\t\t\t\tIn my posts, when relevant, I have not withheld the fact of my Christian faith. Nor have I withheld my observations concerning what I believe to be inappropriate responses by Christian leaders to various issues.<\/p>\n
The current negative reaction to the community center and mosque in New York City is a great example of inappropriate Christian response. Note the following:<\/p>\n
The American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative advocacy group founded by the Rev. Pat Robertson, announced it would challenge the panel’s decision in a state court on Wednesday.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nPat Robertson’s dismissive stance against Islam is well known:<\/p>\n\nLadies and gentlemen, we have to recognize that Islam is not a religion. It is a worldwide political movement meant on domination of the world. And it is meant to subjugate all people under Islamic law. <\/p>\n
June 12 edition of the Christian Broadcasting Network’s The 700 Club<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The current effort of Christians to deny Muslims the right to build a mosque is not limited to the one near the ruins of the World Trade Center. The attitude among many is “How dare Muslims decide to build a mosque anywhere. After all, the 9\/11 terrorists were Muslim extremists.”<\/p>\n
Then from there we move to the assumption that all Muslims are extremists just waiting to kill and destroy. This is like assuming that all Christians are really clandestine members of the KKK. <\/p>\n
After all, hasn’t the KKK burned crosses on many occasions? Yet the greater Christian community has not been asked to remove the cross from public view. We non-KKK Christians have assumed that others could distinguish us from those who would hijack our faith and bring harm to others. <\/p>\n
Would not the appropriate Christian response be to extend to others, Muslims in this case, the same courtesy?<\/p>\n
Jesus lived some 600 years before Muhammad. Perhaps the closest thing to Islam in Jesus’ world was the religion of the Samaritans, a mixed people with a mixed religion which provided an alternative to Judaism.<\/p>\n
Yet Jesus was not as dismissive to Samaritans as were many of his countrymen, his early disciples included. His famous conversation with the Samaritan woman<\/a> at the well is one of mutual respect and elevates “true religion” above ethnic identity and religious prejudice. <\/p>\n
Also, the fact that Jesus requested to share her water-jar speaks volumes. Jesus seemed to know that this would not taint or corrupt him in some way.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately much of the current “Christian response” to Muslims sounds more like that of unenlightened disciples rather than the Teacher himself.<\/p>\n
A blind nationalism which assumes the right of one religion to persecute another has led to Christianity’s darkest days. <\/p>\n
The following video from Fox News illustrates the questionable value of such over-reaching rhetoric, as news anchors analyze Robertson’s response to the Fort Hood doctor who killed fellow soldiers.<\/p>\n