Tolerance, people!

It's time for me to go on another rant.  This time a religious one.  Yes, I can hear you gather up your steam now.

This weekend someone on Facebook posted an article on Tim Tebow and his Christianity.  Because I always question things, I asked the following question: " What if he was muslim? Would everyone still be cheering?"   The answer was "I don't know, but he's Christian and I'm Christian and I'm cheering".  The point was completely missed because this morning I was accused of wanting to get Christ and Christianity out of the picture, which was so 
completely not my point.


Very recently, a Jewish friend of mine was at a public restaurant, waiting for friends.  At the table next to her, was a group that were ministering Christianity, which offended her because she is Jewish and she was in a public restaurant.  Now, there is nothing wrong with praying quietly, but this group was loud and made sure everyone heard.  What gave them the right to force their religion on everyone around them?  Nothing, except for the fact that since 9/11 everyone seems to feel that we need to push our Christian faith on everyone else.  And the Boston Marathon Bombing has reinforced that.  My Jewish friend is quiet, does not force her religious beliefs on anyone else, helps people and did not deserve that kind of disrespect.

My point is that Christians have not always been perfect.  Remember the Crusades? The Spanish Inquisition and other atrocities heaped upon people in the name of religion?  Right here, in this very country that was founded on religious freedoms, we had the Salem witch burnings.  Boy, that was a Christian thing to do.  Sarcasm intended.

Most people who automatically believe that if you are a Muslim you are a terrorist have never been in a Muslim country.  I have.  Three times, and I can tell you, that, for the most part, Muslims are a peace loving people who hate jihad terrorists as much as we do and suffer as much as we do.  I had the pleasure of spending two days with a young lady, Egyptian, who taught me a lot about the Muslim faith and how it really works.  And most people here in the US have no idea.

We are so quick now to blame Muslims for all our trouble, but let's look back in history.  In WW2, we interned innocent Japanese families in camps simply because they were Japanese.  George Takei has written quite a bit on this.  In the early 70s, my brother and I were beaten up and harassed constantly because we were German, therefore Nazis.  Regardless of the fact that my family suffered in the was as well.

The Guyana tragedy was perpetrated by an American, Jim Jones.  Then we have Ruby Ridge, Waco, the Oklahoma Bombings,Columbine, Newtown,  Aurora, Colorado, Texas and a Congresswoman involved in a shooting that also killed many.  What do these terrorist acts have in common?  They were all done by Americans, not Muslims or any other extremist groups, but good old Americans.  

Atrocities are committed by madmen, not Christians, not Jews, not Muslims, not Buddhists.  These madmen may use religion as an excuse for their atrocity, but it is not an excuse.  They are simply mad, or evil, take your pick.

I am a Christian and proud of it, but I also like to learn about other people and their beliefs and values.  Since when have we become so narrow minded that no other beliefs matter?  Again this country was founded on religious freedom, if anyone forgot.  And no, I am not a leftist Liberal.  As a matter of fact, most of the time at the polls, I vote Republican.

What I am, though, is a human being.  God has taught us to love all humans.  And we've forgotten how to love our neighbors.  Maybe that's what's wrong with this world today.  

Not enough love in it from anywhere.