Belief vs Behaviour

There's a saying I read somewhere a few years back - "Standing in a garage makes me a car about as much as going to Church makes me a Christian."

Being raised Roman Catholic, I would see people go to church, stand at the right moments, kneel at the right moments, sing all the hymns, put some coins in the collection plate and then leave. They would then drive like complete morons, or go have a good gossip, or go home and beat their wife/children - hardly the "Christian" behaviour preached in church!

Obviously, it's not just Catholics who do this, nor do all people do this. But there are people who go to their religious building of choice, listen intently to the teachings, then go home and ignore/contradict them.

Which just goes to show - your beliefs don't make you a better person, your behaviour does. You can believe in love all you want, but if you don't practice it, all you are is a hypocrite.
Heck, growing up, I was told that the Old Testament was not to be taken as seriously as the New Testament - because the OT was kind of violent (eye for an eye) and the NT was more "love thy brother" and whatnot.

But you still get people who use the OT to try and justify hating gay people. And you can't pick and choose which verses you're going to pay attention to - if you're going march around with a placard proclaiming "Leviticus 20:13", you may want to make sure that:
a) You have no tattoos or piercings (Leviticus 19:28)
b) You don't shave your sideburns (Leviticus 19:27)
c) You don't eat pork or have anything to do with pig products at all (Leviticus 11:18)
d) You don't practise the "pulling out" method of contraception (Genesis 38:9 - 10)

And this is my favourite one:
e) You are not divorced (Mark 10:8 and Mark 10:11 - 12)

You've got all these people parading around under the banner of a religion that, at it's core tries to say "Love yourself. Love the people around you. And for My sake, don't be a raging cocknugget". And they're trying to enforce their beliefs on the country in general, while displaying behaviour that is contrary to the core beliefs! If you're going to try and tell the world that they must follow your beliefs and your religion, make sure you're following it too.

Yes, I'm talking to you, you ignorant pork-sausage and bacon eating, tattooed and pierced, divorced, clean-shaven Bible-banging hypocrite.

I don't subscribe to organised religion for the main fact that people in large groups are dangerously stupid. And judgemental, and cliquey.

Not all religious people are two-faced, though. I know plenty of Wiccans and Catholics and Muslims who are really good people. And they try to treat the people around them with respect and love and tolerance - which I believe is the basis of any good religion.

So don't corner me in a party and regale me with your beliefs. I could just as easily tell you about how I believe that I can own a yacht, and an island and win multiple Grammys - doesn't mean it's actually going to happen.