Received my Sojo mail today, the periodic e-mail sent out by Jim Wallis and his merry band of progressive Christians. This particular edition included this Philip Rizk piece. Allow me to respond to pieces of it. He writes:
It is not Western values of freedom of speech that we must evaluate, but their underlying philosophy of individualism. The Western mind is raised to believe that what it thinks, expresses, and believes is a private and personal matter. In the Arab world, where societies share a collective understanding of self, such teachings are heretical.
Umm... since when are members of the Religious Left concerned about what is or isn't heretical? God knows they think little of heresy in Christendom.
The time may have come for the West to consider learning a lesson from the faith of the largely Muslim Middle East, or it might perform some soul-searching even closer to home, among the faith of its own ancestors.
The faith of the largely Muslim Middle East is showing the world how backward, how neanderthal, how oppressive, how less than peaceful their adherents really are. They seem to care little about Muslims who blow up innocents, including other Muslims, even Muslim women and children, yet go on a destructive rampage when cartoons are published in western newspapers. I think the West is learning tons about the Muslim faith Phillip.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all teach the act of giving as a central aspect of the makeup of a society. Such a giving is not to be limited to financial giving, but includes the giving of time, effort and self. The question becomes how to give to neighbors when one does not know them. In the December 2005 issue of Harper's Magazine, John Berger writes that the world's obsession with information causes it to neglect knowledge and wisdom. In our dilemma wisdom is the key. There is a dire need for encounter and for relationship, which will allow one to know the other. Privacy is the value of the West that the East will not accept, and the collectivity of the East the value rejected by the West.
The teachings of Christ go a step further in calling his listeners to love not only their neighbors, but their enemies.
For some, Muslims around the world are neighbors; for others, they may be considered enemies. Will the West be able to take a call of the past seriously and consider the neighbors of this global village, before feedings its undying desire for freedom from all responsibility toward the other?
I recall more than a year ago when a largely Muslim area was devastated by a tsunami and the largely Christian West went out of their way to give loads of money, time, and material goods to help those who were victimized. What did the billions of Muslims give to help? What resources did Muslim nations bring to bear? Does anyone have any figures?
As to Christ's teachings to love not only our neighbors but our enemies as well. A liberal pastor I know put the whole love your enemies thing in a way I can nod my head in agreement to:
I think that was meant as ethical instruction for Christians and not political philosophy for 21st C. America. We Lutherans distinguish between God's two ways of operating--1) through the kingdom of God, governed by mercy and forgiveness, and 2) through the kindgoms of this world, governed by justice and law. The matter of how America--or any nation--treats its enemies or potential enemies is a #2 matter.
I did think that liberals were all about separating church and state. I guess that belief is situational... as most progressive beliefs seem to be.
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