It's not loving or understanding to dismiss another's faith tradition

To the editor,

To “love, understand and accept people” calls us to be willing to respect the religious, sacred, and spiritual truths of others. This is especially true when another’s truth does not align with our own.

It is not loving or understanding when one hurtfully dismisses another’s faith tradition and its sacred text. A letter published on April 10th maligned the Hebrew Bible (known by many as the Old Testament) as a “pseudo history of religiously wishful people, largely based on ignorance” which has caused suffering that “…has far exceeded that caused by Hitler…” With the exception of Shoah (the Hebrew term for the Holocaust), this is one of the most painful dismissals of the entire Jewish population that I have witnessed. Further, the writer’s sentiments are also sadly dismissive and unloving to many who identify as Christian or Mormon.

Perhaps it would be good to remember that Jesus was born into the Jewish faith and preached from the sacred texts, summarily dismissed in the letter.

With our highest resolve, we can all strive to add more love, understanding and acceptance to the world. Being human, we frequently miss the mark and fall short. Thankfully, we have the opportunity to get up and try again.

Rev. Kent C. McKusick

Unitarian Universalist Society of Laconia