“When I was 14, my uncle, an elder of the fundamentalist Christian church in which I was raised, drove up for a visit with a bumper sticker on his car that said "Kill a Commie for Christ." That was when I abandoned organized religion.
No one who is a true Christian could commit such acts. Anyone whose religious beliefs have become so extreme that those views are used to justify such violence is no longer practicing a religion but is committing crimes against humanity, and no major world religion endorses such actions today.
Some posts linked to the cover story on the home page blame Islam for this incident, refusing to accept that a Christian could commit such acts. Others blame Islam indirectly by saying that this violence was motivated by hatred against Islam due to acts of violence committed by Muslims. This is blatant bigotry.
Those who point to the concept of jihad in Islam to label it as an inherently violent religion forget the millions who "converted" to Christianity at the points of swords or barrels of guns over the centuries. Christianity too has had its holy wars.
People of all faiths are capable of such acts once they feel that the abstract beliefs of their religion are more important than individual human lives and real human suffering. History tells us over and over again how religious beliefs can motivate horrors worse than those committed in the name of national or international politics-- worse because at their best, the world's great religions forbid and deplore such actions. And yet, over and over again, religion is the excuse given for hatred and acts of hate.
My heart goes out to the victims and their families. All those who die or are injured due to such violence justified by extremists on religion grounds are tragic scapegoats for human evil. Where I live, the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration have been praying constantly for peace, for many decades. Today we should all join them, regardless of our religions. (end quote)作者: 山豆凡 时间: 2011-7-23 11:42 媒体公布的被缉拿的行凶男子照片,是他之前自己挂在社交网络上的肖像,从样貌和眼神上看,应该算比较英俊干净和善意的面孔,真是人不可貌相啊。作者: 山豆凡 时间: 2011-7-24 11:42 任何一种无谓的死亡,都让人难过和愤怒,也没有一种死亡,会比另一种死亡更重要或黑色。