Hold people accountable for their actions, not the religions they claim

Dear editor:

This is in response to James Loris' letter about Islam.

Sir, I find it quite sad that this nation has come to the conclusion that Islam is evil and is now to blame for all bad things.

Islam is indeed a religion and not a cult. You stated in your letter,

"Islam is a cult, (devoted attachment to a person -- Muhammad -- and principle -- their desire to kill anyone who doesn't believe the way do."

First of all Muhammad is a prophet just as Jesus Christ is a prophet. The Muslim religion does not have a devoted attachment to a person but rather a prophet, Muhammad. So, in turn, if Islam is a cult then Christianity must be as well, for Christians worship Jesus Christ, the son of God.

One of the most popular passages from the Koran that is taken out of context is:

"Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but don't transgress limits; for God loves not the transgressor... And fight them on until there is no more oppression, and there prevails justice and faith in God; but if they cease let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression" (Koran 2: 190-193).

There are always going to be people that take a passage like this a twist it to mean whatever they want it to mean. There are a great many more passages that have "violence" in them in the Koran, all of which are open to interpretation. If you took the time to read the Koran, you would see that all of the passages refer to self defense.

Is it to be believed that a few verses, can represent the philosophy as a whole? Absolutely not!

Let's take a quick look at some verses from the Bible!

1) In Leviticus 25:44-46, the Lord tells the Israelites it's OK to own slaves, provided they are strangers or heathens.

2) In Samuel 15:2-3, the Lord orders Saul to kill all the Amalekite men, women and infants.

3) In Exodus 15:3, the Bible tells us the Lord is a man of war.

4) In Numbers 31, the Lord tells Moses to kill all the Midianites, sparing only the virgins.

5) In Deuteronomy 13:6-16, the Lord instructs Israel to kill anyone who worships a different god or who worships the Lord differently.

6) In Mark 7:9, Jesus is critical of the Jews for not killing their disobedient children as prescribed by Old Testament law.

7) In Luke 19:22-27, Jesus orders killed anyone who refuses to be ruled by him.

Is it to be believed that Jesus Christ condones slavery, the killing of children, and the execution of non-believers?

Now obviously these are not the entire passages, but, when read in isolation, it appears as though God condones violence. I especially like number 5!

I believe we need to stop holding religions accountable for people's actions and begin to hold the people accountable.

Don't get me wrong, I am just as upset as the next guy for all of the terrorist acts that take place "In the name of Islam." It is really too bad that a small percentage of the 1.2 billion people that practice Islam have given the religion such a bad name.

John Williams