Monday, January 28, 2008
Atheist Friends? Muslim Friends?
I have a lot of friends who don't believe in God. Is that a big deal? Not really. It helps me remember that we're all different in this world, starting from different places and points of view. And it helps me stay sharp in my beliefs, and it forces me to revisit what's important to me vs what's legalistic vs what's not a big deal. As I think through my closest friends, its probably split between Christians and non-believers (not necessarily all Atheists - some folks who are of other beliefs). My mother is Arabic but she's not a Muslim, nor is any of our immediate family. But I don't have any close Muslim friends. Odd? I don't know that I even know any Muslims. I find it odd that I know a lot more Atheists than I do Muslims, Hindu's, Mormon's, etc... is that unique to me? Is it the circles I run in? I might have met a few Muslims but I'm not sure. Maybe it's the regions I've lived in (Dallas, Texas; Indiana, Denver/Colorado Spring, Colorado; Phoenix,Arizona) in the US. But I've worked all over the place and traveled all over the world. You'd think I would have run into more Muslim's. I will say most of my non-believer friends are very opened minded willing to discuss a lot of diverse topics - and they tend not to rant and rave when they disagree with me (except for some of my family members :) ). They are (get ready for this!!) VERY Christ-like in their behavior. Most care about the downtrodden, most focus on social programs, most love all kinds of people, most care about the world and where it's headed. But a lot of them get fired up when talking about Christians - not when they talk about anyone else. We're kind of polarizing, aren't we. But seriously - why do such compassionate, caring, forgiving people turn into angry, disparaging, mean spirited people when talking about Christians? What triggers this response? I need to ask my friends - or maybe they'll read this and respond. What about you readers - where do you fall in all of this?
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5 comments:
Too many questions to be able to respond to all.
Those of us who grew up in the U.S., other than Dearborn, Michigan, have been surrounded (90+%) by Christians, and if we grew up in a small town, odds are we rarely, if ever, met anyone who was other than Christian, like Jewish or Methodist, let alone Muslim.
As for "Christians" bringing out the worst in non-Christians, I think that might be an over-generalization. Kind of like saying all Christians talk in tongues when the Spirit moves them.
For me, two things raise my blood pressure regarding Christians (namely, the evangelical variety).
1. The arrogance that "there is only one path to heaven, one answer for the ills of the world, and only one source for goodness or kindness", which is summed up nicely by a bumper sticker I see often in Colorado Springs that says: "No Jesus, No Peace. Know Jesus, Know Peace."
2. The Jerry Falwells and Pat Robertsons of the world, who are forefront in the public eye, carry the mantle of "Leaders of American Christians", and claim to exclusively hold some authority regarding what is or isn't a moral lifestyle. These guys preach intolerance, advocate hatred, and push an obvious political agenda.
Their positions make me angry, and the people who follow them (blindly or through intelligent rationalization) rile me up.
This is really interesting to see it put so clearly. Sadly, this isn't the first time I have heard a story like this. I have heard of far too many people who refuse to believe Christianity because of the people around them.
What jumps out to me is the motivation and attitude behind actions. One thing that has always bothered me is the attitude that many Christians hold is that if someone disagrees with you on one thing, then you can't work with them. Denominations can create a lot of problems...
Anyways...and I really like how you brought up what great people your family is. I think that too many people think that non-christians are bad people. Sure, they are sinners the same as we are. But some of the best people in the world are non-christians. Whether an Athiest, Muslim, Jew, Christian, or anything else, religion doens't speak of morals. There are people from every group who do unthinkable acts of hatred to other people, some even in the name of religion. On the other hand, there are also people from every group who have done unbelievably good. Saved starving children in Africa, loving someone who has no family, or even doing the right thing when everyone else expects something else.
I think that the attitude of superiority, rather than the attitude of humility that Jesus displayed, is why many people feel so passionately against Christians.
I don't think we live surrounded by Christians. I think we live surrounded by people who might attend a protestant or catholic church on an occasional basis.
As for the implied piety related to Christians - Muslims, Jews, etc have very similar beliefs related to getting to heaven or the place in the afterlife their destined...
the level of non-compassion towards Christianity in the US is amazing. Most of the ACLU cases related to seperation of church and state deal specifically with Christian views - they rarely have an issue with similar views / behaviors coming from non-Christian faiths...
I like your comment Dave. Good or bad, it is definitely evident that the political leaders of today who are righting the laws are trying to push Christianity away. Some say this helps Christianity because it pushes it further from politics, others say that it is unfair. Not to stir up another discussion on that...
but anyways. I totally agree, there certainly is non-compassion coming towards Christians. and i have always noticed that, as you said, there are so many similarities between different faiths. In some cases the only core difference is who is viewed as the sovereign being.
As you said about people who may not necessarily be Christians, but attend church. I think that it is interesting to note that many Conservatives (although you will never hear it on mainstream media) believe that Barach Obama falls into this category. He was born into a Muslim family, raised in a Catholic school, and now attends a Christian Church as soon as he is running for President. Interesting to think about...
I live in a major city in Europe where droves of people have turned their backs on Christianity. Their perceptions and/or experiences warranted them choosing other options. When I talk with them I sense that it is not merely a matter of making truth claims, per se, that is the issue. They recognize that the popular claim of no one religion having the right to exclusivity is, in and of itself, a truth claim. Making truth claims is unavoidable. Their fear is not delineations of truth, but how that truth is used. If it is used for control or coersion or deceit....that is their fear. And a quick solution is to put a wedge between truth and "faith". This is perhaps one of the grandest misconceptions of postmodern thinking, i.e that truth and faith are enemies. They are not enemies, but dancing partners and both are needed to discern what is true, right, and good.
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