Peaceful Faith

As I continue to think about religion and peace I realize that the obvious is true.  The problem is not religion-any religion; instead the problem, the source of the pain in the world are misguided people and nations.  What do we as individuals value?  Is it money?  Power? Sex? Something else?  Is it purely and simply the the love of God and the grace to live in and share that love with the world.  This is what I value at this point in my life.  Last night I read this quote which captures the objective that I should strive for in the day to day.

We have before us the glorious opportunity to inject a new dimension of love into the veins of our civilization.  This is the time for redemption, this is the time for reconciliation, this is the time to build the beloved community.


Dr. Martin Luther King

Peaceful Faith

I love baseball.  In particular I love minor league baseball which seems to be about the crowd and the game.  I can't say I've ever attended a "bad" minor league game.  I recently went to a came with a friend when out of town.  Weather was a perfect 75 at game time.  Twenty bucks got me a fourth row ticket, two beers and two hot dogs.  Life just doesn't get much better for me than this.

We were talking about life and things in general.  The conversation turned to Holy Week and we compared notes on what the week looks like with our respective denominations.  Somehow our conversation turned to Islam.  During the course of our conversation a comment was made that it was hard to consider Islam a peaceful religion.

Why didn't I respond?  Is Christianity a peaceful religion? Is it more peaceful than Islam?  Than Judaism? Than Buddhism?

Of course Islam is just as peaceful a religion as any other religion.  I have never heard of a religion that didn't include the desire for peace.  Does that mean that all Muslims, Christians, Buddhist, or Jews are peaceful? Of course not; if they were we wouldn't have wars.  What is that keeps us from being peacemakers?  Envy, greed, domination, the desire for power.

It is well documented that one of the earmarks of early Christianity was that they refused to serve the Empire. It is also documented that once Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire crosses were placed on the shields of soldiers.  Once the state claims a religion it seems that war and national agression are condoned as being right as ordained by God.

So how do we see God?  I don't know but I do know that I see God as the One who loves.  The One who loves Christians and Muslims and Jews and Buddhists.  If that is true then the question is how wrong can we all be?

Friday Prayers

Finally! I finally made my first visit to one of the local mosques this past Friday.  I didn't realize that the community had a school behind the mosque.  After parking, I walked to the mosque and passed a playground with fathers watching their children playing.  Inside the mosque I removed my shoes and socks and saw the room where men were preparing for prayer by washing their hands, feet, etc.  A man introduced himself to me and led me into a large room with lines on the floor providing adequate space for worshipers to do full prostrations during prayer.  I was invited to sit in a chair or on the floor.  I chose the floor.  The call to prayer started on time and after a short prayer the preacher went to a the preachers stand and spoke about the need to take religion seriously.

As I listened I looked around the room.  It was about three quarters full and people were continuing to arrive.  Once they found a space they went about their private prayers.  Once they settled, some listened some looked about.  Two men in fatigues came in with their children.  A sense of sadness overwhelmed me at the sight of these men with their young boys.  I thought about the hearings in Congress on Islam and was struck with the irony of these two soldiers.

After the sermon, the room suddenly was crowded and community prayers started.  After a few minutes they ended.  I was warmly invited back.  I'm sure I'll return.

Pastor Jones

I only discovered yesterday that Pastor Terry Jones, in my mind a misguided individual, carried out his month old threat to burn a Qu'ran.  The result was what we were told to expect - his act resulted in increasing instability in an unstable country and a number of needless deaths.  It seems that the sympathy the United States had after 9/11 has been utterly squandered.  How do we as Christians first and as Americans second repair the damage and loss of respect from many in the Muslim world?  The only thing I'm certain of is that this will not be easy.

Actually, that's not the only thing I'm certain about.  I'm also certain that 9/11, the actions of Jones and the actions in response in the Muslim community is the result of fear.  The survival of all of us will require something other than a response that grows out of our fears.