Terrorism is a universal plague. We can only hope current attempts to rehabilitate terrorists are successful. We can also support authorities actively combating terrorists. I don’t know anyone committed to passivism when their family is in danger. Domestic violence doesn’t stop by simply turning the other cheek. We cannot ignore but report friends and family to legal authorities whose actions or words suggest involvement in evil.
Terrorists’ only motivation isn’t because they are convinced their views of God are true.
Terrorism is also driven by human nature to be in power and control. Terrorists seldom are Gandhi-type individuals who are guided by the motto to treat all like they want to be treated. True religion doesn’t seek to be served but serve; beliefs are only genuine if freely chosen not demanded.
But, Bible-believing people can at least change the discussion by acknowledging that truth about God isn’t determined solely by a Book.
Some interrupt the Quran to teach that infidels must convert or be killed, while others deny such interpretations. Some have used the Bible to advocate for war, while others advocate for more of a peacemaking God. To claim God only communicates what is good and perfect through a Book has led to justifying immoral actions in the name of God. We often fail to acknowledge that literature is interpretation of the author’s intended meaning. The Bible or any book written in the past cannot be definitive ultimately of what is good.
We can agree God and morality can be determined according to universal moral intuitions.
Belief in evil is universal. We seem to just know if something is moral or immoral. We often feel we “ought” to have acted differently. Why do we desire to be a better friend or partner? Most accept God must be perfect without evil to claim to be God. God cannot ask us to be good unless they have communicated what is good versus evil. The presence of moral outrage hints of a personal external force communicating through our moral intuitions that lead to outrage. How else do we explain a universal desire to treat others like we want to be treated?
Moral intuition differences can lead to discussions; interpretation differences frequently lead to control because supposedly such understandings are the voice of God.
We will obviously not all perfectly agree about morality. But, discussions can lead to possible understandings of what God’s will is for our lives, then claiming our interpretations of a Book is God’s. Good from evil actions can be discerned if we accept from others our actions toward them.
What God May Really Be Like - Misbeliefs About God 