From the Editors May 9, 2011 ISSUE

Let Love defang hate

From the Editors

There’s an old saying, “Lord, let my words be sweet today, because tomorrow I may have to eat them.” This is good advice, especially in the age of the Internet, where one’s words can travel almost as fast as thought. And those words can stir dramatic, and sometimes dangerous, actions.

When Terry Jones, pastor of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida, organized a Quran burning in March, the result was a violent chain reaction. After four days of protests in Afghanistan, at least 22 people died, including seven United Nations workers (“Terry Jones: How his Quran burning helps the Taliban,” The Christian Science Monitor, April 4, 2011). And Afghanistan wasn’t the only country to be affected by his actions.

Send a comment to the editors

This is the end of the issue. Ready to explore further?

Online features Audio