Saturday, March 19, 2005
I am a christian with a small 'c'
When Leonard Pitts wrote in this morning's News & Record about the effects that Ashley Smith's faith had on Brian Nichols, juxtaposed as it was to the 'Christian faith' of the faceless 'Smith' who allegedly beat and humiliated the prisoners in Guantánamo Bay, it brought home one of the struggles that I continually have with those that claim to speak for those of us whose heritage is christian.
Ever since I was a small boy, this phrase from Mark 12:29-31, taken from the Torah, has never left me:
Its meaning is clear and its mission is shared by Jews and christians alike: to spread the love of God through His good works to those whose lives are shredded by pain and suffering.
That's why I am nauseated by that soldier who is beating on a Muslim and saying it's because he's a Christian. It's also why I'm having trouble with many of the folks on the radical Christian right whose agenda seems to be more about power and acquisition rather than love and compassion.
If those folks would put their energy into fighting real injustice, like the widespread hunger in this country, or poverty in Haiti, or genocide in the Sudan, instead of choosing politically easy issues like the current campaign to stop the court-ordered cessation of life-support of Terry Schiavo, then maybe they would begin to gain my respect. But look at the websites I've linked above, or go to any one the hundreds of conservative Christian sites.
I am a christian, but spell it with a small 'c'. Their brand of big 'C' Christianity is not mine. Please do not associate my faith with theirs.
Ever since I was a small boy, this phrase from Mark 12:29-31, taken from the Torah, has never left me:
"Hear O Israel the Lord Our God, The Lord is one; you shall love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other greater commandment than these."
Its meaning is clear and its mission is shared by Jews and christians alike: to spread the love of God through His good works to those whose lives are shredded by pain and suffering.
That's why I am nauseated by that soldier who is beating on a Muslim and saying it's because he's a Christian. It's also why I'm having trouble with many of the folks on the radical Christian right whose agenda seems to be more about power and acquisition rather than love and compassion.
If those folks would put their energy into fighting real injustice, like the widespread hunger in this country, or poverty in Haiti, or genocide in the Sudan, instead of choosing politically easy issues like the current campaign to stop the court-ordered cessation of life-support of Terry Schiavo, then maybe they would begin to gain my respect. But look at the websites I've linked above, or go to any one the hundreds of conservative Christian sites.
I am a christian, but spell it with a small 'c'. Their brand of big 'C' Christianity is not mine. Please do not associate my faith with theirs.
# posted by Michael Christopher : 2:04 AM
Furl It