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I have more respect than I can communicate for many Christians' contribution to a better world. Ministers in England and the U.S. spoke out loudly against the slave trade in the 19th century and gathered support to end it. Some churches in the antebellum South were stops along the Underground Railroad. African-American churches in the South served as rallying points againt Jim Crow laws, and succeeded through non-violence. Today, Christian charitable groups are active in Africa, offering immunizations and teaching farming skills, and on a smaller but significant scale, groups like Habitat for Humanity actively work to better people's lives. And the Pope publically condemned the invasion of Iraq. Not a small blow.
Is it possible that what some Christians sense as hostility towards their religion is instead a reaction to false Christians who believe that they should only be judged by their beliefs? (Was it Paul who said Christians would be known by their actions?)The reaction to false Christians may be regrettably harsh, but the Republican party decided around the time of Libby Dole's ascent to embrace the money-raising schemes of Pat Robertson and Ralph Reed. These people were loud supporters of the invasion of Iraq and other short-sighted blunders. Bush has responded by giving tax money to religious groups, and they remained silent when the voice of Christianity, if by that I can mean the voice calling for peace and humanity, was most needed.
We need to heal, to put our heads together, whether we are Christians or Muslims or only people, and work to support those who want peace and the common good. And oppose those who would pit us against each other.
