Why is it that so many in the atheist community cannot bring themselves to get past their anger whenever they engage in discussions? The language of many of their contributions in public debate is laced with invective and dripping with sarcasm and bile. There are exceptions of course, but they tend to fall more into the category of being the 'exception that proves the rule' when compared to the hostility of many of today's atheist posters. Comment offered by the theists in the public square is often depicted as being 'malicious' or 'venomous' and intended to enslave the 'feeble minded and weak' by those who post. Nothing could be further from the truth. Venom is something that is oriented to death. Christians are oriented in a 180 degree different direction. We speak not to the culture of death that grips our world but rather for the culture of life and light which ends with the gift of eternal life. For example, the Catholic Church in its hum...
If I may offer an alternative interpretation. This statement was not an explanation of why the terrorists attacked (like Pres. Bush's "They attacked us because they hate our freedoms") rather it was Pres. Obama seeking to say who and what they attacked. I have no idea what sort of twisted religious justification went through their minds but my response was like the headline in Le Monde after the 9/11 attack "Nous sommes tous Americans". For me it was the same, an attack on the humanity and values we in the West seek to embody, freedom, tolerance and non-violence. And now to further show the uselessness of their attacks we are turning that humanity and principles to helping the Syrian refugees (some Republicans in the US excepted).
ReplyDelete"The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war."
Pres. Bush Sept 17, 2001
True then and true now.