David Wolpe is among my favorite commentators on religious matters, particularly in some of the better documentaries one occasionally finds on the history of civilization. He is erudite and articulate, insightful and kind.
Every empire in its official discourse has said it is not like the others, that its circumstances are special, that it has a mission to enlighten, civilize, bring order and democracy, and that it uses force only as a last resort. And, sadder still, there always is a chorus of willing intellectuals to say calming words about benign or altruistic empires, as if one shouldn't one's eyes watching the destruction and the misery and death brought by the latest 'mission civilisatrice.' Edward W. Said