Why not focus on the non-violent aspects of religion?

I agree. I'm not religious either but I do know some religious people who do a lot of kind things for others.

You're right, I have worked with Church groups in Mexico building homes for people, with Church groups going to Honduras to build schools and worked with Church groups helping people in my home town and disaster work, but unless you were actually involved in it a person would never know, it doesn't make the TV, it doesn't even make the local paper.

I realize that blood, guts and sex are what make rating's for news organizations but sometimes I wonder if the reason the American public has become rather jaded and self centered is because people rarely if ever get credit for doing good, not that those who do good are looking for credit or praise, but I feel strongly if more people were aware of ways to help, there would be more people doing so.

They do that regularly. How many times have you seen Habit For Humanity at work on tv? How many disaster relief projects, done by charities with a religious connection? At this point, showing a bunch of Mennonites packing boxes for some foreign disaster zone is stock footage for local news shows, padding the news with fund raising. For that matter, most peace rallies were organized by Quakers, remember the stories of how Bush sicked the FBI on them?

The problem is that people who feel the need to loudly proclaim their religion don't do these good works.

seems to me the only religion they ever focus on the non violent aspects of is Islam. every other religion they'll go back 15 million years to pick out a violent era for

Acts of good are bad for ratings, but violence sells.

Because no one wants to hear that. :( I agree with you on that.

If it bleeds it leads.

because religion is always violent.