I'm usually good with disclaimers on my stuff so let me drop one in here before we start...You probably won't hear me say what you want me to say. No matter your stance, I'm going to irritate you.
Okay, let's get started.
Right off the bat let me highlight the title of todays 'book/article'. "What do we do with Muslims?" What's the most important part of that question?
Muslims are people.
I didn't ask 'what do we do with Islam?' I didn't ask 'what do we do with radicalism?' I didn't ask, 'what do we do with the Koran/Quran?' All of those questions are intriguing and need to be answered but before we get to any of those we have a situation on our hands in America. We are making assumptions about PEOPLE and saying and thinking some really inappropriate things.
I do not agree with Islam, that's very clear. I'm a Christian and those two religious-world-views are not compatible (I would expect followers of Islam to say the same thing about Christianity). We can talk about what to do with radicalism but I think that everyone that would want to listen to what I say, would agree with me whole heartedly that radicalism leads down very dangerous pathways and usually isn't healthy. We could talk about the Koran/Quran (I'm always lost as to the correct spelling), but that would lead me into a World Religions class and I would have to take the next fifteen pages writing a thesis on what the Koran does and does not say, what it does and does not intend, how it may be lived out, what Mohammed seemed to want (and yes, I have studied it a bit), and things like that but no one wants that type of dissertation, especially not on Facebook.
btw - Many people have told me lovingly that Facebook isn't the right media for my long article/books. I know that. It's supposed to be thoughtful, personal or funny little blurbs about life. Maybe I'll get to that but for now I'm doing this. I'm a teacher. I'm constantly asked my opinion on complex and critical issues. You can't answer those in 144 characters or less. Besides...it's your fault for 'being my friend." (heh, heh).
Back to the issue at hand: What do we do with Muslims?
Should we do anything with them? Is it our right to do anything to them? Who's a Muslim anyway? Are we now classifying people with a broad-brush? Is that fair? Are all 'Christians' the same? Are all 'Catholics' the same? Do we want to be lumped together just because it's easier to stereotype and classify so we don't have to use our brains or get to know people?
We're talking about people. You don't talk about people like you talk about cattle. You don't talk about people like you talk about disease. You don't talk about people like you talk about groceries. You talk about people like Jesus talked about people...personally.
I'm not here to defend Islam. I'm not here to say that all Muslims are healthy and good people. I'm not here to say that the Koran doesn't have scary and brutal implications depending on the heart reading it and the context. What I'm saying is 'slow down, back up, get your heart right and let's sort this out like Christians. If you aren't a Christian then you and I have a ton of stuff that we don't agree on and likely have a lot of different views. You don't feel responsible for taking the high/God road. I do.
I really only have two key points:
1.) Muslims must be loved - because no matter how you classify them in your mind (like-minded, misunderstood, mislead or enemy), Jesus' response is the same. I didn't say that there didn't need to be boundaries and healthy interaction, quite the opposite. What I said was, when hatred enters your heart or you begin to objectify another human being, you are no longer displaying the heart of God.
2.) Treat others like you would want to be treated. To me this includes recognizing how hypocritical and inconsistent we are with how we view others but not ourselves. For example consider the following list:
We only like the idea of keeping out a religious group because we are already here. If we, as Christians were kept out of anywhere we would throw a fit and claim persecution.
The Bible is full of scary things that can be taken wrong, and has plenty of things that to a non-Judeo-Christian, would sound horrifying and terribly threatening.
We freak out at statistics that say what Muslims, living in America believe, but wouldn't Christian statistics sound similar if we were in reverse? If we were polling the 100,000-500,000 Christians in Iran. It would sound something like this (I'm making up these stats for a point): 90% of them would want a complete overthrow of their governmental system for religious reasons. 75% of them believe the whole Bible in it's entirety which includes the destruction of all people who don't believe and confess Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah. 72% of them look forward to the return of their 'King' who will destroy all unbelievers in an Armageddon war. 35% of them favor the depiction of Jesus as the Rider on the White Horse, who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and with a sword makes war and the blood of his enemies is as high as the horses bridle.
Do you get my point?
If you argue that Christians aren't going around killing people and their religion isn't supporting the murder of innocents, then you aren't looking through a Jew's eyes in the 1940's (I tire of the Crusade debate, but sure lets throw that in too).
Listen my friends, a lot of stuff we are talking about on our Facebook pages and on the news and in our conversations are coming from one perspective. How many of us are looking at it holistically and how other people may view it?
I've already said, I don't agree with Islam and I don't think that it's right. But I'm also smart enough to recognize that Christians and our Bible look just as odd and scary depending on which side of the aisle you are on. No, I don't want Islam to expand. Yes, I think that it is anti-the-God I believe in. No, I don't think that it encourages the worship of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Yes, I will continue to pray that more and more Muslims are saved. Yes, I think that the radicalization of Islam is on the rise and freaking me out. But I refuse to let fear or anger dictate my perspective or nullify my wisdom.
I re-state my original point. Muslims are people. They are people that Jesus Christ died for. They are just as precious to Him as any other. Our disagreements must remain that, disagreements. Respect must be maintained. We must separate, in our minds, adherents from radical fundamentalists (just like we do with all other religions including our own). We need to grow up and realize that there is a HUGE variety of Muslims in this world and they aren't all the same and they don't all believe the same thing and they don't all want the same things. I know it takes more time to do this, but it's demanded by God.
I realize I haven't addressed all the current hot button topics of the day on this issue like:
What do we do with the Syrian Refugees?
How do we handle Muslim immigration?
How do we contain the radicalism and hatred for the Western world?
and on and on and on.
You're right, I didn't. I don't really have time or space. Haven't I already exceeded my time?
I'm not living with my head in the sand. I see everything you see. I'm not ignorant. I'm just choosing to fight to keep my emotions from dictating my thoughts and trying really hard to let Jesus Christ shape my worldview.
Until next time...
