I'm disgusted by this email

[2kitties]

Prejudice is nothing more than an ugly fear of what we don't understand. It is human nature to fight against what we fear. Unfortunatly, the result is often hateful things like this kind of thinking and propoganda.

Not one of us can claim to never have felt prejudice caused by fear or lack of understanding. You wouldn't be a flesh and blood, imperfect human if you did not. The ability to rise above that fear and reach out to learn and understand and accept each other is the thing that secures our futures.

It is our Responsibility and Duty to look beyond what we think we know and learn the truth to eliminate hate. Many people of all nationalities and all faiths were affected by 9/11. We should use it as an opportunity to learn, however. To forward this type of email is to be derelict of that responsiblity and duty.

I admit that, after the attacks, I would've been nervous had my plan been boarded by several young Middle Eastern men. I'm not proud of that, but I believe it is a natural fear. But my responsibility is not to run or hate, but to accept that it was only fear of what I don't understand. Not something based in fact. Just irrational fear.

My personal feeling about God's words- no matter the book you're looking at, is that they are all books written by men, translated by men and interpreted by men. Whether they were once the true word of God or not, the centuries have brought the interpretations and translations of men with political agendas. They're still great books and wonderful guidelines for life and worship, but to believe and follow word for word is naive.

Clearly, there are those who believe the Quran tells them to kill infedels. The Old Testament of the Christian Bible portrays an extremely violent God who'd have us beating our slaves with a particular type of stick and beating our wives. Same for most religious books. To read and follow them word for word is to take them completely out of context and time. To see the results of that kind of thinking, you just have to look around us.

In my personal opinion, religion is a personal thing which should be practiced and followed on a personal level. It has no business in government and public law. It is just too passionate an issue and results in war and strife and stuggle.