwigh D. Eisenhower repeated basically the same in his farewell address. He also said these: "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger, from those who are cold and not clothed". A report has stated that 18000+ children die daily of hunger! Yet, America sends bullets rather than food! Will someone compare 400+ billions the USA spends yearly on war machinery, right? Is there a figure available as to how much America sends to feed the hungry and clothing etc., etc., etc.?

Unfortunately, I'm not surprised by these numbers at all, except for the torture one. Did you know that one of the reasons the Founding Fathers of America included the 5th Amendment (the right to not incriminate oneself) was to discourage using torture as a means of exacting a confession? A man will confess to anything under enough pain, say what you will. Torture is un-Constitutional on a national level, and un-Godly on a bigger scale. As to the others, I agree w/ the commenter before me: exceptions are too often made for sin based on how bad we want to do them. Hopefully, the torture ration is not evidence of how many Christians want to torture people.

I'm shocked that lag behind the general population when it comes to the use of torture. It'd be interesting to hear about the roots of this attitude/belief. I'd guess that its based on a desire for justice and safety. Yet, how does this reconcile against a) God is the One who ultimately administers justice and b) there are no guarantees for safety and comfort in this life. What a sad disconnect...

I want to thank the above people for posting their views. You see, I am a Christian pastor who is really quite astonished at, and ashamed of just one fact that we have put our theological titles and denominational names on the Throne of God and written the poor, needy, and disillusioned children of God under the foot of the right-wing Evangelicals' feet! Tradition and heritage have given us a false sense of accomplishment and hope has disappeared. I always attempt to let people know that I am, FIRST, a Christian...and then I struggle with whether or not I should even tell them what denomination I am with...because they have ALL become quite...demented! George M Melby, Pastor (Servant of Jesus Christ) PS: And I haven't even begun to list the other unChristian characteristics I see of the "Christian" churches in the evangelical framework.

Wow. Most of the stats are positively unsurprising. What appalls me, however, are the stats regarding extra-marital sex and gambling. I'm nearly speechless. It's amazing how one's "moral values" are tied to his/her sinful tendencies. The greater one's impulse to a particular sin, the more they condone it. How can someone consider themselves Evangelical and blatantly disagree with the explicit teaching of scripture? Can any genuine believer honestly digress with the teachings that adultery (extramarital sexual relations) and greed (the sole impulse for gambling, whether you admit it or not) is sin? I see a lot of grey in the Bible, but not on those issues. Incredible. www.theincarnate.blogspot.com