I'll admit I am not familiar with the teachings of Muhammad, nor do I know much about "Shariah" law. However, I know enough to know I am not interested in living in a country which adheres to Islamic rule or which is governed by imams and Muslim clerics. From reading the Old Testament, I am familiar with the teachings of Moses and Judaic law. I am equally certain I do not want the laws of the land to encompass the particulars of the Jewish faith, especially that of the "orthodox" variety. I'll make a big assumption and suppose that the vast majority of readers will agree with me on these two points.
But here's a question to consider: As a country, do we want the teachings of Jesus to be the basis for our laws? Before you answer, consider the scripture in Acts 4:32. The early followers of Christ "were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them." And Acts 2:44-45, "And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need."
Those first believers, an example for us, held this attitude as a result of following the teachings of Jesus. One such teaching was when he advised a rich man who came to him seeking answers to ". . . sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor . . ." (Luke 18:22). Ministering to the poor is a prevalent theme in what Jesus taught.
This presents a bit of a dilemma, I would think, to those Christians who decry particular political positions and government programs as "redistribution of wealth," or even socialism, but also desire to "take America back," presumably so it can be a Christian nation. As a proponent of the separation of church and state, I'm not promoting the idea of basing our laws on the New Testament, but I will make the observation that a truly Christian nation would look a lot like what many people seem to be frightened of, and it would look considerably different than the present situation. The rich, especially corporations in America, would have a lot less than they do now (but still plenty), and the poor would have a lot more than they do now (enough to live comfortably).
What is it, exactly, we expect of government? An important question for our country. What is it we should expect from ourselves? An important question for believers.
"Sister" Terry, how is it that someone like you and me can see so clearly these disconnects between (1) what Jesus taught and how this country treats the poor, and (2) the desire of some for less government in our business lives but more government involved in our personal lives. Even prior to reading your post (again another thought-provoking one), the Ozark Uncle had resolved to his next blog should be about the poor. Would love to say more but the Ozark Uncle has another full agenda for this day without the Grand-Girls. Come see us.
ReplyDeleteThe Ozark Uncle has been too busy on family matters and Douglas County history writing to read much on current issues; but he has read that Muslims are just as fragmented as are the Christian and Jewish faiths. We've been led to believe that those 1 billion Muslims are of one mind and share one goal. Experts say that just isn't so. If one could have a head count around the world today, probably 80 percent of the people murdered by Muslims are other Muslims. Go figure.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bread.org/hunger/bible/
ReplyDeleteGreat site and a great organization. YOu can find most of the facts you need there. Although it's a Christian group, our local group (which had included about 5 congressional districts at our zenith) had many non-Christians who attended because BFW is built on Christian love, not on fear, etc. I highly recommend it. The Institute has great materials and backgroud papers too.