But today I'm going to digress and talk briefly about religion. Because this morning when I read the morning news up came the story about the 200+ people killed in terrorist bombings in Sri Lanka on an Easter weekend.
Now I don't advocate for or against any religion. I think that anyone has a right to believe as they choose. But I object to any religion that teaches that those who don't believe as they do are "infidels" or "nonbelievers."
And because the Sri Lankan authorities have identified the suspects as an Islamic terrorist group and the bulk of the victims as part of the country's Catholic minority this was definitely an effort to spread the influence of Islam.
And when one looks at the conflicts in the Middle East, probably 90 percent of them are based upon religion as the primary cause. Also, look at the attacks on Israel, on the twin towers, on the schools in Africa, on the Christians in many other countries by Islamic extremists and one sees the pattern that fans the flames of violence.
While many apologists in our country call Islam the "religion of peace," the reality is that one can find few examples of Christian terrorism imposed upon others who don't believe as they do. There are those who would explain Islamic terrorism as the work of a radical minority, nonetheless the Islamic community is very quiet about these latest attacks.
In recovery, we learn that resentments are the cause of most of our problems. That's a principle that could extend into the larger world. If it did, religious groups would be much more forgiving and tolerant of those they disagree with and the world might be a safer place for everyone.
