Peace Like A River


It was a wide river, mistakable for a lake or even an ocean unless you'd been wading and knew its current. Somehow I'd crossed it... Now I saw the stream regrouped below, flowing on through what might've been vineyards, pastures, orhards... It flowed between and alongside the rivers of people; from here it was no more than a silver wire winding toward the city. - Leif Enger, Peace Like A River

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Sunday, February 12, 2006

Comparative religion

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another...
-John 13:35

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you...
-Luke 6:27-28


Something struck me in a recent Strib story about a local nightclub reopening, after having some cash problems.

The Quest nightclub in Minneapolis, which closed in December and has seen its share of controversy, reopened Friday night with a concert as far from controversy as possible: a Christian rock show.
....
"It's a good show to start with," said Ricardo Cervantes, Minneapolis' deputy director of licenses, who gave final approval for the reopening. "This is a show I expect will have no incidents."


Interesting, isn't it. A show that would attract Christians is not expected to have any problems.

Reminds me of something I heard long ago, I forget the context. Was basically this. If you were in a dark alley and you saw a group of tough looking youths coming towards you, would you feel more comfortable if you knew they just came from a Bible study? (Probably, I would think)

This caught my eye because of the angry, violent demonstrations by Muslims worldwide over the infamous cartoons. Have you ever seen similar demonstrations by Christians? Have you ever heard Christians demanding punishment for publishers of cartoons? Burning down foreign embassies? In a different crisis, demanding the captivity and slaughter of IAEA inspectors?

OK, standard nod to tepid multiculturalism. Are all Muslims violent and murderous? No. Are all Christians ideal examples of Christ-like love? No.

But on the whole, which religion's adherents would you rather have coming at you in a dark alley? Do you think the Quest nightclub would be just as sanguine about holding a comedy show poking fun of Mohammed?

Muslims will have to take ownership of their actions, and if the world recoils from what they see, whose fault is that?

posted by Jeff @ 7:59 PM    | 

5 Comments:

  • At Sun Feb 12, 09:51:00 PM, Soldier's Dad said…

    Jeff,

    Gotta go contrarian here. It is no t that difficult to manipulate the crowd. Governments have been doing it for eon's.

    I think it was Nixon, who sent an envoy to a dieing Spanish leader, asking what would happen on his death...the Spanish leader answered that he had created a "Middle Class". Not to worry.

    Elites have been manipulating the poor since forever. The middle clase is the stabilizing factor.

    On another note, 1.6 Million cars have been registered in Iraq since 2003. A middle class is forming.

     

  • At Sun Feb 12, 09:53:00 PM, Leo Pusateri said…

    By their fruits shall ye know them...

     

  • At Mon Feb 13, 08:58:00 AM, Jeff said…

    SD,

    Yes, absolutely there are various elements manipulating and using these demonstrations.

    I was looking more at the larger picture, of why has the vast majority of terrorist acts committed in the last years been carried out by Muslims.

    Suicide bombings in Israel, the bombings in Madrid and London, Beslan, suicide bombings in Iraq, Bali, 9/11, the LAX plot, and on and on, what is it about Islam that gives rise to such violence.

    I think the fact we don't see anything like these acts being done by Christians suggests there is a difference in the religions.

     

  • At Mon Feb 13, 08:49:00 PM, Night Writer said…

    Good "dark alley" scenario. I think it would be even more interesting to ask a Muslim if he would feel safer if he knew the approaching young men had just come from a Bible study or a Wahabi get-together.

     

  • At Mon Feb 13, 10:16:00 PM, Rambix said…

    Great post and observation. Sometimes reputations are deserved, and sometimes generalizations are true.

     

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