I am on my way to Oslo to participate in a few lectures in my ongoing studies. In preparation for this weekend I have been reading about John Wesley’s social ethics which include his very strong opposition of war. I am sitting here on the web and juggling blogs, facebook and the whole nine yards of being connected. This reminds me of how we(I) are fast becoming less attentive. We’re finding it easy to forget. The web distracts and fragments. We have things to do. Before long, conflict will creep up on us, but we will have forgotten why. That again reminded me of a beautiful little poem by an unknown author of war and forgetfulness;

Why are they selling poppies, Mummy?
Selling poppies in town today.

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The poppies, child, are flowers of love.
For the men who marched away.

But why have they chosen a poppy, Mummy?
Why not a beautiful rose?
Because my child, men fought and died
In the fields where the poppies grow.

But why are the poppies so red, Mummy?
Why are the poppies so red?
Red is the colour of blood, my child.
The blood that our soldiers shed.

The heart of the poppy is black, Mummy.
Why does it have to be black?
Black, my child, is the symbol of grief.
For the men who never came back.

But why, Mummy are you crying so?
Your tears are giving you pain.
My tears are my fears for you my child,
For the world is forgetting again.

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Author unknown

oh and a quote by Wesley;

“There is still a more horrid reproach to the Christian name, yea, to the name of man, to all reason and humanity; there is a war in the world!”

 

Click here to view the embedded video.

It is certainly worth a watch and a think.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jim Wallis asked three important questions on fox news; (the following is from sojourners blog)

1. Should we as Americans be able to worship and pray when and where we choose? Haven’t we fought for that?
2. Are American Muslims … Americans?
3. And, for those of us who are Christians (and I am an Evangelical Christian), are we obeying the commands of Jesus to love our neighbors? Aren’ t Muslims our neighbors
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   ? So what might Jesus say to this controversy?

There was a brief silence from the Fox and Friends anchors. OK, they said, but what about “sensitivity” to the families that lost loved ones in 9/11? Well, I said, 59 Muslims also died on 9/11 because of a vile, cowardly, and criminal attack by al Qaeda. Does it honor them, or their families, by somehow connecting all American Muslims to that horrible attack?

Well, thank you for joining us today Reverend, they said. Thank you, I said, but how we handle this is very important–to what it means to be Americans or what it means to be Christians.

I was ready to talk about my friends Imam Feisal Rauf and his wife, Daisy Khan, who are among the leaders of the vision to build a new community center committed to peace, interfaith dialogue, reconciliation, and bridge-building. I know them both and can testify to their long record on denouncing terrorism in the name of their religion and their consistent work for peace. Until very recently, Daisy says her main concern about the new interfaith center was whether there would be enough stroller space. Daisy called me Sunday to describe how their lives have been turned upside down. If Ground Zero is the “gaping wound” my Fox and Friends anchors described, what could be more helpful than a religious center dedicated to healing?

That morning, as I watched continued coverage, I was disappointed to hear the low level that discourse has dropped to.  The politicians who spoke to it sounded more like the people leaving nasty and false comments on YouTube videos than anyone deserving of public office. Well, it is the election season again.

This guilt-by-association “sensitivity” argument is very dangerous stuff. Millions of American Muslims are not responsible for the heinous crime of 9/11. And an imam’s desire to heal and build bridges should be a welcome thing. Exactly how far away from what places should Muslims be able to pray in America? Is there a measurement requirement that is emerging from all the other places in the country now where mosques are also being opposed?

Fundamentalism doesn’t only exist in Islam.

The things someone like Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell have said certainly are an embarrassment to other Christians — remember Robertson’s assertion that 9/11 was the judgment of God on America because of liberalism and feminism. So how about preventing fundamentalist churches that like Robertson from worshiping within 3 blocks of Ground Zero because of “sensitivity”?

How we handle this one will affect our future as a nation. Do we believe in our principles or not? Do we believe Muslims are also Americans or not? Are we an inclusive and pluralistic nation, or not?

A mistake that lies at the very core of this particular discussion is how media and also many faith(Evangelical and mainline churches,Catholic and protestant, Jewish communities etc), political parties (in the states the democrats and Republicans united on this one) and anti faith movements( like all the new atheists Dawkins, Harris etc) had a field day in linking the fundamentalist maniac terrorist Islam with All Islam.

When Muslims want to build a mosque in New york (which we now know is not a mosque but a faith community far from ground zero) we look at them as the same people who flew into the twin towers.

This is really a grave mistake, the two fields of faith are as far from each other as Night is dark and day is light. I certainly don’t want to be put in the same Christian category as maniac terrorist Christians in India,Northern Ireland, Russia or Uganda (where the christian terrorist groups are known for there usage of children soldiers) who blow up Muslims and others who do not believe as they do. See this is the mistake we now are doing with Muslims who wish to build mosques wherever they want to. They, like us, have nothing to do with terrorism, and want nothing to do

with it. As we find it offensive to be linked with christian,Jewish or western terrorists they find it offensive that we even think the thought.

