(this is a loooong one)
I have finished
reading an article online in which a University Professor asked his students to
“stomp on Jesus” or more accurately write the name Jesus on a piece of paper
and place it on the floor and then stomp on it as part of a lesson on
intercultural Communications. This particular exercise was from a teachers
handbook that accompanied the text book “ Inter-cultural Communications: A
Contextual Approach, 5th edition”
Even as i read
this i am reminded of the uproar that surrounded particular incidences where
the Prophet Muhammad was made fun of either in speech or at that time
caricature. At that time i really thought that perhaps Muslims needed to loosen
up and not be too uptight. In fact i was really annoyed that people seemed to
walk on eggshells when it came to Islamic issues. I was like, “ how come
Christianity or other faiths don’t inspire such uproar from their follower” and
i also wondered as to why, when it did, most people just brushed off the other
faiths with the response, “get with the programme” and many times these other
faiths were beaten into submission with big words like bigoted, narrow-minded,
backward etc. etc. Basically they were about as in touch with modern society as
dinosaurs and so had no right to speak or at least that is what it seemed.
I came to the
conclusion that such “respect” from the secular world depended on how you used
machetes in relation to human heads and your prowess with stones and said human
heads. I further hypothesised that perhaps it was high time Christian demanded
respect for their Faith minus the ‘pangas’ and the like.
But Muslims have
been over taken as the number one indignant lyrical waxing inducing topic by
homosexuality. I bet the best situation for anyone seeking asylum in a
“western” forward looking society would be for one to not only me homosexual,
but also Muslim, persecuted by Bible waving Christians and Governments in the a
certain third world country. But this is just a stereo type. Oh and i digress.
So reading the
above mentioned article plus the many debates i have followed on Facebook
between apologist of Christian faith and apologists of the atheist “faith” i
have noticed that perhaps the “open minded” people are not as open minded as
they claim to be.
The article
clearly states how being “different” from the main stream, in this case
Christianity vs. liberal whateverism (i term coined to represent the apparent
lack of any sort of belief system among today’s youth), means you get to be
“mistreated” legally. Some of the words used by “secularists” vs. “faithists”
really leave me dismayed and i wonder if they actually are as liberal or open
minded as they claim. Words like bigoted, ignorant, small minded or narrow
minded are bandied around freely. Sometimes threads descend into needless
provocation and veiled insult. Mark you, both sides are not innocent, but
perhaps more is expected of the liberal forward looking open minded folk than
sheer gutter talk and underhandedness.
Why did this
professor have to pick on Jesus of all religious figures? According to a friend
who i once asked a similar question, it’s because Christians are the ones who proselytize the most.
I was confused
because i thought their aversion was to all faiths that rejected the forward march
of science and the crystalline “truths” it embodied. It seems there is some
bias coming from both sides of the isle…oops sorry...road.
I am a Christian
and my faith informs a lot of the decisions i make and it’s from that stand
point i write this article. I may not know all there is to know and i don’t
claim to do so. Something don’t make sense still others make total sense but i
also know that salvation is both and event and a journey and to borrow the word
s of Paul the apostle, we know in part but then we shall know in full.
And this is my
take on some of the controversy:
I believe that Atheist
need to show some respect even for those things that they do not agree with.
There is no difference between what you do and what the roman church did back
then. You both operate from a pedestal of superiority, one stemming from the
fact that they felt they were called of God and another from their
intellectualism.
Both of you have
persecuted in one way or another those that do not see as you see. The church
did it with inquisition and burning but the scathing attacks launched from
blogs, post, comments and dialogues is just the same but without the physical
flames.
Perhaps it would
be prudent for the secularists to realise all that they do is simply because
they hold the popular opinion just as most of the people then were behind the church’s
actions.
Of course
secularism claims to be more educated and enlightened and progressive now but
don’t forget the same could be said of the church at that time. Who knows,
should this world tarry for some more trillion years, our knowledge would look
just as archaic to people in the future as stone tools seem to us today.
Isn’t the amount
of abuse heaped on those that have tradition Christian views towards certain
subjects not be compared to the abuse that those with alternative lifestyles
have suffered? Granted fewer traditional Christians are beaten or maimed or
killed by radical secularist however the ostracism they face is probably as
damaging.
If you are truly
open minded and liberal dear secularist, perhaps the old adage would work
perfectly, live and let live.
A word to the
Christian
Much of what i
have said above applies even to us.
Treat all
divergent views with respect and learn that you can disagree without being at
war. Do not resort to abuse or maligning of any sort in the name of defending
the faith. Remember, the faith we now practice has been here for year and has faced
even greater more focused opposition. God is capable of defending himself. That’s
why we believe he is supreme.
I sharing your
faith, remember that God did not ask you to seek converts but to speak Truth.
Stand for it whenever possible and speak up when needed. Do not argue, or use
fear tactics or such other tools of “public speaking” Instead share, simply
what you know, what you believe and why.
Our avenue is
love, first for one another then for the non-believer. The book of acts, so
aptly named, demonstrated the faith and love the believers showed for each
other and it testifies that this is what drew the people of that time. I think
it’s a method we could try.
Know that God
has not forbid you from questioning him both about what you understand and don’t
understand. Questions do not scare God. However you cannot fling away the
scriptures based on what someone said or what you read or heard because the
answers you seek are in the word. You cannot find the truth about Christianity
apart from Christianity. I Hope that made sense. You cannot ask a baker the
secrets of plumbing.
Perhaps also it
would be a good thing for you to read intensively and extensively and
prayerfully ponder these things through the word of God. I shall illustrate.
Seven days is
how much time scripture says God took to create the world. I believe our idea
or concept of time may differ from God. So perhaps, evolution or aspects of it
are also Gods method. It would also be good to note that while we may have
evolved from monkeys, we don’t seem to be evolving into anything else. That may not be the best example but i hope
you get the gist of what i mean.
There are those
among us who lean towards more liberal inclinations. I have seen many use their
status updates to belittle and poke fun at their own faith for various reason.
I think that this is bad form indeed. To those i say, be careful because you
associations may be mistaken as your endorsements and while you are passionate
about ridding the faith of “ignorant radicals” you still have a responsibility
to speak and stand for the truth. Besides, you are also held to the same level
of scrutiny as the other xtians are, so if in your crusade for reform you do
something the faith considers wrong, you will be held accountable for it.
