This has been quite a week. I will step away from the scandals for a moment to offend everyone regarding religion. In the news we have the Muslim man who beheaded a British soldier. Barak Obama gave a speech where he noted that we are not at war with Islam. Pope Francis commented that Catholics could find common ground with atheists. Sweden is literally burning, as a result of riots by people the news can only refer to as “they”. And Franklin Graham noted that it appeared the Billy Graham organization was targeted by the IRS for extra scrutiny. He then was again in the news when his charitable organization, Samaritan’s purse, was heavily involved in the relief efforts in Oklahoma.
But I will begin with the Westboro Baptist Church, who once again are going to attend a funeral, this time that of a young boy, with signs that say things like “God hates Gays”. I want to point out that everyone who has participated in these “protests” at funerals has been a Baptist, since they are all members of Westboro Baptist Church. I also want to point out that I have yet to hear Franklin Graham condemn their actions. Some people could conclude that all Baptists hate gays, and approve of what the Westboro Baptist church is doing. They might use as their argument that the reason Billy Graham’s organization was targeted was their support of North Carolina’s proposed law that marriage is between one man and one woman. Franklin Graham made that point in one of his television interviews. He said he believes the Bible is God’s word cover to cover, and that is why he supported the law, and also why he was targeted by the IRS.
Clearly to profile all Baptists as a result of the actions of the Westboro church is ludicrous. I am sure there are Baptists that don’t like gays, but I am equally certain that most condemn their actions completely. The fact that I have not heard Franklin disavow them does not mean he has not. But Bill O’Reilly went on The Daily Show and did the same thing to Islam this week. All of the terrorist acts have been done by Islamic folks, and so Bill believes it is ok to profile them. He has not heard a lot of outcry from Muslim leaders. What is the difference?
The president made the point this week that the United States is not at war with Islam. He said most Muslims are peaceful people who do not approve of these attacks. We should note, however, that Christians and Muslims have been at war for over 1000 years. That is what the Crusades were about. That is why General “BlackJack” Pershing lined up a group of his enemies in North Africa and had his men dip there bullets in pig’s blood before shooting all but one of the men, and releasing him to tell the rest that they would not go to heaven and get virgins because they would die unclean. Christianity and Islam have a long history of being at war with each other, and even if Christians wish to deny it, the war goes on, and that is what these attacks, this Jihad, is all about. It goes back a LONG way.
But the United States, despite claims to the contrary, is not a “Christian nation”. We are a nation that believes in freedom of religion, and there are lots of religions here, all practicing their faith pretty much peacefully. Add to that that our president is arguable the most Muslim-friendly president ever, and one must wonder what sparks such hatred in these young Islamic men. In an interview after the grisly killing in London, an Islamic public affairs officer condemned the atrocity but also noted that young Muslim men were at a virtual boiling point, and that his Muslim community needed to do a better job of mentoring them and teaching them. He noted they are angry at all of the killing of their brothers in Afghanistan. That killing was also one of the subjects that our president spoke of in his address, the use of drones and targeting of various people. We should note that the man who won the Nobel Peace Prize early in his presidency is now involved in more conflicts in Muslim nations than any other president in history and there are more US soldiers in Afghanistan now than when he took office.
Sweden is on fire, literally, from young radical men who “refuse to assimilate”, who have moved to western countries but do not wish to adapt to the cultural norms of their new hosts. Sweden is apparently the most multi-cultural country in the west, and has welcomed their new visitors with open arms. Let’s be clear once again, “they” refers to young Muslim men, and they are currently rioting and burning Sweden to the ground. Officials there have now noted, “multiculturalism has been a massive failure”.
And what of the new Pontiff? He seems to have gone completely off-script by claiming that Christians and Atheists can find common ground. He said that, “if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good”. He went on to say “even the atheists” are “redeemed” through the “blood of Christ”. Off-script, indeed. I dare say Franklin Graham might counter that the only requirement for salvation is “that you believe in Jesus Christ”, which invites the conclusion that if you do not believe you will not be saved. Which is in contradiction to what Francis said this week.
I have been following the pope’s tweets, and this morning he tweeted “we all have in our hearts some areas of disbelief. “ He is in good company as Mother Theresa had written about her struggles with faith, she who spent her life helping the poor in Calcutta. He is also in good company in going off script. There once was a young devout Jewish guy that went completely off script. And later a man named Martin Luther who did the same. Perhaps we will even question “indulgences” and the sin of masturbation. I had a good friend confide in me this week that his kid had informed him that he was no longer a believer. He wondered if there were books he could suggest that would “prove” that Christianity was real. I think people who end up with true faith always question what they have been taught, and nothing is more powerful than seeing the quiet and consistent practice of one’s faith. The doing of good that comes from the heart and not a book. A simple integrity that speaks for itself.
What is the point here? First, I am not a Catholic or Baptist or Muslim or Atheist. I have my own thoughts and feelings on the matter but I am not sure they are captured by any organized religion. Having said that, it seems that the folks doing the most damage in this world are those most certain (and vocal) of their positions. The morons at Westboro, the morons in Sweden, the morons who are cutting off heads, and yes, the morons who don’t think gay people should be cohabitating. I respect all of those who post about their faith, and I am happy that you have your faith, and respectful of it. Let me add another group of morons; those that respond to the pope’s tweets with hateful disgusting vitriol. Why are you paying attention? Why do you care? And lastly the atheists, who are equally certain of their position. You are all entitled to your faith, thoughts and positions. I applaud your freedom of speech and expression of faith. But somewhere along the line we got to the point where the most faithful amongst us are also the least tolerant, and the most angry, and the most likely to want to curtail the rights of others or chop off their heads. In the name of religion.
Grow a little tolerance, a little humility, and don’t buy into everything you are taught. Realize you cannot all be correct and even if you are, you need to reach out to those you disagree with, and as the pope says, “meet one another doing good”. Like we are doing in Oklahoma.
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