A rant against people who have killed christianity for me

This essay is by no means a rant against the teachings of Jesus Christ. From my point of view he was a pretty cool guy and got almost everything right. What this is a rant against are the people who have, for lack of a better word, completely bastardized the teachings of Christ largely through their actions which they perform while claiming to be followers of Christ. Much of what Christ said to his followers is located in the rules put forth by St. Benedict. Although his book was written some 500 years after the death of Jesus, St Benedict still was preaching, in my opinion, the correct teachings of Christ and, more importantly, was actually following what Jesus said to do. For example some of the rules put forth by St. Benedict are as follows: 3. “Then not to murder.” 5. “Not to steal.” 8. “To honor all (1 Peter 2:17).” 52. “To guard one's tongue against evil and depraved speech.” Both rules 3 and 5 are part of the Ten Commandments, and rule 52 is another way of saying judge not lest ye be judged as well as to be careful what you say.

So how was it, I ask, that after 500 years one person could still understand the basic teachings of Christ while some 1000 years afterward many in the church have gone in a 180 direction from the original teachings of Christ? In my opinion at least part of the reason lies in the way in which certain people interpret the word of God. In fairness many people who are Christian actually do follow the teaching of Christ and try their best to love and honor their neighbor. The problem lies with the fact that the vast majority of Christians on TV, the televangelists as well as the most highly visible Christians throughout history are completely wacked out fundamentalists who use the Bible for their own personal gains.

Examples as to how these Christians misconstrue Jesus’ teachings are as follows. “Not to murder.” This commandment seemed not exist to the people of the Spanish Inquisition who gleefully murdered thousands of non-Christians in the name of Jesus Christ. I mean come on... the Aztecs did basically the same thing in offering human sacrifices to their gods and supposedly the Spanish were more civilized than they were. “Not to Steal.” Might I mention the names of Jim and Tammy Baker? If you don't know them look them up then ask yourself how many trusting older women sent their money to those two. “To honor all (1 Peter 2:17).” This is so important that the Biblical reference is given, yet many prominent Christians still do not understand it. From Jerry Falwell to Fred Phelps of Westborough Baptist fame, the common sentiment is we love you only if you agree with us. “To guard one's tongue against evil and depraved speech.” This should be taught to anyone who preaches hate in the name of Jesus, and, most recently, the  teacher in Indiana who said that she wants a "straight only prom because LGBT people have no purpose." To end this rant I myself would like to interpret the Bible for once. On November 7th 2012 both gay marriage and the use of recreational marijuana passed by referendum in some US states. Leviticus 20:13 states: “If man lies with another man he should be stoned.” It all makes sense now. We've just been interpreting it wrong.