As if gay marriage wasn't enough, the headlines are also screaming with the intent of the Cordoba Initiative to build an Islamic community center two blocks from Ground Zero in NYC and the president's confusing stance on it. For those who don't have a frame of reference for two blocks in NYC, I point out that it appears a piece of landing from one of the flights on 9/11 crashed through the roof of this building.
So this is how I see it.
Is this an unbelievable test of our will and commitment to religious freedom in America? You bet it is. My friend Tommy Kidd wrote an op-ed for USA Today to the same tune. If we start limiting places of worship because we don't like the idea of them being located there, it appears the attackers on 9/11 really did succeed in changing something.
Is this an unbelievably bad idea and in just about the poorest taste you could muster? Absolutely. This is a thumb in the eye of basically every NYC inhabitant, every 9/11 widow and orphan, every firefighter and first responder who served, and basically everyone who loves decency. You don't build bridges, trust, or repaired public images by ignoring the pain you're causing others.
And that leads me to the basic issue that I've been figuring out how to address. It's an issue that goes across spectrums of religion, politics, relationships and ministry: just because it's legal doesn't mean it's right.
But that's just me thinking thoughts...
For me, it goes like this: I don't think it is "good business" to build the mosque near the WTC site, however as a Christ follow I am to love and show love to all people. What would I be showing if I protested? Most would see Christians as they are already perceived; haughty, powerful, selfish, and incapable of loving anyone other than their "kind". I just don't see these traits as holy. - Faith
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