Sentinel Watch October 29, 2012 ISSUE

Love and wisdom trump hatred

Sharon Carper—Ballwin, Missouri

With the tragic deaths of the United States’s ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and three American officers at the consulate in Benghazi, we lament this loss and wonder what the world is coming to. Does unselfish service mean people are vulnerable to attacks from fanatics? Are revenge and religious strife keeping citizens of the world at odds with one another?

The Christian Science Monitor, in an editorial comment on the incident, stated that “opposing bigotry nonviolently is a global challenge” (“Islam’s answer to the killing of US envoys in Libya,” September 12, 2012).

Citizens in many countries acknowledge that Islam, when the message is not distorted by fanaticism, is actually a religion that preaches peace and tolerance. That makes us all part of one global brotherhood, for many world religions embrace the qualities of peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Faith based on love, not hate, is what we all desire in our hearts.