I believe madness and idiocy should not be confused with belief in a loving God. Regardless of the packaging we try to place God into, we must let God be the God of all, not just some of us. Extremism is usually the height of selfishness, fear, and paranoia.
In the news of the day is a Florida pastor of a small evangelical Christian congregation who plans to burn copies of the Koran on September 11, 2010, while many Christian and national leaders protest his planned conduct and request that he desist. See Damien Caves article in the New York Times of September 7, 2010: In Florida, Many Lay Plans to Counter a Pastor’s Message.
Where is the confidence in God in behaving like this minister who puts himself in contempt of the great commandment's second condition that we love our neighbors as ourselves?
The historical record of intolerance, bigotry, and repression is our human history. So too is the tolerance of Moors of Spain who tolerated Jewish synagogues and were enriched by multi-culturism. So too the chance at greatness for our country is respect for minorities who are able to benefit from the protection of our laws and extend that benefit to other minorities as they come into wealth, prosperity, and political power.
The problem all too often is when individuals and groups are not to be limited in their conduct by respectfulness of others. The kind word "fringe" is used for any group which is not limited in its rhetoric or conduct by the law of love and would do evil in the name of justice or righteousness. The unkind phrase is "lunatic fringe" which is apt if the conduct of a fringe group spirals out of control into murder, mayhem, and war.
The true human pathway is to act in justice and mercy as we would be treated in our weakness or failure.
