An Open Letter To The Mothers Of The Garland Shooting Attackers
Hey Mamas,

Iâm sorry. Iâm sorry you lost your boys. As the mother of a boy, this is the unthinkable. My heart aches for your loss.
Iâm sorry your sons died over cartoons. Cartoons are supposed to be sources of humour and smiles and laughter. They are supposed to trigger thought, not violence. They are entertainment, commentary and art⊠not a reason to die.
Iâm sorry that in the wake of Charlie Hebdo, the media did not stand up for free speech and publish as many Muhammad cartoons as possible, making it normal. Iâm sure, had the media not been so gutless, and Muhammad cartoons became frequent and normal, that the ones in Garland would not have had the impact on your sons that they did.
Iâm sorry your sonsâ education failed to produce critical thinkers and instead, likely left them feeling bullied, alone and terrified for their future, like most other kids. Iâm sorry their education failed to fill their lives with richness and awe and wonder, and instead, left them empty, looking for something to fill a void.
Iâm sorry your sons never got to experience the joy of being skeptical; of saying, âI donât know, but I want to find out.â
Iâm sorry indoctrination is not a criminal offence, and that more little girls and boys are being groomed as we speak to grow into adults who truly believe they are doing Godâs good work when they hurt other people. Iâm sorry more mothers like yourselves will experience what you are experiencing.
Iâm sorry a kind-hearted atheist wasnât able to spark up a conversation with your boys long enough to cause some doubts. Iâm sorry they died before someone rattled their cages of faith.
Iâm sorry there arenât more out, open and proud atheists out there willing to engage people like your sons in a friendly conversation aimed at exposing the cracks in the myth of Allah, the tall tale of Muhammad and the elaborate yarn of some blissful afterlife.
Iâm sorry I became an outspoken atheist when I was 36, rather than when I was 15. Iâm sorry I waited so long. Iâm sorry I missed 20 years of potentially changing minds, and leading people like your sons away from the dangers of religion.
Iâm sorry I never knew your sons. Iâm sorry I didnât have the chance to meet them, to speak with them openly and honestly about what they believe. Iâm sorry I never had the opportunity to help either of them see reason.
Iâm sorry for all of these things because I bet you looked at your sons with pride. I bet you loved them with all your hearts. I bet they were good boys, smart boys, loving boys. I would guess and say the world lost two men who wanted to do the right thing, but they had the wrong ideas in their heads.
My heart goes out to you both. I pledge to you, in the wake of your losses, that I will work as hard as I possibly can to lead good people like your sons, away from the darkness of ancient myth and into the light of reason. I pledge to you that I will do this until my body wonât let me do it anymore. I pledge this to you because no mother should experience what you are experiencing.
My heart is broken for you. Iâm sorry.
Sincerely, Courtney
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