True Perspective on Faith : Lone Star Times

True Perspective on Faith

by Ree-C Murphey · 10/05/2006 12:02 pm

This has been a pretty difficult news week. Nothing has been “comforting”. It seems that each cycle brings more bad news. Nothing has been more heartbreaking than the violent murder of the Amish girls.

Then I read this:

A grieving grandfather told young relatives not to hate the gunman who killed five girls in an Amish schoolhouse massacre, a pastor said on Wednesday.

“As we were standing next to the body of this 13-year-old girl, the grandfather was tutoring the young boys, he was making a point, just saying to the family, ‘We must not think evil of this man,’” the Rev. Robert Schenck told CNN.

“It was one of the most touching things I have seen in 25 years of Christian ministry.”

Could you do that? Could you stand over the body of a dead child and tell the young not to hate her killer? I could not. Please God, make me into the sort of man who could.

I’ve spent the afternoon reading the syndicated opinion wires, looking for a column about the Amish situation. Something, anything to bring meaning out of it. Hope. Tragedy. Pity. Something.

There are more Foleygate columns than you could possibly read. But only one on the Amish. I think that says something about us, or at least our media. The most meaningful thing we have seen all week is not anything to do with Foley or the GOP. No, the most meaningful thing is the image of that grandfather, instructing the young not to hate.

I read what the Grandfather said and the comment by Rod Dreher. It totally broke my heart. What I mean by that is, I felt so dead in my faith compared to this Grandfather. The Amish are a group of people that live their faith! They literally live it everyday by their simplicity and what they don’t do! How many of us can say that? They don’t flip light-switches or ride in cars to make their life convenient in any way. I don’t think I could not hate this guy if he took the life of one of my family members. I’m having a hard time not to hate him and I’m not personally involved in any way.

Then I read this:

A Kansas-based group that proclaims “God hates fags” plans to picket the funerals of the Amish girls killed in Bart Township.

The Westboro Baptist Church — described as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League — has made a name for itself by picketing the funerals of U.S. troops killed in Iraq. The troops are dying as punishment for America’s tolerance of homosexuality, the group says.

The Kansas group says the Amish schoolgirls were “killed by a madman in punishment for Gov. Ed Rendell’s blasphemous sins against Westboro Baptist Church.

“Gov. Ed Rendell — speaking and acting in his official capacity to bind the State of Pennsylvania — slandered and mocked and ridiculed and condemned Westboro Baptist Church on national Fox TV,” the group says on its Web site.

The “church” has decided to cancel the protest in exchange for one hour of radio time on Mike Gallagher’s radio program.

First of all, God Bless Mike Gallagher for taking care of these crazies in order to allow the Amish the privacy they wanted.

Second of all, I am beyond words as to even address that “church”. How can a “church” that purports to be “Christian”, which means to follow the love of Christ, spew such hate, venom and outright meanness over literally nothing…

That “church” needs to sit down, shut up and throw themselves on the feet of the Amish and beg for their help so they can maybe find God’s love and forgiveness.

Maybe, just maybe, they might regain their soul because right now, it is missing.

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Comments

23 Responses to “True Perspective on Faith”

Robert on October 5th, 2006 at 12:28 pm

Aren’t you also describing Islam? The terrorists have stolen that religion and used it for an excuse to kill others. The terrorist have got everybody scared to speak up for fear of being killed. Look at the Pope, he only recited what somebody else said about Islam and all the zealots have threaten his life. There have been books written and their authors have to hide for fear of losing their lives. So, now we have this so called “church” trying to infer that their actions are religious in nature. If there is not a religion for them to base their hate on, then they just create a religious sect. God knows they are not and so we have to stop these people, too. I don’t think we can regain the “souls” of the misguided. All we can do is stop them from spreading.
Quicksilver on October 5th, 2006 at 12:40 pm

This example points out a big difference between modern Islam and modern Christianity. When you hear the hate from the “radical” muslims, the “moderate” muslims say very little. I have heard Christians of many denominations denounce these crazies loudly in public and say they don’t speak for other Christians.
shannon on October 5th, 2006 at 12:44 pm

……I began to sense the value of accepting things as they were and as they had happened. I saw the bitter cost of unforgiveness: nothing short of the utter erosion of one’s life. And, in my basic selfishness, I wanted no part of it.

