A Religion of Peace?

I haven’t seen the cartoons, so I can’t say anything about them. I have seen the violent demonstrations against those cartoons by Muslims… or at least I’ve seen what the media has broadcast.

So here’s the question… Just what IS a “religion of peace?”

Jesus said, “If all you do is love those who love you, so what? Even thieves do that much!”

If the only time peace is demonstrated is when things all around are going your way, so what? If your ability to be at peace and act peacefully is wholly dependant upon your circumstances, so what?

Look, I don’t fault those Muslims (and I’m not saying they are representative of all Muslims or of true Islam) for being angry. I don’t fault them for acting out their anger. I can understand and empathize with how they feel. But I do fault them for declaring themselves to be part of a group that declares peace as a way of life… and then doesn’t. And it would be one thing if this were an isolated incident but it is not. This is consistent with how Muslims have acted since the very beginning of Islam. This is consistent with how their own prophet acted. (This is a matter of historical record and not conjecture.)

I’ve not said Islam is not a religion of peace… but where is the evidence that it is such? It would seem to me that one of the best ways to understand what a particular “movement” (I know, Islam is more than a movement, but give me a little license here for the moment) is about is to identify how the founder(s) of that movement acted in concert with what they taught.

Mohammed said, “Kill those who rise up against you.” He slaughtered hundreds. Muslims who followed Mohammed (the earliest followers) understood him and imitated him.

Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” Christians who followed Jesus (the earliest followers) understood him, too, and imitated him.

So I ask the question again… Just what IS a religion of peace? Where do I go to see that? Towards whom do I look?