Responding To My Adoring Fans

As mentioned before, I am going to address some of the responses I got to my article. I'll begin with this one from Ms. T.:

After having read Mr Jim Viens' Morality in America piece in the Star
for Saturday, February 18, 2006, I have but one question to ask: If the
Star is going to make a practice of condoning bigotry-- as it certainly
has in publishing this glimpse into a man's vile, hateful,
and illogical mind-- can OpEd pieces by neo-Nazis, white supremacists,
Holocaust deniers, or Al Quaeda operatives be far behind?

Ms. T,
I apologize if I misrepresented myself in such a way that you
would see me in the same way as you do the groups you mentioned in your response
to my article. I assure you that I am not now, nor was I ever, a Nazi -- neo or
otherwise. The Nazis (and those who follow that ideology) are evil people. And
and I say that as an absolute moral statement (something a relativist cannot
do). Nor am I a white-supremacist. I know many other people of various colors
and nationalities that are much better people than I. I also fully acknowledge
the truth, and tragedy, of the holocaust and repudiate the philosophy that gave
birth to it as morally reprehensible (again, a claim that relativists cannot
make because...who are they to judge?) Lastly I am nothing like the Al Qaida
operatives who believe that they have a moral duty to murder infidels (and who
is the relativist to force a contrary view of morality on them?) My Christian
faith teaches me to love my neighbor, even when it means telling them when they
are wrong.
Thank you for reading my article and I hope you will continue to
follow my writings throughout the rest of this year with Midwest Voices.
Jim
Viens