Don't blame all Muslims for actions of few: #tellusatoday

Stephen Prothero's column reminded readers that Islam, covering 1.6 billion people, is not a monolithic entity. Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

Prothero is right in his column. Religion is indeed very complicated. The bottom line: Saying and/or believing is not the same thing as doing.

— Robert Begy

What should we do to prevent Islamic extremists from drowning out most Muslim voices? Muslims should showcase the historical and inspirational figures who happen to be of their faith.

— @ThievenBiko

There is good and bad in everyone. Islamic State (also known as ISIL) members are estimated at less than 32,000 people. Why should people regard all of the more than 1billion Muslims as Islamic State terrorists?

— Agus Nizami

Let's have a survey, in which we can discover how many people are tired of all the trouble organized religion is causing the pursuit of world peace.

— Steve Poirier

An individual has every right to despise an ideology as well as its adherents.

— Michael Lancaster

In regard to Islam, or any religion, I have a simple maxim for coexistence: Mind your own business and keep your hands to yourselves.

— Ron Pettengill

Letter to the editor:

In his commentary, Stephen Prothero implies that atheists such as Joseph Stalin committed acts of brutality as a result of their non-belief. This is an absurd, baseless comment ("Islam isn't about good vs. bad: Column").

People like Stalin kill because they are megalomaniac sociopaths, not because of their disbelief in any invisible deities. Conversely, religious people have historically committed acts of brutality specifically because their interpretation of their religion requires it. Clearly, Prothero's assertion is based on subjectivity and not rational analysis.

Jeff Clauser; Charlotte

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday on Twitter.