By MAGGIE A.
As this is my first blog, you should be familiar with my values.I believe we should be able to worship (or not) as we please. That means I think it's acceptable to convert from Christianity to Islam, from Judaism to Buddhism, from Islam to atheism, etc., etc., etc.I believe homosexual sex between two consenting adults shouldn't be punished.I believe women are equal to men.I believe there is a moral distinction to be made between killing and murdering. (Americans killed Nazis. Nazis murdered Jews.)I believe words matter.Though few Middle Eastern Christians will acknowledge it, Israel's existence is a blessing. Christians are safer in Israel than they are in any other country in the region. Furthermore, our creation story is theirs. Our commandments for living morally are theirs. We both are the primary targets of radical Islam. We should embrace one another, for both moral, as well as practical, reasons. Values over tribe.I believe there is an evil presence in the world. It is the solemn obligation of every decent person to try to reduce it. This process cannot begin unless the specific evil is named. Without proper identification, false moral equivalencies, which serve only to enable evil, abound. I believe the primary evil presence facing the world today is Islamism. 1. That most Muslims are decent is axiomatic.
2. There is a growing cancer (a culture of terror) in Islam. These two notions are not mutually exclusive. If you must, read both sentences again.I believe one should be able to insult all faiths without fear of being murdered as a result.Though humans need both to feel and to think, thinking should be afforded greater deference. Reasoning, not emoting, more often leads to goodness and liberty. Nothing matters more than goodness and liberty.