'Moderate Islam' vs 'Moderate Christianity'

Something to keep in mind when The Usual Suspects start spouting The Usual Hemming and Hawing about Islam and Moslems --

There is no more such a thing as "moderate Islam" than there is such a thing as "moderate Christianity".

A "moderate Christian" is someone who claims to be a Christian *and* who simultaneously holds that Christianity just isn't all that important to how one conducts one's life. A "moderate Christian" is someone who isn't trying to emulate Christ -- whom Christianity holds to be the perfect man whose life and deeds all persons should seek to emulate ... which is to say, someone who is not really a Christian.

Similarly with Islam: A "moderate Moslem" is someone who claims to be a Moslem *and* who simultaneously holds that Islam just isn't all that important to how one conducts one's life. A "moderate Moslem" is someone who isn't trying to emulate Mohammed -- whom Islam holds to be the perfect man whose life and deeds all persons should seek to emulate ... which is to say, someone who is not really a Moslem.

Now, the thing is, one can never rule out the possibility that a "moderate Christian" may decide that he wants to be a real Christian. Likewise, one can never rule out the possibility that a "moderate Moslem" may decide that he wants to be a real Moslem. But, the *other* thing is that when a "moderate Christian" starts trying to become a real Christian, he becomes a better, a more moral, person. Contrarily, when a "moderate Moslem" starts trying to become a real Moslem, he becomes a worse, a less moral, person.