Love AND Discernment...

In response to Greg Stier's "rant", which I provided a link to in my Devo Email yesterday, my dearest friend, Debbie sent this for me to consider.  I thought I'd share it with you all, as it carries excellent reminders to show the love of Christ to others AND practice discernment.

Even though I agree with what he [Greg Stier] said there is more to [this issue] than that.  We can't let the love of Christ rule in our hearts and minds ONLY...we have to have discernment as well.  I felt he left that out. 

There is another side to this as well.  Please consider ...Some people are not being hateful. 

Because this is America we for the most part have rights.  According to our Constitution, we have freedom of religion.  This of course means any religion.  Do the Muslims have a RIGHT to build a mosque anywhere that any other religion is allowed to build in America? YES of course.  But rights and the doing the right thing are two different stories. 

 When the Catholic Church wanted to build a church and a place for the nuns to live NEAR Auschwitz the Jews asked that they not do that in honor of those who were lost.  The Jews asked this because Hitler claimed to be a Christian.  The Jews associate Christianity with horror.  Because of this the Pope decided not to build at this site even though he had a perfect RIGHT to do so.  In this the Pope made peace with the Jewish people and it went a long way to open communication with Jews and Christians.  It also helped show some Jews that Hitler was not a Christian.  This helped to bring peace.

In regards to this mosque, Imam says that he wants peace.  He says that this will be a center for peace for all people.  However, just like the Jews, there are people who won't understand putting this mosque at this site.  If he really wants peace then he should find another site and make that peace.  That would go a long way to show that he is sincere in wanting peace.

 The radical Muslim way is that once they have hit an enemy, they will then go back and erect a monument on the site.  This is partly where the problem lies.  It APPEARS to some that this is exactly what this Imam (and whoever else is involved) is doing.  Then they can say, "We have really conquered." Is this what they are doing?  Who knows? 

There are other national security issues as well.  Where is the money coming from?  Is it being funded by anyone involved with terrorism?  These are legitimate questions that have nothing to do with hate.  Our country can't be lax when it comes to terrorism. 

There has been some hate speech on this issue, however, there has been a lot of sound reasoning on this issue as well.

If this is ALL being done for peace then why is this site so important?  And, why is this Imam saying different things in the Arabic countries than the things he is saying in America?  There are many problems here not stemming from hate.  There are many problems here stemming from sound discernment. 

I am one of those people who feel this mosque should be moved for the reasons stated above.  I don't hate Muslims, I don't believe in burning the Quran. I believe that anyone in American has a right to practice their religion even if that religion is one I disagree with. I believe in praying for Muslims and begging the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to call them and save them. By most people's standards in this country right now, at least the left, I will be considered not tolerant or hateful.  We need to wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  That doesn't mean that everything is alright, even though I am a Christian and I need to show the love of my Messiah. 

Love,

Debbie

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Mary E.Hickcox
www.CalvaryBaptistSM.org
http://mary-neotes.blogspot.com/