America, Christianity and Tolerance
Does Christianity separate people? On the contrary, Christianity brings tolerance. For example, the Jews have probably been the most persecuted people in history. Here's what Rabbi Daniel Lapin says about acceptance of Jews in America in his book "America's Real War" (a book worth reading).
"Nowhere else in theworld, and at no other time in Jewish history, have Jews lived in such comfort and safety for such an extended period of time. The hospitality that Jews have enjoyed in America is unparalleled--in recent times and perhaps in all time."
What is the reason? Rabbi Lapin explains:
"I believe the answer lies in the deep commitment, held by so many mainsteam, heartland Americans, to Judeo-Christian morals."
He goes on to explain that it is America's Biblical beliefs that make America the tolerant country it is.
Is there an aspect of separation in Christianity? Yes. It comes at judgement day:
Jesus said in Matthew 12:36:
"And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgement day of every idle word you speak. The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned."
In Matthew 25:32-34 Jesus says:
"All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on the right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
"Nowhere else in theworld, and at no other time in Jewish history, have Jews lived in such comfort and safety for such an extended period of time. The hospitality that Jews have enjoyed in America is unparalleled--in recent times and perhaps in all time."
What is the reason? Rabbi Lapin explains:
"I believe the answer lies in the deep commitment, held by so many mainsteam, heartland Americans, to Judeo-Christian morals."
He goes on to explain that it is America's Biblical beliefs that make America the tolerant country it is.
Is there an aspect of separation in Christianity? Yes. It comes at judgement day:
Jesus said in Matthew 12:36:
"And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgement day of every idle word you speak. The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned."
In Matthew 25:32-34 Jesus says:
"All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on the right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
posted by BrickBalloon
Read This Post In Our: Christianity in America Blog Archive
13 Comments:
Somebody told me once, "The point of Christianity is not what you believe, but who you trust."
I tried to tell the person they were wrong. But, they would not listen.
So, which is it? Trust or Tolerance?
Since biblical quotations are valid currency here, I'll submit a few as I come across ones that may express quasi-support for my point of view, or just as importantly, disagree with yours. Let's start with
2 Samuel 1:26: "I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women." It would appear that David is referring to his sexual love for Jonathan.
I'm interested to know what you make of that?
The question isn't trust or tolerance, tolerance of other people is the result of trust in the Lord. In addition, intolerance of sin also results from trust in the Lord.
The statement you asked about could also be rephrased as, The point of Christianity is not what you believe, but in whom you believe." It is saying that the person in whom you believe, or another way to say that is the person in whom you trust, will determine what you believe. The "what" is a result of your choice to believe in God or Satan.
Tolerance for people is a "what" (eg. We say, what do you have? I have tolerance.) that results from trust in, and the resulting love of/for the LORD.
Sin is opposed to the God. Sin can not exist in the presense of the God. Sin runs away from the God. Sin carries you away from God.
On the other hand, if you trust in the God, you want to become closer to God, which means you move away from sin. It means sin is rejected for what it is, evil. And it is only after one turns their back on sin, that there is truth and freedom--and as a result also tolerance.
How do you define tolerance? What is it?
I was wondering if you could talk a little about David being gay. Seems a good point was made. Perhaps, MTA, it could be addressed.
Also, I should thank you for pointing out that book. I took some time to look it up at Amazon.com. Once I searched through the "GREAT BOOK" and "Conservatives are #1" comments, I found an interesting review. So, here it is...
"The War is Over: the Faithless have Won, December 29, 2004
Reviewer: Michael Stern (Yardley, PA USA)
Though a refreshingly well-executed effort in light of some truly unreadable drivel that passes for intellectual discourse these days, the Rabbi's effort is, alas, in vain. The "War of Ideas" is pretty much over, at least as far as faith is concerned, and the faithless have won.
While it is admirable for the more articulate spokesmen for traditional religion to recall the founding of this country as an indication that America was not started as a secular nation, after reading enough such commentary one is eventually left with the burning question: if religion is, in fact, the backbone of a free society, why bother with the separation of Church and State?
What the Rabbi, and other conservative thinkers conveniently forget, is that while the US was founded by (and for) men who at least nominally practiced some formal faith, these were not, as the Rabbi would have us believe, religious fundamentalists, or zealots. The Founding Fathers were considerably more ambivalent about their sectarian faith (though not the formalities of such) than is the Rabbi, or for that matter folks like Pat Robertson. The genius of their effort was not in founding a society based on man's shared servitude to God, but rather one based on man's essential right to liberty, which is absolutely necessary for man to pursue his own individual goals by his own means, as an end onto himself, provided that his actions do not infringe on the rights of the others to do the same. Note that service to God does not require man to be free, since even an enslaved man can be made to worship a deity, just as he can, and has throughout history been, made to serve the wishes of the various pagan, religious, and collectivist thugs which societies that were NOT based on liberty and individual rights seem to have had no trouble producing in great abundance.
All in all, as we stand and contemplate our future in the early years of the new millennium surrounded by the various monumental achievements of mankind, we should be reminded that the greatest threat to that future is posed not by the ever-present secular evil, but by the most fundamental and, some could argue, the most internally consistent manifestation of faith and mysticism -- radical Islam. We will not be able to win the ideological war with these Islamists if our only philosophical argument remains: "our God can beat up your God".
