I myself over the years have been what many would term a moderate Christian (some maybe think liberal). I had specific beliefs about Christ and salvation but not to the degree that I could bash or exclude someone else's belief. I had faith that Christ was real and that somehow even though many contradictions in God's nature seem apparent in the Bible somehow everything works itself out according to God's plan. I even believed that belief in evolution was amenable to belief in God, more specifically Christianity. I was actually quite proud of my moderation in belief. I felt my response to the world was just, tolerant, rational, and seeded in common sense. What was to dislike?
I have to wonder now, though, whether the moderate belief system is actually more dangerous than the most extreme of beliefs. Why do I say this? Well extreme systems of belief are easy targets for hate or dislike. On the other hand, some of the greatest people I know and best friends I have practice moderate forms of belief in God. So...what's the problem. Let's love the moderates.
The issue goes back to faith. Even the person with moderate beliefs will acknowledge that a large component of what they cling to or believe in is seeded in faith. So, of course, the insidious conflict arises from faith. Due to the nature of faith, if I accept these most tolerable, loving, congenial, philanthropic individuals and the faith they hold to, I must also accept the faith of very intolerable, extremist, non-loving individuals. Accepting these moderate versions of faith would take the wind out of the sails of my arguments against those extremists who use faith as their very weapon against reason to uphold their ideals of intolerance and violence.
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I, too, consider myself among the moderate. Is it a safe haven encompassing all those who chose not to subscribe to one position or the other? Sure. I'd buy that. However, I believe all of us who cling to the middle must acknowledge that we believe those on either side of us deserve the right to proclaim to their highest of abilities their own beliefs, whether or not we on any side can truly stand to listen. I've learned a lot from such people. In fact, I've lost friends because of extremist beliefs. Why? Because, like you said, their beliefs were such easy targets. I could present concrete evidence why I was right and they were wrong, and they couldn't come back with some middle-of-the-road-let's-still-be-friends statement to sweep our obscene differences under the rug.
Do I believe that moderates are as dangerous, if not more so than the extremeists? Actually, yes. Why? Because we have thoughtfully considered each side, the alternatives, and have had to formulate our own beliefs based upon everything we have learned since birth related to religion and life itself. While I admit that a lot of my beliefs are seeded in faith, I draw a lot of support from scientific evidence and scholarly Biblical interpretation. I also believe that this is how moderates can differentiate themselves from the extremists: we are willing to accept and either amend or defend our position on any given topic. In my opinion, it's easier to subscribe to an extremist point of view, where you don't actually have to think for yourself and can mindlessly hide behind some predetermined belief system rather than navigate and defend your own.
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