Whose Right?

I often hear people comment that you should never talk about politics or religion. My great-grandmother was a circuit clerk and because of her job, she often suggested that her children and grandchildren refrain from these topics. Nevertheless, there were often conversations at Sunday lunch about one of the two – which usually led to my Grandmother Jones’ famous snapping of her fingers while exclaiming, “boys, boys, boys!” when the conversation got a little too loud or the language a little too colorful. Topics surrounding religion and politics tend to be things people are passionate about and something about that makes you just want to talk about it. I usually try to stay clear of such topics, but occasionally, things happen that either cause me to think or bring out passion in me and I just want to share. Such an event occurred this past week.

I usually glance over news articles, or listen to highlights as I am getting ready for work in the mornings – not really paying much attention to the details. Recently, however, the ongoing saga of a Muslim mosque in lower Manhattan has caught my attention.

The issue – as I know it, and I’m sure, as usual, I don’t have all the facts – is a Muslim group that has been located in lower Manhattan for years, wants to build a mosque on private property near Ground Zero. Since this is the location where members of an Islamic terrorist group (Al Qaeda) destroyed America’s sense of security when they flew airplanes into the World Trade Centers, many believe this to be an inappropriate place for a Muslim mosque.

While this topic was already being discussed in the media, it seemed to have exploded last week when the president decided to make a comment on it. President Obama stated, “As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as everyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances, This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable."

Many people criticized the president for supporting this venture. Others pressured him to be more specific about his support. While we all know that they have a right to build there, many still want the president to give his opinion: should they or shouldn’t they. President Obama clarified that he had not and would not state whether he believed they should build in the spot, just they had the right to do so.

So….Whose first amendment right is Obama protecting? Muslims? Well, yes…and but not just theirs.

On this topic, I agree with President Obama. If I’m correct, most of his criticism is coming from right-winged, conservative Republicans – those who often pride themselves on being “evangelical Christians.” I don’t fully understand why this group is being so critical on this issue. Perhaps, I just have a different method of thinking – as I will admit, my thought process has not been mentioned in any of the discussions I have heard on the topic.

It is my understanding that one of the founding principles on which our country was built is the freedom of religion. I believe people have the right to practice whatever religion they choose, wherever and however they choose, as long as it does not infringe upon my rights (I could go on here, but that’s another topic). America is NOT a “Christian Nation” – I don’t believe it was intended to be. (Yet another topic, and yes, I hear some of you yelling that I am wrong!) I understand America to be a place where I have the freedom to be a Christian, but others have the freedom to be Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan, or any other religion - including “non-religious” or atheist. Yes, I can share my religion, and I can attempt to convince others that my God is the only real God, but they have the freedom to not believe me and worship in any way they choose.

Back to the mosque – what’s wrong with the president or anyone else for that matter, telling this group of Muslims they can not – or at least should not – build where they want to build? In my opinion, it’s about fairness. It’s about the freedom of religion. It’s about the future of the relationship between the church and the state. If the government tells this group of Muslims where they can/should build a place to worship, what’s to keep them from later excluding a Christian church from building in any location. The government was not meant to dictate religion. Allowing the president, or any other governing body to tell this group they can not – or even should not – build near the Ground Zero, would be giving the government authority to dictate where any place of worship is built from here on out. And if we give them authority to dictate where, what’s to keep it from becoming when/how/WHO we are to worship? I think, as Christians, we should be encouraged that our leader states we have the right to worship WHO, when, where, how we want. We should not encourage him to tell this Muslim group that they should not build near Ground Zero. Instead, we should simply remember he is protecting OUR RIGHT to worship as we please.

Would love to hear the thoughts of my readers….if you dare ;-)

Extremists

Extremist – it’s a word we hear a lot in today’s society. But what does it mean? Based on our current culture, we tend to think of an extremist as someone who is going to blow up our airplane – a terrorist. Don’t believe me? Check the thesaurus in a Microsoft Word document and you’ll find terrorist as a synonym for extremist. But is that really what the word implies? According to the dictionary.com app on my blackberry, an extremist is “a person who goes to extremes, especially in political matters.” Well, that definition tells me nothing. Did their English teacher not teach them you can’t define a word with part of the word? Extreme, according to the same source, is “going well beyond the moderate or ordinary, outermost, very great or intense.” So an extremist is someone who goes beyond the moderate or ordinary, especially in political, or as we’ve come to know it, religious matters.

