As I watch the news from Paris and read my Facebook and Twitter feeds, I’m overwhelmed with a deep sense of sadness.

I feel that it is appropriate to remind myself and others that radical religious extremists do not represent the whole.

Just like radical extreme fundamentalist Christians do not represent all Christians, radical extreme fundamentalist Muslims do not represent all Muslims. And, we can just go down the list of religions.

Those religious extremists who commit horrible, heinous acts of violence in the name of their version of God do not represent the whole.

Westboro Baptist Church does not represent the average Christian. “Christians” who blow up abortion clinics do not represent the average Christian. Jewish groups that commit acts of violence do not represent all Jews. Muslim groups that commit acts of violence do not represent all Muslims.

I know all of this is redundant, but in light of posts I’m reading on Facebook and Twitter, it’s a point that needs to be driven home.

Many Muslims, Christians, and Jews are peaceful, loving, kind, caring, people seeking to honor and serve God by loving and serving one another.

Yes, there are Muslims, Christians, and Jews who have a distorted view of God and commit horrible acts of violence in their God’s name. However, those who commit these acts of violence are the radical minority.

Before we begin to point fingers, pass judgment, and say hateful and hurtful things about groups of people based on the actions of a few, we need to spend some time looking in the mirror.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always represent God very well. I know my hands aren’t clean. I know I’m not fully innocent.

So, rather than passing judgment on others, maybe people of faith who are not being represented well by the radical few…Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc…should join together to work for peace and love.