Wednesday, Lafayette, Indiana

Most of the world was appalled by the plight of British teacher Gillian Gibbons who was thrown in jail in Sudan because she allowed her little students to name a teddy bear Mohammed. Believing the gesture was one of respect she was stunned when she was arrested for creating an offense against Islam. Huh!?

Where is the line between open acceptance of diverse customs and values and repugnance for those who are cruel and inhumane? At some point there has to be a line in the sand where sadism in the name of a twisted theology must be confronted.

No one deserves to lose their life because they have unintentionally offended the sacred of another. The purpose of religious faith is to invite those from the outside into the healing salvation of their way. When the approach to apostasy is imprisonment and murder the religion has taken a turn into human perversion. Whether Muslim, Christian, Judaism or anything else, killing in response to a message from God is depravity

As the global community draws closer through technology and commerce, practices that include murder for theological offenses cannot survive. Respect for the beliefs of someone else must be met with their compassion. When an offense is made in occurrence or ignorance the civilized and Godly response is education, not execution. Unless the religions of the world learn to express their values in ways that engage and invite others to their ways, war is the inevitable consequence. This is the ongoing lesson of September 11th.

No matter what religion…murder in the name of God must not stand

It needs to be confronted.

Indicators that a religion is on the fringe:

- The service involves the ritual use of Sprite and finger foods

- Uniforms are required for all members

- The choir is required to sing in a low guttural base