The God Squad: Don’t judge group based on individual acts
Question: A dear family member insists that there are many Muslim families across the world (not so much with the U.S.) who are training their children to kill Americans. She’s very stubborn in adhering to this school of thought, which my wife and I find very disturbing. How can I make her understand that there is no basis for this so-called truth? — S., via godsquadquestion@aol.com
Answer: My view about the training of Muslim terrorists is much like my view of the Axis powers concerning the killing of Americans during World War II: Only the killers are guilty of murder. Those who take the lives of innocents are the guilty parties, and condemning an entire group of people like the Germans or the Japanese is wrong and counterproductive.
I have long believed that the ultimate solution to the teaching of contempt is a spiritual and moral purification of the culture. I also believe that American Muslims who’ve seen firsthand the healing beliefs of our democracy will be the ones to lead this purification of Muslim teachings worldwide.
The key is a reinforcing of the Muslim teaching that all people are made in the image of God. Killing innocents is only possible if children and adults are first taught that these innocent people are not people at all but noxious viruses that need to be exterminated. Any teachings supporting the notion that some people deserve to die not for what they’ve done but simply for what they are is a grave sin and a violation of every rational moral code.
It’s true that madrassas (Islamic religious schools) teaching contempt for Americans do exist and spread such horrifying and non-Muslim venom. However, their days are numbered. People can be taught hatred, but they can’t thrive on hatred. Have patience and try to support and befriend all Muslims who share this enlightened view that is, I believe, at the heart of true Islam and every other great faith in the world.
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Q: My wife and I have long disrespected Jews because of their immoral impact on America (pornography in movies, TV, magazines, etc.) and their control of the media. We’re fearful that this control will eventually lead to the demise of Christianity in America.
However, your recent columns on the death penalty and on urging Catholic parents to hold firm on their moral code have been heartwarming to us. We feel strongly that the heinous killing of any innocent person should result in the death of the killer. Thank you for your well-worded views on this subject. Also, your eloquent analysis of sex before marriage couldn’t have been better. You exemplify what we think more Jewish people should be like. It’s refreshing to know that this could be made possible through your continued efforts to right so much of what’s wrong in society. God bless you. — N., via godsquadquestion@aol.com
A: Thanks for your kind words, but I strongly urge you to reconsider your preconceptions about Jews. Just as is true of Christians, Muslims, or adherents of any faith, what counts is not what the faithful do but what the faith teaches.
Just because a Jew, Christian or Muslim does something bad, or does something or says something with which you disagree, doesn’t mean the person is preaching the true teachings of his or her faith. I’m embarrassed to have to point out to you that despite your preconceptions, Jews don’t control the media, Jews are not the majority of pornographers and Jews don’t create most of the TV shows or movies in our culture. That you would think so is the result of false, anti-Semitic propaganda.
Furthermore, if Christianity does die out in America — which I don’t believe and pray won’t happen — it will be because Christian preachers and leaders have not taught true Christianity to their flocks. We do, indeed, face grave challenges to our culture and many people of good will and sound minds and souls disagree about the path to a morally respectable culture.
I urge you to listen not only to those with whom you agree, but also to those with whom you disagree. Free speech is messy but it is a fundamental American virtue. There are also good reasons to oppose the death penalty. I don’t think they’re good enough but they are serious, well-reasoned arguments.
Sexual promiscuity is an inescapable part of sexual freedom and no arguments will purge it from our midst. What must happen is a moral purification from within our houses of worship, our families, and our own souls and bodies. That work cannot succeed if we believe the worst about those with whom we disagree. It can only happen if we believe the best about them and then, in prayerful, loving dialogue, help them come to the moral wisdom God has revealed and reason sustains.
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