I talked a few entries back about how sometimes it is so easy to get angry when we feel the the church is failing its people, and I've found myself in that place once again. I don't have cable so I don't catch the daily news, but many of the big issues come up online as I'm working throughout the week and a few headlines lately have really troubled me. I would like to mention two of them "Should New York forbid Mosque near Ground Zero?" and "Church Plans Quran Burning."
The first article was released in mid-July of this year and the conversation has continued on since. I'm not normally into politics, but as followers of Christ we certainly can't ignore them. 9/11 was a terrible tragedy and the result of terrorism by Muslim extremists who make up a small portion of Muslims worldwide. After the tragedy, many Americans developed a hate for every Muslim that walked the planet. They made us uncomfortable in airports or on the streets and we began to stereotype them into a small category and we hated them. We were angry at them with a "justified" anger. Jesus told his people in the sermon on the mount that if anyone is angry with his brother they have committed murder (Matt. 5:21-26). I am not saying that there was no reason to be angry at the men in those planes, or at the situation, but our anger should not be directed towards an entire people who lost their brothers and sisters in the same tragedy and continue to lose their family members as the war continues just like we are. If we continue to direct our hate towards these people there will never be peace for anyone. Ten years later we are still holding on.
If that isn't enough, the people who should be filled with a love that is above this world are the ones that are lashing out against their enemies. Let me clarify some points before I go on. I believe that there is only one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. Our scriptures make that clear. I believe anyone who denies the love that Christ has to offer will suffer consequences, but how in the world can anyone know the love of Christ if they haven't experienced it.
Jesus told us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44). The love that Jesus has is unconditional. He doesn't require us to love Him back. He gave his life, his time, and everything he had to make sure that his disciples and the everyone that he interacted with knew his love fully and deeply so that they would understand when he was raised from the dead what their eternal reward would be. He calls us to offer this same love to the people we want to hate.
The burning of the Quran is a disgrace to the scriptures. It's a an unrighteous human judgment placed on a religion that most of us have never tried to understand. We are not the judge of this world. We are called to embrace the love of Christ and to share it with others. If they deny it, they will answer to God, not us. I don't agree with everything that happens in this world or in the lives of other people, but if I look on them with judgment I create a wall that can't be broken and have shut the door for Christ's love to enter in through me.
The love that Christ gave others required relationship. Why were you first attracted the the love of God? What really drew you in? Was it condemnation, shouting, and fire? It may have been, but I doubt that was most of our experiences. Most of us were introduced to the love of God by true and unconditional love in the context of a relationship with people who were really living it out, in the moments where the scriptures were alive and meaningful, because they talked of love and purity even when we fail, or completely miss the point. There was grace enough to cover the mess we have made of our lives and our relationships. We were shown compassion.
What if we loved other people? Not just Muslims, but everyone, regardless of how they have wronged us or hurt us or if they loved us back. I don't want every Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Atheist, Christian, or any other human being to have to spend their life in eternal judgment. Christ offers eternal life and he has called on me and you to share that love with the world so they won't have to die. We have murdered them with our hate. I want to stand next to the brothers and sisters in Christ before the heavenly throne worshiping the God who has saved us by his grace. I want all my brothers and sisters there. I believe there will be much more joy in Heaven if we seek to love our enemies and pray for their hearts to be drawn towards Him so we can stand next to them instead of being the reason they never wanted to listen.
I admit I only took a couple of classes on the world religions and I have a misunderstanding of them as well, but I'm open to starting the conversations and building the relationships without motives and regardless of our differences. My God has called me to love the world without judgment or hate,unconditionally, just as he has loved me. I am deeply sorry for failing all my brothers and sisters and treating them poorly through my thoughts and actions and I ask for your forgiveness. Let's love each other.
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