Thoughtful Observations about the Terrorist Attack in Paris

With Rights Come Responsibilities

Nothing, of course, can justify the murderous attack on the magazine in Paris. Christians have seen the same type of blasphemous material, e.g., a crucifix immersed in urine and images of the Blessed Mother covered in elephant dung or dressed in a bikini. Our response is non-violent protest; we don't target the "artists" for murder, although they are certainly in danger of spiritual death by moral suicide.

With regard to the attack at Charlie Hebdo, White Smoke Ahoy points out:

In the case of ‘Charlie Hebdo’, it seems that the publishers consider it a right to publish literature which is deliberately and grossly insulting to the religious sentiments of so many of its own citizens, knowing full well that it will offend and stir up religious and racial hatred. Power without moral responsibility is a recipe for disaster, and the tragic and terrible events in Paris are the result of evil provoking an even greater evil, with many blind to the evil in the cause seeing only the evil in the effect.

Evil is evil. What was the purpose of publishing the cartoons in the first place? Wasn't it provocative? And knowing the terrorist history of the "religion of peace," was the murderous response really all that surprising? You don't need to provoke a mad dog much to get a response and his bite is deadly. You should be smart enough not to do it.