Every so often I get e-mail from people who I like and respect, but the e-mail is really out there. I never know exactly how to respond but will make an effort here.
I recently this video in the e-mail. It warns of the dangers of Islam and "proves" that the Obama administration has given up on the Constitution in favor of Sharia law.
If this had come from some anonymous source I'd just dump it into my junk folder, but it came from someone who I like and respect, so I'll put some effort into saying why I think its nonsense.
He makes a number of assertions in the video, some are clearly factual and others have a high degree of spin on them. He says that the US has a tradition of free speech that Afghanistan doesn't. I agree absolutely.
He says that, while he doesn't like burning any book (I agree) but that Terry Jones burning of the Qur'an recently is free speech, protected by the Constitution. Again, I agree. In fact, President Obama and other public leaders agree as well, and that's why he made no attempt to arrest or to censor Mr. Jones. He simply used his own freedom of speech to publicly condemn the action.
The video goes on to condemn the burning of Bibles sent by a Christian group to a soldier who hoped to use them to Evangelize the Afghan people. He points out that the Afghan government and culture is not tolerant of this.
This is true; in fact this attitude is fairly widespread throughout the Middle East, so much so that US military policy has very strict regulations about the use of Bibles among troops in the region.
I can sympathize with the soldier in question, who apparantly believed that his call from God superceeded his mission as a soldier, but I can hardly condemn his superiors. When military personnel violate military policy, they are compelled to take action.
As for the assertion that the military (or the government) consider the Bible to be garbage because the confiscated Bibles were burned... The long-standing tradition for disposing of the American flag in the military is also burning. It is considered the only appropriately respectful method. This certainly doesn't mean that mean that the military considers the flag garbage. The Army was placed in an awkward position by the actions of one soldier and behaved as honorably as they could. As a Christian and a pastor I understand that there is no insult intended and take no offense at this. To compare this with the action of Rev. Terry Jones, who burned the Bible as a deliberate insult to Islam makes no sense.
I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know if the argument that treating the Qur'an reverently violates the first ammendment holds any water in a legal sense. My personal opinion is that it is a silly argument. The US is a country where religious tolerance and freedom of speech can be taken for granted. Afghanistan is not. Making some allowances for this only makes good common sense. Pretending it means we've given up on the constitution does not.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
A Late Note on Osama bin Ladin
I didn't comment on the death of Osama bin Ladin when it happened. My feelings on the subject are kind of complicated.
Am I glad? I am relieved that a dangerous criminal can't plot the deaths of innocent people any longer. At the same time, I can't celebrate the loss of a human life.
Was killing him justified? I'd need to know what the orders were to pass any kind of judgment on that. If he was ordered assassinated, I will feel differently than if the SEALs were ordered to capture him and were forced to fire on him by the situation. I sincerely hope that my government is above the assassination. Unless evidence to the contrary comes out, though, I will give them the benefit of the doubt.
How has the world changed? While the death of Osama is a milestone, I wonder if out attention shouldn't be more focussed on something else. The comment that comes back to me over and over is from a Saudi woman interviewed on NPR. She essentially said that, for people like her, Osama bin Ladin was yesterdays news. For them the heroes in the Middle East are the protestors in Egypt who accomolished more in a few weeks of peaceful protest than Osama did in decades of violence.
I hope and pray that this is true. It's hard to tell yet what kind of governments are going to form folliwing the Arab Spring, but I am very hopefull. For so long the conventional wisdom has been that the only way to deal with terrorism was to prop up some of the nastiest dictatorships in the world.
The heroes of the Arab Spring have shown us that there is a third choice; that peace with justice is not just a silly idealistic dream. I hope and pray that this change lives up to it's promise. I also hope and pray that we are wise enough to embrace it and do everything we can to help create a world where both terrorism and dictatorships are unacceptable.
Am I glad? I am relieved that a dangerous criminal can't plot the deaths of innocent people any longer. At the same time, I can't celebrate the loss of a human life.
Was killing him justified? I'd need to know what the orders were to pass any kind of judgment on that. If he was ordered assassinated, I will feel differently than if the SEALs were ordered to capture him and were forced to fire on him by the situation. I sincerely hope that my government is above the assassination. Unless evidence to the contrary comes out, though, I will give them the benefit of the doubt.
How has the world changed? While the death of Osama is a milestone, I wonder if out attention shouldn't be more focussed on something else. The comment that comes back to me over and over is from a Saudi woman interviewed on NPR. She essentially said that, for people like her, Osama bin Ladin was yesterdays news. For them the heroes in the Middle East are the protestors in Egypt who accomolished more in a few weeks of peaceful protest than Osama did in decades of violence.
I hope and pray that this is true. It's hard to tell yet what kind of governments are going to form folliwing the Arab Spring, but I am very hopefull. For so long the conventional wisdom has been that the only way to deal with terrorism was to prop up some of the nastiest dictatorships in the world.
The heroes of the Arab Spring have shown us that there is a third choice; that peace with justice is not just a silly idealistic dream. I hope and pray that this change lives up to it's promise. I also hope and pray that we are wise enough to embrace it and do everything we can to help create a world where both terrorism and dictatorships are unacceptable.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Still Here
Though the last I heard the prediction of the rapture said "around supper time."
That kind of makes sense since we know from The Life of Brian that the Sermon on the Mount was "around tea time."
That kind of makes sense since we know from The Life of Brian that the Sermon on the Mount was "around tea time."