Ah, the “r” word. Most of the times I hear the word “extremist,” it is immediately preceded by the name of a particular religious group. Daily, news is reported about Islamic Extremists and their attempts to bomb an airplane or shoot up a military base. The term is used to stress that these people are going to the extreme – beyond the ordinary. They do not represent most people who practice the religion of Islam. Mainstream media tries to emphasize that most people who practice Islam do not condone this type of violence. Sadly, I’m afraid many people refuse to listen to these messages. They don’t hear the word extremist and make a judgment of others based on the word “Islamic.”

I suppose all groups have their extremists. In fact, based on the definition of the word, I don’t guess there could be an average without extremes. Unfortunately, the extremists seem to be the ones who stand out and create a negative identity for the entire group. This week, an extremist of another religion made a comment that did just that. Christian Extremist, Pat Robertson, made some idiotic comments that, in the words of a friend, “embarrassed Christians and people named Pat everywhere.” (Pat Ward's Facebook status)

The comments made by Robertson were the opinion of ONE person who goes to the EXTREME in his religious beliefs. Unfortunately, this one person has a public platform in which he proudly claims the Christian religion. When you hear comments such as the one by Robertson or news of extreme acts done in the name of Christianity, please don’t judge us all by these extremists. Shepard Smith commented on this “We're in the middle of a crisis that the western hemisphere has not seen in my lifetime. And 700 miles east of Miami, hundreds of thousands of desperate human beings need our help, our support, our money, and our love. And they don't need that (Robertson's comments).” I can't help but to believe the average Christian's belief stands more in line with Smith's comments than Robertson's.

Maybe Microsoft’s thesaurus has it right. Maybe “terrorist” is a synonym for extremist, at least when defined in terms of Islamic or Christian extremist. Both groups destroy those whose opinions differ from their own. Islamic Extremists threaten and destroy physical lives when carrying out their missions. Christian Extremists threaten and destroy souls. I wonder which is worse.

Beginning of a Journey

My last revealed my intentions to take a journey of self-discovery. I promised the internet world that I would share some of what I learned. It's been almost a month since that post, and I've learned a few things about myself and have remembered a few others. So here's the first entry. I'll start with the easy: television.

I like the “figure it out” kind of television shows. Of course, there's usually some sort of drama throughout these shows too, which of course I get caught up in. I'll watch almost any of the crime dramas, but Criminal Minds and NCIS are my favorites – and I don't really like Law and Order, except SVU. I also love the medical dramas. I'm addicted to Grey's Anatomy, but I only watch Private Practice when there are “crossover events.” Thanks to tivo, I'm a fan of Mercy - I would have never had a chance to actually watch last season without tivo. Although I don't record it, I watch House any time I catch it on.

The “figure it out” theme fits the paranormal dramas of Ghost Whisperer and Medium as well. I was recently introduced to a few paranormal reality shows – for lack of a better description. I liked Ghost Hunters (Scyfy) from the first time I saw it. These former plumbers spend their nights investigating reportedly haunted buildings. In addition to seeking paranormal activity, they use scientific observation and sometimes plain ole common sense to debunk reports of such activity. Ghost Lab is a similar show on the Discovery Channel, which follows brothers whose team works out of a mobile lab. I was also introduced to Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel. The concept of this show is similar to the other two, but the primary investigator is very dramatic and, in my opinion, annoying. Now that I think about it, there is an element of figure it out in these shows as well.

I'm also a fan of a good comedy. It's nice to sometimes sit in front of the television and just be entertained, not having to think. CBS Monday nights are some of my favorites – Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, and Accidentally on Purpose. The New Adventures of Old Christine on Wednesday night is pretty good too. A few weeks ago, I discovered that I actually get more channels through my cable than I thought, including Comedy Central. I've liked to watch stand-up comedy for as long as I can remember, so I was excited about that discovery. There was a time when I wouldn't watch various television shows because of “offensive” language or topics – because others told me there was “offensive” language or topics. (There's another discovery there, but that's another post.) I have been surprised to discover that I really like South Park. It's funny. I've also been known to watch Sit Down Shut Up on Fox late on Saturday nights.

So television is easy and maybe a bit superficial, but it's a start at self-discovery. More findings to come soon.