To Judge or Not to Judge

A recent proposal in Lower Manhattan concerning the building of a mosque-community center within 2 blocks of Ground Zero has created an uproar in the nation, or at least an uproar for the people who live and work within 2 blocks of Ground Zero. Some feel that Muslims should build their mosque further away from the site of extreme pain and sorrow which they feel was caused by Muslims. Others are complaining that such discrimination is unjust, especially since the U.S. has freedom of religion.

I am very concerned about the philosophy behind these reasons. What do people feel, think, and want to act on? I am really not concerned about the philosophy behind the attacks themselves, as that is a whole different can of worms. But this controversy raises a great number of very valid questions.

First of all, how close is too close? If a mosque is going to be built, what makes the location too close? Would 5 blocks away be good enough? 10 blocks? Across town? In a different city? Some people might think they should not be building mosques in this country altogether!

Along these lines, shouldn’t our goal be to reconcile relationships instead of distancing them? I must add that I completely understand people’s frightened and upset reactions to the proposal. I am not trying to minimalize the sorrow people have felt.

However, reconciliation – this is yet another intriguing topic. What does it take for reconciliation? How long must one wait before it can happen? What makes people willing to reconcile?

I have come to realize that one reason for the strong reaction against the proposal is the strange ability for people to simplify issues in order to understand them. We like to put ideas into neat categories and simple explanations so we can judge and form opinions quicker and easier.

I laughed at a recent radio commercial I heard which encouraged customers at a fast food joint to “underthink” decisions. Decisions should be quick, simple, and easy. This is how we should think: fire—hot; taxes—bad; taco—delicious. In order to understand the complex issues surrounding Islam, terrorism, the Middle East, and 9/11, we simplify it to satisfy our lack of will to seek understanding and justify our apathy or ignorance.

It is so fascinating to me how we come to conclusions. How do we determine our opinions? Does the media control our lives? Do I simply believe everything my parents believe? Do I base my positive or negative judgments of a certain population on my interaction with a sample group or what I have seen on T.V.? Every single Muslim person I have met has been kind, gracious, and hardworking. The Muslims who would like to build the mosque near Ground Zero may be perfectly decent people. So how do I listen to the news and make a judgment call? Do I “just have to be there” to understand it or am I being too naïve and trusting?

Drink Responsibly

I used to think that the slogan “drink responsibly” was an oxymoron. I was raised in a Christian subculture that, directly and indirectly, taught me that it was “responsible” not to drink in the first place. There were even some interactions with people where I learned that drinking was a sin. Therefore, since drinking was not a responsible thing to do, it was contradictory to encourage people to drink responsibly.

Now I am starting to realize that perhaps these two ideologies can be balanced. Perhaps it is postmodern of me to hold the Bible in one hand and a beer in the other? It is as if two seemingly incompatible ideologies have slammed up against one another in a tension-filled balance, perhaps a bit like the balance between free will and God’s sovereignty.

Can one live a Christ-filled and Biblically-founded life while still engaging in culture? If a simple definition of “culture” is the beliefs, values and actions of a given person or people, these things can not be considered sinful in and of themselves. I understand that sin has stained man and his culture, and furthermore that even nature was subjected to futility by God because of sin entering the world (Rom 8:19-22). However, man himself is not evil just as much as a tree is not evil. Man has sinful tendencies and the tree is waiting to be made new. While evil can creep into our thoughts and actions, it is not those surface manifestations of culture that we should be fighting for or against. We should instead be concerned with the core issues of the individuals and corporate culture around us.

This is starting to sound awfully like a slippery slope, and that may be just what it is. But I am not going to avoid a slippery slope simply because it is slippery. There must be a better reason. And if there is, I try to live by life guided by the Holy Spirit so I know which slippery slopes to stay away from and which I could engage. And if you are perhaps worried about my condition, might you throw me a line or lend me a hand – not so that you can pull me back up to where the Christian subculture says it is safe, but so that you can keep me from falling on my face.

There are numerous examples spewed about the Bible and in the Gospels of Christians engaging in culture while still remaining pure. Let me consider the trap Jesus finds himself in one day, as is recorded in Matthew 22:15-22. The Pharisees attempt to trap Jesus in his words by asking a tricky question. They see Jesus trying to be a man of integrity and truth, but a system is at work in the Ancient Near East that is seemingly incompatible with Jesus’ lifestyle. They take this to the logical conclusion which leads nowhere good for Jesus and his followers. Jesus however does not use anthropo-logical wisdom (human wisdom) but theo-logical wisdom (God’s wisdom). The Pharisees ask Jesus if it is right to pay taxes to Caesar or not. Knowing their ill-intent, Jesus responds by asking whose face appears on their coins. Of course, it is Caesar’s face. Then Jesus says, “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what is God’s” (Matt 22:21). Jesus has just slammed two contradictory ideologies up against each other in a tension-ridden balance between a healthy Christian lifestyle and a majority culture that is powerful and corrupt. Christians find themselves in similar situations daily and must be wise in their spirit-guided engagements with the culture.

Oh, and where’s that rope? I think I may be slipping.

The Gray Coat

by Mary Gudeman

People were lined up at the four automatic ticket dispensers.  I chose the one where only one lady in a gray coat was inserting her fare.  The ¥70 button flashed on. (She’s just going one stop.)  But she only stared at it.  Below the train fare buttons to the lower right was the nyujo-ken (platform ticket) button.  It also flashed on since the cost is the same, ¥70. (She’s not getting on the train…She’s meeting someone on the platform instead.)

She hesitated. (I’m going to miss my train if she doesn’t hurry.)  Finally she reached out her hand and pushed the ¥70 platform ticket button.  The ticket quickly dropped into the tray below.  But she only stared at it.  In exasperation in having to wait, I reached over her shoulder, brushing it, to insert money for my train fare. (Lord, forgive me for this bad attitude of impatience today!)

(Later on the platform…)  Suddenly an eerie thud, screeching of brakes, fragments of train-bed rocks flying around broke into my reverie!

Dazed, the scene before me slowly unraveled itself.  Bits of a mutilated body scattered here and there confirmed the tragedy! And below, in front of me, lying inside the train rails, was the gray coat, grease and blood-stained.

She had paid ¥70 for her leap into eternity! And I was at her side only moments before, not caring.  In fact, she was “in my way” that day.  She almost caused me to miss my train.

Reference: First appeared in Japan Harvest, Vol. 35, No. 1, 1985.

My Body Wash Makes Me Feel Like A Man

My Top Ten Favorite Names of Disney Villains

10. Shan Yu (Mulan)

9. Madame Medusa (The Rescuers)

8. Gaston (Beauty and the Beast)

7. Shere Khan (The Jungle Book)

6. McLeach (The Rescuers Down Under)

5. Scar (The Lion King)

4. Ratcliffe (Pocahontas)

3. Jafar (Aladdin)

2. Ursula (The Little Mermaid)

1. Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians)