Hi! I thought it was funny that you would post a link to this when you did because a friend of mine was just recommending it to me. Anyway, I thought it was excellent, and am now reading all of Will Saletan's pieces. For a while I have been contemplating the question of whether conservatives like those opposing the mosque are evil, and really trying to undermine our society, or just less intelligent than the rest of us. After this issue came up, I decided they were just plain stupid- and have since become more forgiving and pitying toward them. I mean, you can tell from the things they say that they don't have a whole lot going on upstairs. I always thought a study should be done on the respective IQs of Democrats and Republicans. Have you heard that they're protesting mosques everywhere now? It's ridiculous. But it's really sad. Sad that I got on a plane last week, and a man in his fifties got this look of utter terror on his face. A fifty-year-old man afraid of a scrawny teenager in a headscarf.

And now, about your last post, you're preaching to the choir. I totally agree. As I said before, religion and faith should be something special and private between you and God. It's good to have a community of others who believe as you do, but they should join of their own accord. Acts of faith can be communal, but faith itself is only yours. Faith becomes dangerous when it is not genuine, but imposed on one. I think religious texts don't have to be taken as literal rule-books that should be handed out to the world and forced on everyone. They can be interpreted in many different ways, and I think it's up to the individual to seek out the truth in their faith. I interpret the Qur'an as a personal message to me. When I read things I don't agree with at first, I try to figure out why they don't make sense to me and if it's possible that there could be a different meaning than first meets the eye. I try to find the truth, by questioning. The Qur'an, like many religious texts, is full of mysteries and subtleties. The danger is not the texts themselves, but how people interpret them. Trouble starts when people stop questioning and thinking, and start taking everything at face-value, following blindly, being too lazy or afraid to find the truth.

I hope you haven't been offended by anything I've said. I hope it didn't seem like I had a problem with atheism, because while I don't believe it, I don't have a problem with those who do. As you said in your awesome Star Wars reference, "everyone has to find their own path." If you find truth in atheism, that's great; and that's what makes America land of the free. Hopefully it won't stop being home of the brave.

While we're on this general subject, have you read Winkie, by Clifford Chase? I just read it for the second time. I love that book, and think you would, too, if you haven't read it. It's about a teddy bear that gets accused of terrorism. And, as funny and lighthearted as it sounds, it's one of the most insightful novels I've read in a while.

Also, because it took me so long to post again, I saw the horse ball video and thought it was too cute! It reminded me of my gerbil, Hamlet. He has this wheel that he doesn't like to use in the conventional fashion, so he tries to run on top of it. It's one of the funniest things I've seen an animal do.

Alice, you don't have to worry. You are polite and thoughtful, and we may disagree, but we do so respectfully. I find your insights and attitudes refreshing and fascinating.

I haven't read Winkie, but it sounds great. I will look it up. There's another great post on the issue of the mosque on Andrew Sullivan's blog. Check this out.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/08/who-let-the-dogs-out.html#more

I wish I could be as kind toward conservatives as you. Yes, some are deficient in education and understanding of history and the law, but I think many of them are cynically whipping up racial, religious and cultural fears for political gain. I think it's evil, and I can't give them a pass.