Commentary

I think it’s pretty obvious I regard the Bible as my sacred text. Every column I’ve submitted on this site is in some way a reflection of my Bible-based worldview. As to what tradition my biblical emphasis represents, that’s another story. There simply isn’t one. At the age of thirty, when I first began to read the Bible seriously, I was drawn toward verses that illuminate Jesus’ disdain for tradition.

I celebrated my first thanksgiving in 2009 after coming to America. I was able to relate to the holiday from the beginning because I found it to be a continuation of my Muslim belief of being grateful. Gratitude is a core element of my faith that multiplies blessings. Being thankful is step one of realization of your blessings. Once you cross this step, you start the process of sharing these blessings with others.

Images of Pilgrims in conical hats eating turkey with Native Americans wearing feathers encapsulates the myth of the first Thanksgiving. Few images can be farther from the truth. Today’s Thanksgiving is an image based on a lie; a falsehood made to soften history.

The Holy Bible is the sacred and central text of Christian Science. The religion’s founder, Mary Baker Eddy, left no doubt on this point. She wrote in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," her denominational textbook, “The Scriptures are very sacred. Our aim must be to have them understood spiritually, for only by this understanding can truth be gained." The writings of Eddy are also studied as an aid to understanding the Bible.

And there it is. Liss and Caitlin are not safe, not in Colorado Springs, maybe not anywhere. Holding hands in public, exchanging a soft kiss, making the loving gestures I take for granted with Carla, carry risk for Caitlin and Liss. They are always watching, always aware of their surroundings, take nothing for granted. But to some extent, this last 10 days shows none of us is as safe as we might have believed.

I am a student at Washington State University, a university that is not even ten miles away from the recent homicides of four students from the University of Idaho. As a journalist, and managing editor of the school paper, I have covered this story ever since WSU sent an alert to its students: “Moscow Police Department investigating homicide near University of Idaho campus. Not aware of any threat to the WSU Pullman Community.” But as a student, I was terrified.