I was outside enjoying the nice cool air when something abnormal happened.

One of the quirks about our apartment complex is that dogs often run free here. Our little cove is surrounded by fence and there aren't a whole lot of places for the animals to go that the owner can't retrieve them. Some consider this a bug, but for me it's definitely a feature. This place is a little more uptight (and/or nicer) than our last apartment so it added a sense of informality I like.

Anyway, this evening a man was working on his car out in the lot and his dog was out there with him. A Muslim mother and daughter were walking along and the dog walked up to them. I can't remember the last time I saw two people so terrified. Now some people are naturally afraid of dogs, but this dog was obviously very friendly. Most people I know who don't like dogs manage to stay calm, if unhappy, when approached by a non-threatening dog.

The man said "Don't worry, he's friendly."

The mother, frozen with tears streaming down her cheeks, asked him to please retrieve the dog. He called the dog a couple times, but it was curious about the (to it) strangely dressed people I guess cause he just kinda sniffed around, tail wagging. After what was probably fifteen seconds, the daughter (probably 13 or 14 or so) just burst into tears. The dog's owner wasn't quite sure what to do. He didn't want to approach too fast and make the situation too unstable, but he obviously needed to get the dog. The dog knew what he was trying to do and avoided him. When he got too close to the mother and daughter, it moved away. He corralled it back to his car as the Muslims just stood there embracing one another in utter fear.

It didn't take long for me to figure out: Dogs are unholy to Muslims.

That makes their horror explained in two ways. First of all, I can imagine if I considered an animal unholy I would not be comfortable anywhere near one. If one was sniffing around me, I very well may freak out, too. The second, and lesser reason is that if you have spent your life avoiding canines for religious reason, you have very little exposure to them. Even something such as a wagging tail may come across as threatening.

I can't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't been around dogs. We had one, my best friends had one, my neighbor had two, and my aunt and uncle had one. It's hard for me to believe that they could ever be evil or satanic or however it is that Muslims look upon dogs as scornfully as they do.

It's one of the things about religion that I simply do not understand. It's not just Muslims, either. Jews and pork. Pentacostals and caffeine.

This isn't to say that I don't understand religion and religious dictates. I believe in God, Jesus, the Seven Deadly Sins and the Ten Commandments.

I also believe that God has a way of telling us what not to do apart from formal religious education. When we touch a stove, we feel pain. When we eat too much, we feel lethargic and get a stomach ache. When we act beligerently towards others, we feel guilt (or at least we should). Every superficial high has a low. Alcohol makes us lose our inhibitions but then leaves us hung over. The idea that God gives us things that make (some of us) feel better and gave no downside is just strange to me. I love dogs. I love taking care of them and playing with them. How can that be wrong?

In a sense, I feel sorry for the adherent Muslims whose faith takes a wide-eyed, tail-wagging dog and turns it into something evil. Something to be feared or hated. Similarly with Jews and pork. I don't even like pork all that much. Taking one meat that tastes as good as another with equivalent (or healthier) nutritional content and saying "Yes, you can eat one" and "No, you cannot eat the other" seems inherently odd.

I am the type of person that generally likes to try everything at least (and usually only) once. I honestly believe that one way to pay tribute to God is to appreciate the gifts He has given us.

How can this be evil?