Ah, of course, wiping out the Incas and Aztecs, the Crusades, not to mention the countless holy wars against brethren of the same faith, the Reformation and its hundreds of associated wars were all decided on a game of poker and its predecessors. Of course the trade in millions of men and women was completely in accordance with the spirit of the Bible. And none of the Dutch national heroes, including a certain Jan Pieterszoon Coen massacred the entire population of an Indonesian island, during their golden age did they? And Good old King Leopold II, of your southern neighbours was such an enlightened chap as well, doling out free amputations for the sheer joy of it. Civilized lot, those Christians.

It would be just as inflammatory and ridiculous to say that Christianity's only contribution to civilization is coming up with countless forms of torture.

Sadly, for the majority amongst us we are only being educated in different versions of stupidity, mostly based on idiosyncrasies. It is easy to pick a few select events and portray it as the hole picture. Reality of course is a far more complicated picture, and far less suitable for political grandstanding, whether from the left or the right. Retroactively distorting the facts to fit a political agenda is the norm rather than the exception.