Much evil and persecution has been performed in the name of religion--all religions. Jesus taught,
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you," Matthew 5:44
"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." John 15:20
Being wary of ones persecutor is good, but all that time we are to pray and do them good. Why? Christians are to spread the gospel and build the kingdom of God on Earth. It is our duty to be examples and adopt the character of Jesus Christ as part of this mission.
Again Jesus instructed, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" Matthew 28:19
Jesus doesn't distinguish between races, religions, or creeds, inviting all to partake of His beautiful message.
"no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ. Nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ." Gordon B. Hinckley, April 2006
"We value our Muslim neighbors across the world and hope that those who live by the tenets of their faith will not suffer. I ask particularly that our own people do not become a party in any way to the persecution of the innocent. Rather, let us be friendly and helpful, protective and supportive. It is the terrorist organizations that must be ferreted out and brought down.We of this Church know something of such groups. The Book of Mormon speaks of the Gadianton robbers, a vicious, oath-bound, and secret organization bent on evil and destruction. In their day they did all in their power, by whatever means available, to bring down the Church, to woo the people with sophistry, and to take control of the society. We see the same thing in the present situation.We are people of peace. We are followers of the Christ who was and is the Prince of Peace. But there are times when we must stand up for right and decency, for freedom and civilization, just as Moroni rallied his people in his day to the defense of their wives, their children, and the cause of liberty (Alma 48:10)," Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2001.
In every group, there are righteous people and evil people, kind people and mean people, generous people and stingy people, gentle people and ruthless people. Simply because some choose to follow the adversary in a group, doesn't mean the entire group follows his ways. Jesus taught us the way to judge. "By their fruits, ye shall know them," Matthew 7:20. Until a person draws their last, mortal breath, they can change and embrace truth, light, and charity.
