I cannot lie to myself or to anyone about this disturbing feeling I get when I hear story after story of the gruesome acts committed by evil people in the Mid-East and elsewhere who use a certain religion as a front for their vile actions. There’s a natural tendency to wanna chastise that specific religion – but I’m a fair and just human being – at least, I’d like to think so.

See, upon proper reflection on events in history, I often find horrific examples of barbarism committed against other human beings by adherents of one religion or the other – and Christianity (my own religion) too was used by evil people as a rationale for their savagery against others.

Yes, I am indignant at the acts of terrorists using religion to justify their horror. But I cannot rush out and condemn all adherents of that religion – or even the religion itself.

What I can conclude is that anyone can hold a sacred document in their hands, jump on a rooftop, and cry out to God by any name. God, by any name, is not dishonored by hypocrites, murderers, or deviants using His Holy name. Only the perpetrators are dishonored.

The lesson to be learned from all the chaos in history committed in the name of God is that extremism can occur in any religion, and evil can wear many masks.

The reality of a God of justice, love, compassion, caring, and equity, by definition contradicts all the pseudo images perpetrated by sinister, tormented fanatics – no matter how much they utter his word on their stained and vile lips.