All fundamentalists are terrifying

Help me understand religious fundamentalists. As I understand it, three religions came out of the Middle East: Jews, Christians and Muslims. Each has a fundamentalist aspect that says my way or the highway to eternal damnation. These folks feel obliged to kill anyone who worships differently.

Now I have nothing against Christians, Jews or Muslims; still these fundamentalists worry me. A fundamentalist believes that they are absolutely right, without a doubt right, right without tolerance. How can there be peace while these people feel that killing those who disagree with them is acceptable? Each has used bombs against the other, some dropped from planes, some delivered personally. Each calls the other "terrorist."

I think they are all terrorists. They all terrify me. Sadly, one of them sits in the White House. He has declared war on all terrorists; kill them all, no need to understand them, no need to understand what might drive some teenager to surround his/her body with explosives. Hatred breeds hatred, violence breeds violence and only love and understanding will stop this process.

In declaring war, we have closed our minds, excluded all possibility of understanding, and love is left with no voice.

Ed Parker

Spokane, WA

The Spokesman Review