Let me offer "a modest proposal" - a way to examine the question of religion in conflict. I will assume that the average American is Christian. Based on that observation alone, I can assume that the American answer to radical Islam is total annihilation of the entire Muslim population.
That is a fair interpretation because of the religious teachings of both Christians and Jews. The bible teaches them that, when confronted with an enemy it is appropriate to kill them all. In 1 Samuel 15 God instructed them to destroy Amalek completely, “man and women, child and infant, oxen and sheep, camel and donkey.” Total genocide.
So clearly the teachings of the bible would direct all Americans to engage in the total extermination of every Muslim in the world.
Think about this for a minute. Based on what I have just said is it fair to impute motivation and desire to every member of a religion based on the religions teachings. Is it really fair to say that, because there are a few passages in the Koran about killing infidels, that every Muslim is now a threat to my existence?
Religion is not the problem. Men interpret religion. They adapt it to their own thinking. It is not the religion that cause acts of terror, it is the motivations of the people and the way they twist the religion to fit their desires. It is those initial motivations that are the problem. They are what has to be addressed to find a solution.
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