Posted: 2/8/2009 | Motivational	Comments
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Recently, The Washington Post posed a question in response to the news story of the Pope reinstating Catholic Bishop Richard Williamson followed by the revelation that this bishop denies the Holocaust. The question was: Is it better to challenge or ignore Holocaust deniers such as Catholic Bishop Richard Williamson and Iranian President Mahmoud Amadenijad? Why?

I began to consider this on two levels. At the basic level, I immediately say yes, it’s important to challenge these Holocaust deniers. If they are not publicly confronted, by our silence we are agreeing with their ignorance. On a deeper level, I feel that these men may have a hidden agenda and nothing anyone could say would change their mind. With all the proof from first-hand reports, photographs, news clips and accounts from Holocaust survivors, it is astounding that anyone can deny this tragic, historical event. This degree of ignorance causes me great sadness. Once again we see the part of our humanity that shuts the “other” out. As extreme as this horrible and ridiculous example is, it happens to most of us in more subtle ways. We close our hearts to others. We deny the realities of others. Perhaps instead of just challenging these men, we should challenge ourselves to look at where we deny reality as it truly is.