Yesterday, a friend posted on Facebook,

Stop calling members of ISIS "barbarians" and "animals." Just stop.

I hate ISIS. I've hated them since before they named themselves back when they were just beginning to emerge in the vacuum of power in Syria. I've been practically screaming for three years on Twitter to anyone who would listen about the growing danger they represented.

But the reality is ISIS is made up of human beings. Many of whom you might have walked past on the street, ridden the subway with, sat next to at Starbucks - before they grew out their beards, changed clothes and took up arms....

When we participate in using language that DE-humanizes other human beings, we increase our own capacity for participating in or supporting acts of evil committed in our name - or, yes, in God's name.

What do you think makes it possible for a member of ISIS to saw off another human being's head or throw him off a building to his death because he is gay? If ISIS members saw those people as fully human, how might it be different?

This morning, I read a line from a different friend on Facebook

Praying that an Apostle Paul would raise up out of ISIS - and praying for justice.

That post brought up comments from others about how Damascus is in Syria, so who knows. Another person commented that they’ve been sharing the same prayer for a few weeks.

Now, I realize this may rile up some of my atheist or anti-Islamic friends, but it seems to hit at a much more important underlying theme that transcends religious dogma. Failing to recognize the humanity of every person, no matter how inhumanely they have acted. Is the first step to becoming inhumane ourselves.