Faith, Freedom and Fear

When I was young, I remember learning about how Soviet Russia was against Christianity. They prevented the spread of Religion. I learned of Communist China and there similar actions. I felt so good that we lived in a place of Freedom to worship as we choose.

Then in 1960 I saw the first change. I was asked to pass out tracts in the foyer of our church in my hometown. The pamphlets stated that if John F. Kennedy (a Catholic) was elected President, the Pope would gain control of the USA and make everyone Catholic and end our Freedom.

I started paying attention in school and learning about the KKK and how most of its members were Christians who hated Jews and Blacks. These were my first extreme religious sects or terrorists!

I have watched the Protestant Irish fight the Irish Catholics. I have watched Israel fight Islam Nations.

I see conservative groups demand Freedom of Religion be preserved.

Now we have this Islam Center in NYC. They say it is about 911 and not about Religious Freedom. Yet this is a battle that we all loose.

In all these battles God is removed by both sides. If the line: "Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight" was something we believed, the battles would end. The Islamic terrorists are no more religious than the KKK were Baptists. Evil is evil and needs no building not even in Manhattan.

I keep asking how would Jesus handle this latest battle? I do not see Him in any of the TV Talk. I never recognized Jesus as a zealot.

We, as Christians, have to see such things differently. When Jesus met the women at the well he did not do the PC thing, he did what he wanted us to do. When he met Zachaeus he did not do what a "good Jew" would do, he did what he wanted us to do. We can't convert the world by hating the world.

Call me Crazy.