In the wake of the Paris attack the words of Sam Harris about the Islamic faith seem more timely than ever.

Now I think you all know that my position on ALL religions is that they are an unnecessary and potentially harmful crutch used by people who do not trust their own critical thinking abilities.

However, like Harris, I also find some religions more concerning than others, based on their basic tenets and also how the teachings are interpreted in this day and age.

As you know I spend a great deal of time criticizing Christianity in this country, and those who profit from and hide behind Christianity in this country, mostly because it is the most prominent and impactful religion in this country.

And yes the horrific things that have been done in the name of Christianity in many ways overshadow the violence done in the name of Islam.

However in today's world one would be foolish not to recognize that there is a singular danger represented by the those who interpret Islamic teachings as a license to kill and destroy.

And ISIS in particular embodies the most dangerous elements of Islam. As noted back in March of this year by The Atlantic: 

Our ignorance of the Islamic State is in some ways understandable: It is a hermit kingdom; few have gone there and returned. Baghdadi has spoken on camera only once. But his address, and the Islamic State’s countless other propaganda videos and encyclicals, are online, and the caliphate’s supporters have toiled mightily to make their project knowable. We can gather that their state rejects peace as a matter of principle; that it hungers for genocide; that its religious views make it constitutionally incapable of certain types of change, even if that change might ensure its survival; and that it considers itself a harbinger of—and headline player in—the imminent end of the world. 

The Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), follows a distinctive variety of Islam whose beliefs about the path to the Day of Judgment matter to its strategy, and can help the West know its enemy and predict its behavior. Its rise to power is less like the triumph of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (a group whose leaders the Islamic State considers apostates) than like the realization of a dystopian alternate reality in which David Koresh or Jim Jones survived to wield absolute power over not just a few hundred people, but some 8 million.

It is almost impossible not to recognize the positions of some of our more radical Christian leaders reflected in the above description. Many of them also believe that we are on the brink of witnessing the End of Times as well.

And in fact I would argue that it was George W. Bush's religious fundamentalism that inspired him to set into motion the events which have resulted in the dangers we are seeing today.

However make no mistake, if there is a terrorist attack in the world right now it is more than likely carried out by an Islamic Jihadist.

And understanding that fact, and the reasons behind it, may be our only hope of eventually putting a stop to all of this violence.