There is another war going on beside the war on terrorism. It is the war to decide what interpretation of the events of September 11 will gain general credibility.
A few weeks ago, retiring New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis suggested that Attorney General John Ashcroft, a committed Christian, is as much an 'enemy of decency' as terrorist mass murderer Osama bin Laden. For 'Certainty', says Lewis, 'is the enemy of decency and humanity in people who are sure they are right, like Osama bin Laden and John Ashcroft.'
In other words, the proponents of secular liberalism are attempting to argue that the lesson of September 11 is that fundamentalism, of whatever kind, is wrong. They are saying that 'certainty' is wrong and that those who believe confidently in the truth of the Bible are 'fundamentalists', and to be equated with the fundamentalism of Islam. Instead the tenet of modern society which we must uphold and put our faith in is 'tolerance' and 'reason'.