Only when we put all Muslims in the category “terrorist” will building a mosque in New York be a sick and horrendous provocation. And when we don’t, it certainly isn’t a provocation.
Now if we still want to put them in the same category as terrorists, my thoughts below might be food for thought;

The only Christian thing to do

I am a dedicated follower of Jesus and try to live my life as close as I can to how I understand who he is all about! The reason this whole act of allowing a mosque in a place so linked with suffering and pain caused to the christian west by some maniac far out fundamentalist Muslims, and how that again created so much pain,injustice and suffering for the “normal” Muslims everywhere in the world is in my view “beautiful”. I see forgiveness in that, I see “turn the other cheek” in that, I see generosity in that, I see love in that. And those are some of the fundamental things that draw me to Christianity in the first place!

I have lived or visited in many fundamentalist Muslim nations, let me name a few; Pakistan, Indonesia, Uzbekistan,  Malaysia, Iran,  Egypt, Morocco, Palestine(the part which is not christian) and I have spent time with lots of Christians who demand that “we” Christian westerners should be allowed to build a church. And in most cases we were allowed to despite a history of Christians doing horrendous things in many of these nations.(ground zero look a likes)I hear how we now condemn Muslims building mosques in our nations? And we take for granted that we should build our churches in these Muslim nations – and many times are disallowed.

The “wanna be” enlightened west whose very foundation is built on religious freedom and many other basic human rights are now in the process of becoming “al-Qaida Christians/Westerners/Atheists/Jews/Republicans/Democrats”, whom no longer fight for religious freedom and other basic human rights, but who are now fighting for “our” values,smells and religious beliefs in a way that is anti human rights, anti religious freedom. I hear the arrogant attitude of “We know the way”, “I know best” and anyone who “believes or thinks different than me” needs to change their ways to be allowed to exist in the same neighborhood as I. “They” need to be exactly the same as us to have the right to survive. Its a war between the “us” and “the others”. Us being the good guys, the others being evil and non- humane. And human rights went right out the window in the name of; I want to win and be dominant!

This is needless to say a very dangerous path to walk down.

First they came for the…

If I cant convince you to understand how a “Muslim is not the same as Terrorist” then the following might be of interest; As a follower in the way of Jesus, I have learned to always take the first step. This forces me to not Let us wait till they allow churches or freedom of speech in Medina or Mecca(they never will), to not let us wait till they share our values, till they smell like us, till they conform to everything we are, only when we feel they deserve it…lets not love only to get something in return, or only when “the other” deserves love. And let us not put every Muslim in the same category as a Terrorist. A wise man once said; “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you”…the same man also said; “do to others as you want them to do to you.”

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for the Muslims, and I did not speak out-because I was not a Muslim;

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Martin Rowson in the Gaurdian says it all.

The $100m ‘loan’ from the World Bank to Haiti could be paid off like that by a fraction of the banking bonuses paid out on top of enormous salaries. Sickening.

I hope for a happier new year to you all, despite the horror the above reminds us all of. (thanks to Kester Brewin for posting this on his blog)

I am following the onslaught of Obama by the Christian right in USA. I found this, it sums

it all up for me.

A few weeks ago the Scottish government released Al-Megrahi, the man convicted of bombing U.S.-bound Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.

The past few weeks have been rough ones for the Scots. Angry Americans threatened to boycott Scottish products. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton lined up to condemn the move. (I was by the way a strong supporter of Hillary, and I still am, but disagree with her on this reaction)

This is one of many good examples on the polarization and the great gap between American thinking and European thinking when it comes to Justice and the theories and platforms on which this thinking is built.

Let me generalize to try to show my point.

An eye for an eye

The American system wants the offender to get what he deserves. The punishment is then awarded according to the crime committed.

In Europe it’s very different. Let this encounter serve as an example.

I was talking to a friend of mine some time ago. He works as a Judge in one of the biggest courts in Oslo. I asked him about a case he had presided over and asked him why he only gave 2 years in jail for what I considered was a grave offense. (It was the case in which Munch’s scream painting was stolen)

His answer was this. First of all he told me that he felt 2 years was a very tough and hard sentence for the offender.  Second of all he told me that his main purpose as a judge was not to give this man what he deserved, but give him a chance to both live with the consequence of what he did and get back into society and become a good citizen again.

The decision to free Al-Megrahi was made in accordance with Scottish legal practice, which makes explicit provision for the early release of prisoners on compassionate grounds.

Let me summarize: In Europe the goal is not to give the offender only a punishment in accordance with the gravity of his crime, or to give him what he deserves, but  also to show and give grace with the desire to help him into a normal life some day again.

Intertwined with view of God

This fundamental view on justice is also very much intertwined in the view on salvation, God and Christianity. One can argue that both views come out of how one understands salvation, humans worth the bible and God.

The dominant American Christian view is again God as a judge, giving us what we deserve. And in this aspect the western European church follows the Americans. But the Eastern European church(Orthodox) have a totally different view. God as a father, trying to help his children with their mistakes.  As a parent guides his children. This thinking is very far from a judicial view of God and his relation with humanity.  The way of Jesus is never one that gives back what one deserves. It is one that shows grace and mercy also in the Judicial sphere of humanity. I applaud the Scottish for following the way of Jesus in this case. Grace and Peace to Al- Megrahi.

Read more about Eastern Christianity and the difference between western and eastern Christianity in my post; “The lost Christianity”