A matter of personal opinion

I've noticed hate emails against Dan Brown, author of the "Da Vinci Code", circulating in the Net (sample is the email below). I was recently a recipient of a few.

Although I respect the opinion of the writers, I don't agree with his/her.

Some people felt the same way about J.K Rowling, author of the "Harry Potter" books and labelled her an anti-Christ or a messenger of the devil.

It turns out that their fears were unfounded. Besides, I don't propagate hate. It is something I don't ever want in my life.

Hate is not only self destructive. It is more lethal than whatever presumed negative effects the "Da Vinci Code" book have on people.

Hate is the root cause of ethnic and religious wars we have today.

Hate is constantly used by extremists and bigots to fuel their "causes".

According to a favorite relative of mine who passed away, "Hate is the most effective weapon of the devil".

I thought the movie was faithful to the book and made an interesting subject of conversation. I like the fact that the movie ignited the people's interest in art and history (according to the Reader's Digest magazine, there was a 10% increase in the number of visitors at The Louvre in Paris after the release of Dan Brown's book).

Definitely, it hasn't changed the way I look at my religion. And I don't think two hours of watching a movie could change anyone's faith, that is if they have it in the first place.

Like love, faith cannot be forced on people. The choice is always left to each individual.

Each of us is responsible for whatever we do with our lives. Not even Dan Brown can change that.

Call me naive, but I have so much trust in people's ability to discern good from evil. In the end, most of us always make the right decisions.

So how about encouraging love, respect and tolerance for diverse ideas ?
It is the only way that all of us can live peacfully with one another.