After the 9/11 attacks, Americans desperately tried to make sense of the destruction. Why would someone want to do this to the United States of America? We went soul searching. While some of us took the terrorists at face value, and accepted their explanations that U.S. support of Israel and occupation of arab lands, other groups found different answers.
"They hate us for our freedoms!" was the cry from religious conservatives around the nation. The terrorists hated us for a society that allowed multiple religious points of view, and the free exercise of those rights. And then, we went to war to defend those freedoms, freedoms enshrined in the constitution.
This spring, Shirley Dobson whined that religious freedom in America is under attack: the National Day of Prayer was found to violate the establishment clause of the Constitution. "A day honoring our country's heritage of faith and freedom has come under such blatant and unfounded attack," she wrote, as she implored Christians to petition Obama to support their right to worship.
This is not a new narrative. Search Google for "Christianity is under attack", and you get nearly 150,000 hits, as religious conservatives are constantly decrying the numerous threats to free exercise of Christian faith in America.
Now, when the shoe is on the other foot, Christians should be equally vigilant. The Constitution enumerates no special protections for specific faiths, muslim, Christian, or otherwise. If Christianity is truly under attack, the most suicidal thing Christians can do is lobby against another's religious freedom. Not only is it intellectually inconsistent, it puts all people of faith at risk. Limiting the religious freedoms of some Americans sets a dangerous precedent for all people of faith, including insular, protectionist religious conservatives. They are putting their own self-interest at risk.
Case-and-point: In response to Shirley Dobson's siren call, two ministers were arrested for praying in front of the White House in support of the National Day of Prayer. Similar incidents include Christians arrested for feeding the poor.
Finally, Christians claim to worship an omnipotent God. In 1 Kings 18:20-40, we read about a religious crisis in ancient Israel. Ahab's family was worshipping the god of Baal, rather than Yahweh. How did Elijah handle the situation? First, he offered religious freedom: ""How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." Then, he encouraged them to build an altar to Baal. That's right, Elijah promoted the free worship of his religious opposition.
I'm sure to religious conservatives this makes no sense. If your faith is under attack, why would you encourage an opposing religious group to build an altar to their God? If you read on, you'll know why: because, unlike religious conservatives, Elijah is not afraid. Elijah trusts God to reveal his glory through his own power. It is God who decides the outcome of this situation, not Elijah. We read a similar story in 1 Samuel 5:1-5, when God smashes the idol Dagon. We see this theme again when Simon Peter cuts off the ear of a servant arresting Jesus, and Jesus chastises Peter ("Put your sword away!") and restores the servant's ear. Are you beginning to detect a pattern here? God doesn't need you to protect him. Our role is to love other people, and we're doing a very bad job of it.
Whoever you are: if your God is threatened by an Islamic cultural center in the old Burlington Coat factory in downtown Manhattan, you worship a very weak God, and your fears betray your tepid faith. Put your sword away! You are sending the message that Christians are afraid of Islam.
If God is great, if God is sovereign, if God is good, we have nothing to fear if Muslims build a mosque (actually a cultural center) at ground zero (actually, in the old Burlington Coat Factory). But we should be very afraid of people who, in the name of faith, attempt to deny the religious freedoms of fellow Americans, or some day, we may find ourselves looking down the barrel of the very same gun.
Update: A number of people have commented that the proposed mosque is not located at "ground zero", but, in fact, is in the Burlington Coat Factory. A few thoughts on the matter:
- I tried to title the article:
Why Christians Should Support the "Ground Zero" Mosque
Unfortunately, the DailyKos software won't allow me to put quotes in article titles.
- I agree from a perspective of semantics, we should start calling it something more accurate, e.g. "lower Manhattan cultural center"
- I admit to appreciating that more people will be searching for "ground zero", so the article will pickup more search traffic.
Most importantly: This article would apply equally to the construction of a mosque at ground zero. I believe a ground zero mosque would also serve as a monument to the unique freedoms of America, and telegraph a message that Americans are not afraid.