I firmly believe that words are more powerful and dangerous than any weapon the world has ever seen.

The weight of my belief can be seen clearly in the recent backlash against Pope Benedict XVI concerning his statement on Sept. 12 at Regensburg University in Germany.

The pope quoted the 14th-century Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologos, saying: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

I'm sure you've heard what happened next. A Catholic nun was shot and killed in Somalia, which Islamic sources say may be connected to the pope's speech.

Churches have been firebombed in Gaza, Nablus and Tulkarem. The pope has been burned in effigy in Iraq and in Indonesia, according to CNN.com.

Words are powerful.

They have the ability to move people to violence.

Many times words are the fuel that drive people to senseless ends.

The sad thing about this whole situation is that many people who read the newspapers or watch the news on television will come to the conclusion that the pope was right, and that all Muslims are violent. Many religions have a history of violence. Have you ever heard of the Christian Crusades?

Let's look at this logically. How many hundreds of thousands of people were murdered violently during the Crusades, most of which were sanctioned by the pope.

More than 10 times, spanning three centuries, Christians made pilgrimages to take back religious land they felt was rightfully theirs.

These pilgrimages of course ended in the killing of thousands.

I think, maybe, we've got a new contender for the "most violent religion the world has seen."

I'm not writing this to bash Christianity, or the pope, or to excuse these Muslims who are rioting.

I'm just saying that we all need to think critically of what we read in newspapers, or see on television.

How many Muslims do you think attend Penn State? I'd say more than a couple -- I mean, they do have their own student association.

How many riots against Christianity and the pope have we seen on this campus since this speech was made?

Millions of people across the world follow the Islamic religion. To stereotype all of them as being violent, because of the actions of a minority, is a crime and shows a lack of critical thought and observation.

My roommate has this quote in his AOL Instant Messenger profile which struck me as being incredibly relevant to this column: "Act rationally, think critically, argue persuasively." I have no idea where he got it, or who it's attributed to, but, to be frank, it's perfect.

Take everything you hear, see or read with a grain of salt -- even this column.

Be skeptical of everything. Do your research before you spout your mouth, or write a letter to the editor.

Discuss things with your friends.

Drop this apathetic stance that seems to be infiltrating our culture and, please, take the time to find the facts so you can be more informed about the world around you.

Contact someone that's more informed about the situation than you.

Find out why Muslims are upset about the pope's action.

We have a Muslim Student Association at Penn State.

I'm sure you could find answers there, and I can't imagine any of the members would be averse to explaining things and dispelling any stereotypes about their beliefs.

Take this stance in everything you do.

As a generation we need to stop floating through life, believing everything that's thrown our way.

Act rationally, think critically, argue persuasively -- I can't word it any better than that.