The Best and Worst in Biblical Religion: An Open Letter to Christine Flowers

Christine, You have asked me to apologize to your friend, who called Islam evil, for calling her ignorant and bigoted. And you have threatened to block me on Facebook if I donā€™t do so. I have no intention of apologizing and instead Iā€™m going to explain why I think you need to apologize for betraying the best in the religious tradition of which you claim to be so proud. If you donā€™t like what I have to say and you block me, thatā€™s fine. I frankly think Iā€™ve learned all anyone can from reading you. Let me take a moment to explain how I look at the political, moral, and religious traditions that animate our country. I grew up in an orthodox Jewish synagogue, though I moved away from orthodoxy pretty soon after my Bar Mitzvah. Iā€™ve spent most of the last forty years studying the history of political andā€¦ Continue reading