For a healthy antidote to Rabbi's book check out the recent "The End of Faith" by Sam Harris."
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Can you not get your mind off sex? Does every relationship revolve around sex? However, I suppose I should understand where you're coming from because, as Galatians 5:19 says:
"When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality…"The question concerning 2 Samuel 1:26 has been answered many times across the web and it's easy to find the answer. I wonder if you are really seeking an answer or just picking a verse out of context and attempting to fire darts (Ephesians 6:16).
The verse you are referring to says:
"I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women." — 2 Samuel 1:26
There is no hint of a sexual relationship between David and Jonathan either here, or anywhere else in the Bible.
David and Jonathan were two of the unlikeliest people to be friends. Jonathan's father, Saul, was David's main enemy. Saul was continually sending his army out to kill David. And when David was in the same room as Saul, Saul seemed to have a tendency to throw a spear at him (his aim must have been horrible). In spite of this Jonathan was a good friend of David, risking his life to warn David (saving David's life) of Saul's plans to kill him.
I assume you've never been in the military and known the "friendship" between soldiers who have saved each other's lives many times. There is no friendship, no love--including the love for a woman--that is like that relationship. Read 1 & 2 Samuel. Read the whole story. You'll learn about the deep relationship David and Jonathan had, and it has nothing to do with sex.
List of Questions:
1.Who are you referring to in the sentence, "Can you not get your mind off sex?" Who is "your"? (Me or anonymous?)
2. What does "immoral" mean?
3. Does the def. of "immoral" change over time?
4. What is intended by "sexual immorality"?
5. How do other religions (Islam ect.) fit into your Christian box? Are they immoral?
6. Do these other groups have rights?
7. What do you (MTA) think about globalization?
8. Is the destruction of a culture by an outside force immoral?
9. Does might make right?
10. Is it possible to be in the military and gay at the same time?
In answer to question #1, both. You are so similar in what you say and how you say it that it's almost as though you were one person. But you asked that I answer his/her question, so I supposed it was mostly directed at him/her.
The answers to you other questions are in a new posting.
I am flattered that you think of my writing in such high regard.
By the way, you really missed the boat with your whole "trust" comments.
Speaking of boats, how big was Noah's boat?
Re: America's Real War -- with some apparently extensive digging through reviews to find one that suits your tastes, you've quoted someone's opinion that is not related to the subject. The point being that unlike other countries, America is the country that has historically been the most tolerant of those groups the rest of the world has persecuted.
Re: Noah's Ark
The ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. It's design was extremely stable and provided a deck area about the size of 20 basketball courts. It took about 120 years to build.
Re: America's Real War
Umm... not really digging on that one. I only went to the first page. There could be more like that. The point being that you do not Trust people that are not like you. The point being that fanatical Christians still think they are the center of the universe. The point being that oppression still exists in this country. Who cares if we are "better" than some countries. People are still being mistreated in the United States. Finally, one group is winning some court cases in California.
***Bonus Section***
"No rational purpose exists for limiting marriage in this state to opposite-sex partners." Kramer wrote in a decision relying on rights guaranteed by the California Constitution.
You are speaking like a post modern iberal who assumes everyone must be like themselves.
You wrote:
"You do not Trust people that are not like you." - No, I trust anyone who has not proved themselves to be untrustworthy. Their politics don't matter, and since most people are not like me, that they be like me does not matter. I meet regularly with non-Christians who are nothing at all like me. But I know them to be honest and trustworthy. So while I may disagree with their positions, I have trusted them and I have learned from them.
"The point being that fanatical Christians still think they are the center of the universe." - No, God is the center of the universe. And we are here not to be the center of anything, but to be servants of others. A servant can not be at the center.
"The point being that oppression still exists in this country." - I assume this means you are against oppression and persecution, and that you will fight to restore the right to freedom to those who are being oppressed and persecuted. Right on!!
I'm glad you recognize this problem and I hope you will work to eliminate the oppression of Christians in America. Christians are not allowed the freedom of speech everyone else has, and which is guaranteed by the Constitution. Christians are not allowed the freedom of expression, for example through the way we dress (try to wear a tie with a cross on it to work). This is a freedom that everyone else has. Christians and the Christian lifestyle is constantly under attack by Hollywood, the media and the courts. Christians are constantly harassed and belittled by people such as yourself. Christians are afraid--yes there is fear in this country--and it is Christians who are afraid to act like Christians in pubic because of ridicule and persecution. So I am VERY GLAD to hear that you will be joining the fight to stop the persecution of Christians in America. Thank you!
Or is this like the check you promised to send? Is the reality that you only care about the supposed "persecution" of people who are like you?
"Who cares if we are "better" than some countries." - I agree with you fully. You are right, being better than other countries has no meaning. I don't care about it in any way. What I do care about is America being in God's will. We are not compared with other countries, we are compared against the unchanging standards of God.
Bonus Comment:
I would not have expected a San Francisco court to have said anything different. The law means nothing to them, nor does the will of the people--in a country that is supposed to be of the people, for the people and by the people.
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