Just because I have the right to do a thing, doesn't make it the right thing to do.
I have a right to fly a Confederate flag. But is it the right thing to do in the deep south where the issue of slavery runs deep?
I have the right to wear a swastika armband. But would it be right for me to wear it in the company of my Jewish friends?
I have the right to eat and serve meat to myself, my family and friends. But would I be right bringing it to a potluck gathering of my Hindu friends?
The spirit of the law versus the letter of the law should always be considered.
I believe the laws of our land are designed to promote domestic tranquility and to insure the inalienable rights of our citizenry which per our constitution--in the preamble-- are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
When demanding my rights based entirely on the letter of the law, I may well be violating the spirit of the law.
Let every right that we demand be rooted in love and consideration for all concerned. Will that which I demand promote or hinder the common good of us all?
The apostle Paul in the New Testament of the Holy Bible says "as much as lieth within you, do good unto ALL men, and especially unto them which are of the household of faith".
Jesus Christ, the son of Jehovah God, tells us we are to love our neighbor as ourself. He says that the law and the prophets hang on that command and the command to love God with all your heart, soul and mind.
I would hope if I were a Muslim that I would be sensitive to those who suffered at the hands of other Muslims. Yes, they were terrorists who happened to be Muslims. But that does not negate the fact that they were Muslims-- and practicing their brand of Islam, that brand which hates the U. S. and considers it the great Satan and seeks to destroy it. We can never forget that, we can never overlook that.
I would hope if I were German that I'd be sensitive to the millions of Jews that suffered at the hands of Hitler.
I would hope that I being white would be sensitive to the black people who suffered at the hands of whites solely because of the color of their skin.
I would hope that I being a meat eater would be sensitive to my Hindu friends who feel strongly against eating anything with a face.
We must always weigh the action-- the deed-- against the benefit and outcome, giving consideration to the effect on more than just self.
There is a time to forge ahead and demand your right--when it is for the greater common good. But when the motivation does not benefit the common good and its preservation, then it's time to rethink .
Following that line of reasoning, I think those who do have the right to build a mosque on the site of the 9/11 attack should not demand their right. They should, in love, respond by withdrawing and going elsewhere.
That would be loving. That would promote peace and harmony. That would insure domestic tranquility.
Demanding our rights in the face of the hurt it might cause others is purely selfish in my opinion.
That is what I think.