Friday, May 20, 2011
One Last Blog Before Doomsday
Unlike some other Christians, I am no good at predicting the future. In fact, when it comes to the end of the world, I don't even try. That's probably because I take seriously things like Matthew 24:36 which says:
"But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
That comes in one of the most Apocalyptic passages in the Gospels, and I've always interpreted it to mean "no one knows." That's why I was caught by surprise to learn that someone, apparently, does know.
Harold Camping, the president of California based Family Radio, has studied the scriptures carefully and discovered that the Apocalypse will begin tomorrow, on Saturday, May 21, 2011. This is the day of the Rapture, when those who have been saved (about 200 million people by his estimates) will vanish from the earth to ascent into Heaven. Those who are left behind will experience terrible ordeals, including a global earthquake before the final destruction of the earth (and the rest of the universe) five months later (October 21, 2011.)
Camping is the latest in a long line of people who have predicted the date of the biblical end-times. One of the most significant Bible interpreters was William Miller (1782-1849) a Baptist preacher who headed a nationwide movement predicting that the world would end on October 22, 1844. When Miller's prediction failed to come true many of his followers dropped away in what became known as "The Great Disappointment."
Still, there were others who carried on this tradition. The Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Adventist Christians are all his direct spiritual heirs and predicting the end times remains an important part of their faith.
In the 20th Century one of the most influential predictors of the Last Days has been author Hal Lindsay. I remember him and his predictions from when I was growing up. He said that the Bible revealed that the world would probably end in the 1980s, and certainly before 2000.
This isn't just a recent phenomenon. The great Reformation leader, Martin Luther, believed that the end would come in the 16th century; Presbyterian pastor Thomas Love believed that it would happen in the period from 1758-1763; Charles Taze, of the Jehovah's Witnesses said Christ would come again in 1874 and that the end of the world would take place in 1914.
Though this kind of prediction has grown in popularity in the modern era, it's been with us from the beginnings of the Christian church. Each generation has its doom-sayers, who sincerely believe that the Apocalypse is here. So far their predictions have had a 100% record of failure.
We'll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow, but I doubt it'll be anything more traumatic than what and other Saturday brings. I think that we miss the point when we try to make these kinds of predictions. I think that's why Jesus says what he does about no one knowing. His focus is not on predicting the end, but on preparing people to live lives of kindness, honesty, acceptance, and a passion for justice for everyone. When we live following the example he gives us we don't have to worry about the end of the world for we can face anything, even that, without regrets.
"But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
That comes in one of the most Apocalyptic passages in the Gospels, and I've always interpreted it to mean "no one knows." That's why I was caught by surprise to learn that someone, apparently, does know.
Harold Camping, the president of California based Family Radio, has studied the scriptures carefully and discovered that the Apocalypse will begin tomorrow, on Saturday, May 21, 2011. This is the day of the Rapture, when those who have been saved (about 200 million people by his estimates) will vanish from the earth to ascent into Heaven. Those who are left behind will experience terrible ordeals, including a global earthquake before the final destruction of the earth (and the rest of the universe) five months later (October 21, 2011.)
Camping is the latest in a long line of people who have predicted the date of the biblical end-times. One of the most significant Bible interpreters was William Miller (1782-1849) a Baptist preacher who headed a nationwide movement predicting that the world would end on October 22, 1844. When Miller's prediction failed to come true many of his followers dropped away in what became known as "The Great Disappointment."
Still, there were others who carried on this tradition. The Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Adventist Christians are all his direct spiritual heirs and predicting the end times remains an important part of their faith.
In the 20th Century one of the most influential predictors of the Last Days has been author Hal Lindsay. I remember him and his predictions from when I was growing up. He said that the Bible revealed that the world would probably end in the 1980s, and certainly before 2000.
This isn't just a recent phenomenon. The great Reformation leader, Martin Luther, believed that the end would come in the 16th century; Presbyterian pastor Thomas Love believed that it would happen in the period from 1758-1763; Charles Taze, of the Jehovah's Witnesses said Christ would come again in 1874 and that the end of the world would take place in 1914.
Though this kind of prediction has grown in popularity in the modern era, it's been with us from the beginnings of the Christian church. Each generation has its doom-sayers, who sincerely believe that the Apocalypse is here. So far their predictions have had a 100% record of failure.
We'll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow, but I doubt it'll be anything more traumatic than what and other Saturday brings. I think that we miss the point when we try to make these kinds of predictions. I think that's why Jesus says what he does about no one knowing. His focus is not on predicting the end, but on preparing people to live lives of kindness, honesty, acceptance, and a passion for justice for everyone. When we live following the example he gives us we don't have to worry about the end of the world for we can face anything, even that, without regrets.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
What Would Jesus Take
I try to stay away from politics in my blog, but when political pundits cross the line into matters of faith, I figure that's fair game, especially when their comments are as mindless as this rant by Rush Limbaugh.
I'm not familiar with Lawrence O'Donnell, but I think I'm a fan in the making. Unlike Rush, he actually read the appropriate Bible passages and came to the inescapable conclusion that God cares about poor people. While that doesn't mean that God hates wealthy people, it does mean that those of us who have wealth (and that's most Americans) also have a real obligation to the poor.
Mr. O'Donnell really nails that point.
Cool stuff!
I'm not familiar with Lawrence O'Donnell, but I think I'm a fan in the making. Unlike Rush, he actually read the appropriate Bible passages and came to the inescapable conclusion that God cares about poor people. While that doesn't mean that God hates wealthy people, it does mean that those of us who have wealth (and that's most Americans) also have a real obligation to the poor.
Mr. O'Donnell really nails that point.
Cool stuff!
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