We live, undoubtedly, in an age of religious and cultural strife that in terms of sheer numbers of victims has never been equaled. Hundreds of thousands of lives are destroyed every year as a result of religious disagreements, whether in Iraq, The Netherlands, Somalia, Afghanistan, or the United States of America. Even as progress is made in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, or the American heartland for progressive and secular causes, seemingly endless tales of misery and pain waft from the vast regions of darkness and intolerance that seem to spread like spilled ink on a map. It would be easy, even understandable, to lose hope; to claim that hatred and dogma are a fundamental characteristic of mankind. However, I think this is a mistake. History shows us a picture of a humanity struggling relentlessly toward understanding, universalism, and respect for human rights. By respecting civil rights, civil liberties, and human rights, the modern liberal democracy provides the groundwork for a free a prosperous society with a profound capacity for self-correction and advancement. However, there is perhaps no more integral and important ideal than that of secular governance. To borrow from Martin Luther King, Jr.: The arc of history is long, but it bends toward reason.
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