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Truth has taken a beating in our relativistic, pluralistic and politically correct age. Rather than give offense by claiming to know the truth, we prefer the age-old admonition of hostesses for polite conversation: discuss neither religion, nor politics at the dinner table.
The Pope's remarks September 20 in Regensburg, Germany were in the context of a theological address and appeal for dialogue between Christians and Muslims about the nature of faith and whether the application of it can ever lead to violence.
The prophet Isaiah wrote: "Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales...Before Him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by Him as worthless and less than nothing." (Isaiah 40:15-16). That doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room for those who claim America is a "Christian nation."
Religion as a subject and the beliefs of individual religions absolutely should be taught in all schools and at all levels.
Religion as a subject is mostly stereotyped, or disregarded by the major media. There are a number of reasons for this, including deliberate ignorance, bigotry and a fear many correspondents have that a serious treatment of the subject brings nothing to their careers.
Christians are no longer under "the laws of the God of Abraham."
It is not for me to categorize everyone who subscribes to a particular religion as violent, because many Muslims are not. However, it is a historical fact that Islam has advanced mostly by imposition, force, war and violence, including forced conversions.
Theoretically, yes, if such a person was competent and experienced enough to be trusted with the presidency. This is, after all, a "kingdom of this world" office, though many like to infuse it with religious overtones.
Still, I wonder about a person's judgment if he, or she, has embraced paganism with all of the evidence available concerning an orderly universe and the creative mind behind such order. Having judged incorrectly concerning the great "I Am," would a pagan be considered wise enough to judge temporal things? And, in an age when virtually every politician claims some kind of religion, could a pagan win?
Probably not.
Pope Benedict XVI, even when he was Cardinal Ratzinger and the "enforcer" of Catholic doctrine, has flirted with the restoration of the Latin Mass, which was beloved by many Catholics for generations, but jettisoned during reform movements in that church. That he has given his blessing to it now suggests a continuation of the controls on doctrinal freelancing which his predecessor, John Paul II, instituted.
His claim that the Catholic Church is the "one true" church is based on a verse in which Jesus said to Peter, "Upon this rock I will build my church." Protestants have translated that verse as Jesus speaking of Himself as "the rock." Not only does the Greek support such a conclusion, so does logic. Peter would deny Jesus three times. Martin Luther, who led the Protestant Reformation, and others since then reason that Jesus would not likely build his church -- which he saw as a body of believers in whom He would dwell, not an ecclesiastical hierarchy which he fought against in His time -- on a mortal, sinful man.
Will any of this matter to most people? Probably not. Will it hurt the ecumenical movement, especially that which has built bridges between the Catholic and Orthodox churches, both of which claim to be able to trace their roots back to the original Apostles? Probably so.
Until recently, chaplains who have prayed in Congress -- including guest chaplains -- have been Jewish or Christian, reflecting the foundations and traditions of this country. In recent months, a Muslim clergyman was invited to pray and now a Hindu.
Congress has the right to ask anyone, or no one, to offer an invocation at the start of each session, but I would like to know -- having opened the door to faiths other than Christians and Jews -- if it will, or should be able to stop any request from any religious faith for representation?
If so, would that be discrimination? I don't know. Does any of this make a difference? Probably not.
Politicians have always sought a covering of faith for their policies and during most of the invocations, most of the Members are not on the floor.
What kind of God commands humans to exact violence in His name against others? Kindness, persuasion and consistency in one's faith is far more attractive. Conversion by coercion does not change hearts or minds. Any actual or perceived injustice is best left to God, who has the perfect perspective and not sinful man who frequently gets it wrong.
"'Vengeance is mine' says the Lord" works best for Him and for us.
They may carry portions of the same message, but they do not all emanate from the same messenger. The claims of the Christian faith are unique. No other "religious leader" foretold his resurrection and then proved He was who He said He was (and is) by fulfilling that prophecy. Love without God is eros at best and sentimentality at worst. Only God can define love (agape), which is not about a feeling, but action. He demonstrated what real love looks like by dying in our place "even while we were yet sinners."
I have no expectation that "the world" will properly observe the birth of Christ. Why should it when He was rejected when He walked among us? Requiring governments to adhere to this unique expression of who God is would require a "conversion" by the consumer-driven culture. That culture has exploited Jesus to make money rather than to obey His teachings, accept the greatest gift ever offered to humankind in forgiveness of sins and walk a new path that does not lead to prosperity in this life, but to true riches and eternal life.
Britain is far ahead of America in its abandonment of the things of God, so it should come as no surprise that some wish to throw off the remnants of what Britain and much of Europe once embraced as Truth. For those nations that have largely abandoned Christ and His message to continue to celebrate Christmas as if they still believed it would be the height of hypocrisy. Let those who still "keep Christmas" in their hearts observe it well and not look to governments to ratify what they have abandoned.
Anyone who is not aware of the subtle strategy of the religionists who hate and wish to destroy the Western way of life suffers from the deadly denial virus and is living in a Harry Potter fantasy world. Accommodation with those who would deny freedom of conscience, freedom of worship and equality to women only encourages them to turn up the heat and convinces them they are winning.
Debra Burlingame, the sister of American Airlines pilot Charles Burlingame, who was murdered by believers in Sharia law when they crashed his plane into the Pentagon on 9/11, wrote in The Wall Street Journal: "Radical Islamists are a sophisticated and determined enemy who understand that violence alone will not achieve their goals. Islamist front groups, representing themselves as rights organizations, are attempting to get a foothold here as they already have in parts of Western Europe by deftly exploiting ethnic and racial politics, agitating under the banner of civil liberties even as they are clamoring for the imposition of special Sharia law privileges in the public domain..."
There is not a country where Sharia law is the law that accommodates any other law or belief. By allowing Sharia law co-equal status with British common law, the British government has sealed its doom with more certainty than Neville Chamberlain did at Munich seven decades ago. Compromise with evil only encourages more evil. Resistance and combating evil is the only path to victory over it.
What the Pew Survey says to me is that people are continuing to search for something beyond materialism and politics that gives their life meaning. When they don't find it in one place, they move to another. It is interesting that the evangelical churches are now the largest subgroup within Protestantism. That's because they preach and teach with an assurance often lacking in churches and denominations that seek to make peace with the world more than they do peace with God.
What Islam Really Says About Violence, Rights and Other Religions
Gomaa, Fadlallah, Mubarak, Khan, Siddiqi, Ellison, others | On Faith
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