June 30, 2003

I received an email today, ya know, one of those forwards that you get from time to time. It was about a "recent" change of viewpoint of the state of Florida to allow a Muslim woman to wear her veil for her driver's license picture. While this brings to mind a very good reason to not let her do that (can't truly identify her, I mean she's not wearing the SAME veil all the time right?), this email went on about how this country is letting people get away with stuff because they're different.

It went on to say that this is America, we speak English and so on and so forth. While I agree in part and in whole to some of these things, it made me stop and really think. If I went to her country, where women are required to wear veils or get stoned in public and other such atrocities, would I wear one? Or would I assume that because I'm different I can do in their country, what I do in mine?

Yes they are here in America. The land of the free. The land of free thinkers and doers. Where everyone is allowed to be themselves! Yes we speak English, if you want to live here and not be considered weird or an outsider, yeah you should probably learn the language. But ya know what? It's not that easy to learn another language. Have you tried to learn Spanish? Or French? Or Latin even? I took 6 years of French in Junior High and High School and I couldn't even carry on a conversation in the language! Wish I could just because it's really neat to be able to speak in another language.

This country was founded by folks that didn't want to be represented by another country. By folks that wanted to govern themselves. Yeah they were Christian, but ya know what? That only gave them their ideals. Their desires. It didn't govern the country. They seperated Church and State so that people could believe in what they want.

It's hard for some folks to think "how could you not believe in God? Have you been saved?" And all that.

Well there are also some folks that think religion is for those people that need to explain things. That it's for comfort and that they do not personally feel the need to believe in it.

Religion has served over the years to provide guidance for people on how to live their lives. Things they should and should not do. "Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not kill." etc. Religion can give a sense of community as well. Since none of us are God and none of us have talked to God, how can we know that he doesn't allow us all to believe in what we feel makes us the most comfortable? Who's to say that Allah, God, and all the other Gods out there, are not one in the same? Is it not possible that because of geography and social times, that different beliefs have allowed God to branch and fulfill the needs of all the people of Earth? Why does it have to be one way? Because of one person that lived 2000 years ago? What about the people that lived 4000 years ago? Or 6000? Maybe Jesus was an attempt to unite the people of Earth but it didn't work? So now it's ok that there are different beliefs? They all serve the same purpose, to teach, to guide. There are some people that take it to extremes. These people are our kamikaze bombers, the terrorists who attack in the name of their God. What are they afraid of? Why do they feel it necessary to take their religion to this extreme? And it's not the whole society, just parts of it.

It makes me wonder if they fear us because we are so different (sound familiar?) or if they truly think that their religion is THE religion? It's close-mindedness on their part for sure. If we can accept that their whole society is not at fault for the terrorist attacks, just a faction of it, then why can't they accept the fact that not all Americans want to take over their country? If it weren't for countries like ours and Spain and France and England, they wouldn't even have a country because we buy so much of their oil! We need them! And they need us!

Then we (loosely in the sense of our government) decide that they can't have weapons of mass destruction so we go in and rid them of them. But then there aren't any. Hunh, funny how that works. I do not think that Saddam was a good leader. I think getting rid of him is probably best for his country, but his country doesn't know any different! It'd be like taking our country, getting rid of Congress and the President and putting in a dicatator. We'd revolt of course though. But we don't live in fear every day.

Another email that I received recently talked about how the US was commemorating a part of the Muslim religion. Here we are trying to remain open about the fact that everyone can believe in what they believe. The US was making a stamp. This email stated all these things that Muslims were responsible for. 9/11, etc. And at first I was like yeah, but then remembered that not all Muslims are like these people responsible for these attacks. Before I could reply, Kris did so for me. I included his response because I thought it hit home.

And as I was asking him for permission to include his response, he said that the stamp was actually made BEFORE 9-11-01!! funny how things get passed around this country through email.....

-L-