Okay, I appreciate (a little more now, I'm happy to admit, having read many people's kind words about Jehova's Witnesses whom they have known) that they really do believe that they are doing good.

But does the means justify the end?

Is it enough to have good intentions, if what you do actually results in more harm than good?

If I were convinced that cars were evil and that setting fire to them were a good thing, and I went around setting fire to everyone's cars, would that be acceptable?

Most people would say not, but if it weren't just me who believed...if there were a hundred, or a thousand, or ten thousand, would there come a point at which the rest of society would accept it, or would it still be wrong?

How about if it weren't burning cars, but the teaching of 'creationism' rather than real natural history or displaying the Ten Commandments in court?

The Ten Commandments:

1. Don't worship any other god but me (that is, the one who brought you out of slavery in Egypt).
2. Don't make an idol and worship it, or I will punish you, your children, your grandchildren and your great grandchildren for it.
3. Don't misuse my name.
4. Work six days a week then once a week don't work, and force your children, your slaves, your livestock and any visitors to your town to follow the same routine.
5. Honour your parents so that you'll live to a ripe old age in the land that I've given you.
6. Don't kill people.
7. Don't shag on the side once you're married.
8. Don't steal.
9. Don't lie about your neighbours.
10. Don't habour a desire for your neighbour's house, wife, slave (male or female), ox, donkey, or any of his other possesions.

If Christianity had never existed and I'd just written the above for the first time ever in human existence and told you that it's the word of god and a manifesto on which to base our legal and ethical lives, you'd all think I was stark raving bonkers.

Is it any less bonkers just because lots of people have faith in it?