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Abrahamic religion refers to the three prevalent monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam that claim prophet Abraham as a part of their sacred history. There are approximately 3.8 billion people in the world that belong to an Abrahamic religion. (Source is the free encyclopedia, Wikipedia.)

Throughout history all three religions have used their holy texts to systematically enforce strong sanctions against their opposition.

Whether called non-believers, free thinkers, atheists, or agnostics, the punishments range all the way from tribal shunning to death by stoning. If you doubt this, pick up any King James Bible, the Hebrew Bible or the Koran and read carefully. You will find an appalling number of hateful, intolerant, barbaric instructions like these from the bible:

"Whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.-2 Chronicles 15:13

Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.- 2 Chronicles 19

If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known ... thou shalt surely kill him; thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterwords the hand of all the people. And thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die.-Deuteronomy 13:6-10"

An aside: does this mean that after you brutally murder your disloyal friend or relative the rest of your frowning band comes out to pelt the dead body with stones? Need we wonder long that atheists had little stomach for openly avowing their non-belief?

But what about Muslims, whose public relations machine widely trumpets them as "peaceful people?" Before you sign up to be a Muslim you better be sure that is what you want, because technically the Koran prescribes a barrage of stones should you subsequently convert to another religion. Apparently, Muslims have an unending supply of rocks they are eager to use. Doesn't any religious person ask themselves why these barbarous iron age prohibitions and cruel punishments still grace the pages of their holy books?

In 2006 a vindictive Shariah court in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan imposed a death sentence on 41-year-old Abdul Rahman for converting to Christianity, 16 years earlier. Poor hapless Abdul was only saved because of a

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