fides quaerens intellectum
Dec 31 2009
Yes, I asked if ‘mommy blogger’ was discriminatory – no, it is not. Whew. Safe on that one. Of course, I am too much of a man to follow and read a mommy blogger, but my wife is not and thus she follows the mommy bloggers, as she is one, and tells me various things. I reckon the other night, the blogger known as MckMama posted a quoted from G.K. Chesterton and was slammed for various things. The quote,
Continue reading “Mommy Blogger Takes on (In)Tolerance of (the Christian) Religion”
Nov 29 2009
UPDATE (see the bottom of the post)
So the country which took the money of the Nazi’s money in WWII and still shelters money for all many of people and organizations which serve only an ill purpose to humanity does this?
Oct 30 2009
Fr. Stephen, the best South African blogger in South African, points us to this video:
Nov 27 2008
I didn’t know Lutherans could be this ‘intolerant’… Seriously, though, I have seen a growing number of these bumper stickers around Charleston (WV) lately. Believe it or not, we have a large community involved in the Council of Churches here in the big city of Charleston, WV, which feeds the idea that Christianity is nothing special. As a matter of fact, the Executive Director would rather quote from The Qu’ran than from the bible.
A few days ago I was stopped behind a car at a red light. The car had a rather unique bumper sticker. I could see four religious symbols on it. Each stood for four different world religions. While waiting at the light, I tried to figure out just what the bumper sticker was attempting to say with the way the symbols were arranged. Then it came to me. They were arranged in such a way, that if you looked just right, you saw the word ‘Coexist.’ I have to admit, it was pretty ingenious.
We live in a woed with multitude of religions. Often in some cases these religions don’t get along with each other. History has even shown us that adherents of the various religions have been known to war against each other, or persecute each other.
So, in one sense, I can say that I agree with that bumper sticker. In a world filled with suspicion and violence, it is important for the various world religions to learn to ‘coexist’ with each other. Religious violence and persecution are never acceptable.
However, coexistence can never mean treating all religions as equally true. To do this ultimately does an injustice to these religions. Take Christianity for instance. I am a Christian. In particular, I am a Christian pastor whose life is dedicated to proclaiming a specific message: the message about Jesus. Jesus himself states, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” His early followers knew exactly what he was implying. A few years later the Apostle Peter stated the following about Jesus: “And there is salvation in no other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” And, as far as truth goes, the Apostle Paul stated that “truth is in Jesus.”
So, if the bumper sticker means that the various religions should live peaceably alongside each other, then I whole heartedly agree. No violence should ever be done in the name of religion. No person should ever be forced to embrace a specific religion. No one should ever be treated as a lesser person because of what he or she believes.
If, however, the bumper sticker means that all religions lead to God, and that each religion should admit this, then I could not disagree more. Christianity has always claimed Jesus to be God’s one way of dealing with the salvation of the world, because it is Jesus who has dealt with the world’s problem of sin. Christianity has always proclaimed that God has come among us in the person of Jesus and that in Jesus he has taken the sin of the world upon himself. Christianity has always proclaimed that in Jesus the sin of the entire world has been taken away through his death on the cross. In addition it has proclaimed that this Jesus truly rose from the dead with the guarantee that all who trust in his forgiveness have both forgiveness and eternal life. This is the message the Christian Church has shared with the world from its beginning. At its best Christianity doesn’t force the world to believe its message, but simply shares the message of Christ with the world.
I’m willing to coexist peacefully and lovingly with people from all religions and all walks of life. Yet, as a Christian, and as a pastor, I must continue to proclaim the truth of Jesus as God’s one, only, and more than sufficient answer to the world’s problem of sin.
Pastor Douglas Morton is pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Marengo. His email is pastor@forgiveninchrist.com.
via The East Iowa Herald Pastor Doug Morton: Coexistence and Truth
Aug 30 2008
Unlike many Fundamentalists, I don’t dismiss Interfaith dialogue quickly, as I have seen the fruits of Interfaith assistance on certain issues, however, many of these Interfaith groups readily dismiss any idea of a separation of doctrine, insisting that true tolerance is to acknowledge that everyone is equally correct. Therefore, Muslim and Christian are equal religions, as is Hinduism, Buddhism, and Atheism – all leading to the same path. This is wholly (or unholy) false. If this is true, then Christ suffered and died for naught.
Former New York Times reporter looks at growth of interfaith movements – Los Angeles Times.
Continue reading “Former New York Times reporter looks at growth of interfaith movements”
Aug 10 2008
israelinsider: Views: Don’t confuse interfaith dialogue with groveling.
A global conference promoting interfaith dialogue sponsored by the current Saudi regime sounds somewhat like South African proponents of apartheid holding a global kumbaya extolling the virtues of racial equality.
Jul 19 2008
Sri Lanka: Buddhist monks destroy church, attack pastor.
I thought Buddhist monks were supposed be to the true examples of what a peaceful religion that Buddhism is.
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