It seems that everywhere I go, I'm hearing talk of the "mosque at ground zero." Church, Wal-Mart, Facebook... It's unavoidable. I tend to shy away from posting anything controversial or politically related anymore because so many people can be downright mean and un-accepting of others' opinions. While I will admit that I am against having the mosque built there, I will also say that it isn't for the reasons that so many people are vehemently against it. I wanted to write this post today because this debate is about so much more than religion.It's about racism for so many people. It's about prejudiceness- something I really hate. We live in a world of fear and suspicion (and with good reason!). After the events of 9/11 and the wars that followed, it's easy to see how we've arrived at this place. We aren't recognizing the "good guys" from the "bad guys" anymore. We're simply generalizing and it's affecting how Muslim Americans are viewed. This isn't the spirit of America!
I love this country for what it stands for: Freedom. As citizens, we all have equal rights to practice freedom of speech, religion, etc. I do hold fast and remember that this country was founded on Christian principles, but that isn't to say that others shouldn't be able to worship Allah or their big screen T.V. if they see fit. That's part of what makes America so great. If we continue to flourish this fear of Muslims then we take away some of what makes America so awesome. Not to mention, we will probably miss out on some great friendships, too.
As a Christian, I'm called to share my beliefs with as many as I can. I'm called to not judge others (Matthew 7:1) and wait for God's judgement (2 Corinthians 5:10). I am also told to abide by the verse in Galatians 5 that says:
14- For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
And this doesn't mean I'm to only love those who are like me. I'm called to extend love and acceptance to everyone. Is that really so hard?
(*Please refrain from rude comments about my beliefs, opinions, or questions re: the mosque. I really don't care to hear that I'm a "Bible Thumping Republican" (although that would strengthen my argument here that we should freely allow freedom of expression and religion without judgement). I didn't write this to talk about politics. It's just something that has been on my mind the past few weeks.)
4 comments:
Very well said, Mrs. K!
Very well said!! I couldn't agree with you more.. sometimes I find that people are scared of anything that's different.. of things they know little about.. so they reach wrong conclusions..
Kacy, I'm so glad you spoke up on this subject. Here in Tn this past week someone burned a Muslim Worship Center that has peacefully existed in Middle TN for Decades! Thankfully it is being investigated as a hate crime. But if you think back in history how society starts to crumble, such as in the early days of Hitlers regime when the brownshirts attacked Jewish Synagogues and businesses that eventually led to over 6 million jews, gypsies , mentally handicapped, homosexuals perishing at the hands of evil perpetrators, Fast forward to our life time, and again we see in Rwanda how the Hutu's began by calling the Tutsi's "cockroaches" and began spreading their hate over the airways, this led to over 2 million tragic deaths . It always seems to start with a disenfranchised group of individuals , many of them are poorly educated, but some are just zealots. Yes you could say Laura you are way off here and really making a leap here, but all I'm saying is to everyone who loves what we stand for here in America ( freedom of religious persecution of ones beliefs) speak out when your confronted with hatred and prejudice. Don't let what we value so in this country crumble as it has in other societies when faced with great divisions.
Mrs. K you have hit the nail on the head once again!
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