No Resurrection, No Hope
I celebrated with most of the two billion people called by the name of Jesus Christ. In a way, that answers the question.
April 2007 Archives
April 9, 2007 12:13 PM
Comments (18)April 9, 2007 2:06 PM
Eastern Practices
First off, recall that Judaism and Christianity were born as "eastern religions;" we call their birthplace "the Middle East" and the early Christian spread was to "Asia" as in "Asia Minor." Islam originated even further east. I stress that because, while as "prophetic" religions, they countered many influences that today we associate with Hinduism, Buddhism, and the like. Still, in the sacred books there are many injunctions to "be still and know that God is god," to fast, and the like.
April 18, 2007 9:45 PM
No "Why?" Answers
"Our tradition," Christian "of the Lutheran persuasion," if it is true to Luther and the originating documents refuses even to try to answer the "why" the killing happened--except in respone to what can be known about the warped mind of the killer. That is, we cannot answer "why" one student was spared and another hit.
April 20, 2007 10:01 AM
All Religions Violent and Non-Violent
Yes, Islam is a violent religion. So are Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and all the rest.
Islam is also a non-violent religon. So are Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and all the rest.
(The exception would be those which had not had much "earthly" power, such as Baha'i.)
How can they all be violent and non-violent?
April 26, 2007 6:15 AM
Unforgiving? Talk to Jesus
Taking off from Max Scheler, on whom Pope John Paul II wrote his doctoral dissertation: the "offender" has to ask not "what did I do?" or "what kind of person am I that I could do that?" but "what kind of person am I now that I am capable of doing that?"
An aggrieved party (e.g. the Rutgers team) has to feel that the offender has asked himself that, and can then take him or her seriously. Christians (and I try to be one) live between "unforgivingness" and "cheap grace."
Unforgiving? Jesus has parables denouncing the forgiven who can't forgive others. They have not caught on.
We are not to be interested in casual, public relations-related apologies. All onlookers can spot a phony who uses them.
Forgiving is great: neither party has to keep on keeping score. So it is liberating. But the forgiver has to be aware that after the mouthing of the "I'm sorry" phrase, we do not always or even often see amended lives.
One always hopes, and, therefore, takes risks.
