Now, in response to what I and others have written about last Tuesday’s despicable attack on the employees of the French satirist magazine Charlie Hebdo, I’m reading more & more comments (mostly from Christians) generally denouncing Islam as a religion of “violent criminals”, “maniacs” & “demons” … Well, I myself have yet to read the Koran, and as such will reserve my personal opinion on the overall nature of Islam until I become at least a little bit better informed (something I would recommend that EVERYONE else do as well) …

And yet what I CAN offer now is a calm & non-judgmental reminder for all Christians about the quite violent & fairly sordid history of their own religion … What I CAN do is remind those who would condemn Muslims that Jesus himself told us all (believers & non-believers alike) to remove the beams from our own eyes before attempting to remove the splinters from others … What I CAN do is remind us all that it is not advisable to criticize another’s religion when followers of our own particular faiths have done far worse in our own religions’ younger days.

Now I have indeed read a bit of the Koran, and I can freely admit that what I have read so far IS indeed heavily sprinkled with stern words that favor judgment & violence & condemnation & intolerance — AND YET it is also important to note that these words are only marginally more aggressive & “backward” than many passages of the Christian Bible with which I am much more familiar …

Islam is still a relatively young religion, my Friends, and therefore it is still a very aggressive religion … And while the theological youth of a faith & the unsophistication of that infant faith’s followers are NOT valid excuses for violent beliefs or evil deeds, we would all — especially Christians — do well to remember that radical followers of Christianity committed FAR WORSE atrocities in the names of their prophets back when their religion was in a similar stage of “development” (see the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, the Catholic church’s active support of Hitler in WWII etc etc etc).

In fact, Christians would do well to humbly remember that — even though they are for the most part not currently engaging in actions of direct violence against the innocent (though there are still a few horrific exceptions in parts of Africa, and the Westboro Baptist Church & abortion clinic bombings in the U.S. also come to mind), the fundamental Christian dogma IS both exclusive & condemnatory of all “heathen” non-believers — and therefore quite hateful itself … In fact, it is more than fair to say that Jesus himself, were he alive and among us today, would no doubt stand forth and sternly denounce the bigoted “Paulinist” perversions of his teachings … And yet there can be little debate that the Christian church is founded upon such judgmental “values” regardless, and there can be little argument that the modern-day Christian church spews words of intolerance & judgment from the majority of its pulpits to this day.

Now let me be clear: what the radical minority of violent Muslims are doing in the name of Allah is repulsive and should definitely be sternly yet peacefully condemned … AND let me be equally clear: Christians would do well to remember that their own active worship of a God who is allowing billions of innocent Souls to burn forever in Hell (for the simple “crime” of choosing to worship the wrong godhead) is merely an act of unjust violence in another form.

When I read the Bible (which I have dedicated a sizable portion of the last ten years of my life to doing), it becomes quite clear that Jesus was more fond of humility than any other virtue (with the possible exception of radical acts of Kindness, of course) … And when I think about Jesus’ words with any semblance of calm objectivity, I also remember that he went so far as to openly note that NO ONE would ever enter his Kingdom of Heaven without first becoming “humble as a child”.

My Friends, judging others to be “criminal” or “demonic” or “insane” most certainly does NOT satisfy this commandment, and as such, it would be wise for all Christians making such statements /or holding similar beliefs to recant those words and set aside those ideals — to have the humility to admit that the vehemence with which you are judging a minority of deluded Muslims is possibly better directed at yourselves — and to then courageously reaffirm and exemplify the Love unconditional for which your own Lord & Savior lived and died.

Amen … Let it be so.

“Violent, irrational, intolerant, allied to racism and tribalism and bigotry, invested in ignorance and hostile to free inquiry, contemptuous of women and coercive toward children: all organized religion ought to have a great deal on its conscience.” ~ Christopher Hitchens

“Satan has been out of a job years ago … We are doing his work for him.” ~ Dan Lewis (United Methodist pastor)

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” ~ Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:3-4)