1 cor 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part
is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27 Now you are the body of
Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
We all live in a level of delusion especially when it comes to our faith
construction and wanting to believe that all the major faiths are about
love. Rather, at its core religion is about our own works and doing good
to reach God or a divine nature. Perhaps its true that God is in our
relationships and that how we treat each other should be enhanced by
correct faith beliefs. Right action normally follows right believing.
Therefore, the recent statement and religious fatwa by the head of a major religious faith
is a surprise although not that surprising since Christianity has been
highly restricted in the Arab Peninsula and converts already faced harsh
punishments.
The Huffington Post tried to defend the religious faith by introducing
an Abdullah Antepli, the religious chaplain at Duke University in
response to the recent declaration by the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia.
The hidden message was that not all religious leaders from this faith
believed likewise. However, It's just like a local Catholic priest of a
small chaplain coming against the Pope. The grand mufti being the head
of the faith carries much weight and authority reflective of the people
of faith in his nation/faith.
If the Pope himself had likewise called for the destruction of mosques
in Europe, surely there would be grave protest in the streets of Europe
and a massive outpour, rioting to destroy churches, and
political/economic retaliation in the Middle East. But I guess, that is
the gift of grace in Christianity, a faith founded at the Cross of
suffering and redemption and not on religious works. We are to love
those who come against us. And this is radical love and not that
salvation was necesarilly available in all faiths.
As churches are generally already in the underground in Saudi and
officially do not exist, the religious pronouncement extends the ban to
all countries in the Arab peninsula including Yemen, Kuwait, Bahrain,
Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. It makes a mockery to a call
by some Christians siding with this faith in response to valid claims of
discrimination in the West. Perhaps there is a real fear of the
expansion of Christianity into the Arab Peninsula.
The bigotry and intolerance by a few in the West is contrasted with the
calls for destruction by the head of the religious faith. We are
all intolerant to different degrees especially if we come religious
faiths based on works so eager to condemn others of their sins just like
the Pharisees of old.
As they are in the vast majority, they do have a right to insist that
Christianity be banned much the same as the right to put gays to death.
It is their rights as a people of faith and who are we to say that they
are wrong. But we belong to Jesus Christ, who is our banner, our
champion and the Lion of Judah. Some may say we are presumptuous, but
that is the Christian faith centered around the certainty of Christ
death and resurrection and salvation both here on earth and in heaven.
This is in contrast to the freedom given without any aggenda for
Christians living in Israel. However, Christians in the West through the
grave harm done against the gay community has lost a moral right to
comdenn the mufti. Are we any better? In Singapore, we insist that gays
be put in prison. The Gay community don't even have any organization
(lest we complained to the Government that they are promoting
homosexuality), whilst our institution has tens of thousands of members
per mega church.
Some Christians in the West preached in the binary of the oppressed
versus the oppressors which is an issue in the society we live in. Yet,
we don't hear much from them when Christians are oppressed, not just a
few isolated incidents but the entire churches of nations. Perhaps, we
do need more inter-faith dialogue in Arabia.
As we feel for the pain and sufferings of our brothers and sisters in
Christ, during this Easter, Jesus has already gone before us. He took
the stripes, the pain and the suffering, that the suffering church may
be pure and holy and redeemed.
As Gay Christians, we know the persecutions and the rejection and we
know the many lives lost in the closet. But Christianity is a choice
whilst being gay is innate. Being a Christian is a matter of choice and
a decision of faith to believe in Jesus, His death and resurrection for
our sins. For many this choice has meant death down through the
centuries from the torture chambers of the Catholic churches, to the
torture behind the iron curtain and now in places hostile to Christians.
The Christian faith has always risen because Christ has risen again.
As much as we suffer, we are called not to retaliate, but to love. For
by our love and by grace, they will know that we are of Christ. For much
too long, Christians have shown hate in their self righteous indignation
and crusade against gays. It's time to love and give grace. Because we
need the grace of God like never before.
There was another time, another place not to far away from Arabia where
the Jews were trapped in Egypt. They needed a miracle, so too our
prayers today for a revival in the Middle East.
Mufti: Arabian Peninsula Churches 'Must Be Destroyed'
CBN News, Friday 16 March 2012
Saudi Arabia's highest Islamic authority said no
Christian churches should be allowed in the Arabian Peninsula.
Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah, the Saudi grand
mufti, said it is "necessary to destroy all the churches in the region."
The sheikh was responding to a question by a
delegation from Kuwait asking about a Kuwaiti parliamentarian's call to
remove all churches there.
Abdullah cited an Islamic hadith quoting the prophet
Mohammed on his deathbed, who said, "there are not to be two religions
in the [Arabian] Peninsula," meaning only Islam can exist there.
Later the sheikh clarified his remark, saying that
"Kuwait was a part of the Arabian Peninsula and therefore it is
necessary to destroy all churches in it."
Christianity is forbidden in Saudi Arabia and there
are no churches there.
Other nations included in the Arabian Peninsula are
Yemen, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.