Which set me thinking about something else… Perhaps God’s gift of self-preservation, of self-interest could be experienced as a benevolent guide instead of an ego trip (the negative tag of our self-judgment!). Perhaps God had created us in such a way that to forgive another is to break the chains that bind US, to free ourselves from the prison which limits our own freedom. Perhaps C.S. Lewis had it right when he wrote that “… the gate to hell is locked from the inside.”—Linda Doughty
fasternu426 on October 5th, 2006 at 12:47 pm

I wish I could forgive like that. I don’t know how I’d react. But Jesus forgives us. I don’t know what God Rendeel is praying to. It sure isn’t the one in my bible.
trl3 on October 5th, 2006 at 12:49 pm

The great thing is the Amish will also forgive these radical so called christians and actually pray that God will change their hearts.

We can only hope that their hearts are in fact changed and they will realize their actions are not reflecting the will of God.

But wheather these so called Christians ever change, one day they will be called on to explain their actions.
skigib on October 5th, 2006 at 12:52 pm

Those Westboro Baptist’s are going straight to hell. Next we’ll probably see little kids from Westboro Baptist with bombs strapped to them going to the mall. They’re no different from the extreme insane islame facists.
Lizzie on October 5th, 2006 at 1:51 pm

I’ve been questioning my faith as well, Ree-C. I don’t know much about the Amish, just that they are peaceful, faithful people.

Now I see that they are an example of how to love God.

I don’t know if I could stand next to my child’s coffin and teach forgivness, at least not today; but I can pray for that kind of faith and love.

The Lord never closes a door without opening a window. Perhaps this will call a few of us stray sheep back toward the fold.

It has for me, but at what a price.
Squawkbox Noise on October 5th, 2006 at 2:28 pm

The Amish teach “personal relationship” with God the Father. They spend their time studying the word of God directly from the Bible. They understand such quaint words as obeying, fearing, trust, loving, having faith in the character of God and that he means what he says in his words, promises and actions. Their faith is in the author of those words not the words themselves. They are taught to apply those words to their life.

When I struggle with my “faith” I wonder where my faith is directed? Is my faith directed in my will or “thy will be done”? Always it is in the “my will” realm.

My guess is that the “bible” the folks from “Westborrow” study is the man in the pulpit.
JRB on October 5th, 2006 at 3:28 pm

Jesus forgives, man doesn’t. If this is a church, I’m a four gallon Jersey milk cow.
Squawkbox Noise on October 5th, 2006 at 3:35 pm

Thanks JRB

And another quaint word they teach and live by is
FORGIVENESS

Hmmm maybe there is something to that old time religion.
mrygill2 on October 5th, 2006 at 4:02 pm

Robert - the islamic radicals have not “hijacked” islam, they are behaving as true believers!

True Christians follow Christ and turn the other cheek, as He preached.

True muslims follow mohammed and do as he preached: disrespect & enslave women, kill unbelievers.

Biiiiiig difference.

Read the Koran. Know thy enemy.
fasternu426 on October 5th, 2006 at 6:19 pm

It would be funny if Foley was sending emails and IAM to Rev. Fred Phelps.

A masculine kind of love…..
SOB of Cheese on October 5th, 2006 at 7:35 pm

I respect the Amish. Saying that I visited an Amish town in Wisconsin a few years ago and I was saddened at the way they chose to live. Especially the kids. We slam the Muslims who want to live in the 17th century but we seem to celebrate the Amish living in the 1800’s. They had no electricity or running water or plumbing. It was like Little House on the Prairie.

When we left the town I remember seeing the kids looking thru the windows at us driving off. They seemed to be saying “Hey, wait, get us out of this place. We want to have some fun.”
Neocon on October 5th, 2006 at 7:53 pm

Going to a church does not make one a Christian just like going into the garage does not make one a car. I think BSue said it best — (paraphrasing) If a cat had kittens in the oven, that doesn’t make them biscuits!
SOB of Cheese on October 5th, 2006 at 7:57 pm

Neo, Quanell the 10th said that except he said “that dont make em biscuits”
Neocon on October 5th, 2006 at 8:02 pm

SOB
#15

I didn’t now that about Quanell! I thought it was just the usual BSue brilliance shinin’ through!
jimb on October 5th, 2006 at 8:31 pm

Westboro Baptist is worthy only of contempt, or at best, pity. That Church is not teaching God’s Word. God is not going to punish the innocent the way they’re saying because the governor of the state spoke out against Westboro Baptist.

That’s ridiculous, and its sad.
SOB of Cheese on October 5th, 2006 at 8:42 pm

Neo, Happy 29th! Again.
Neocon on October 5th, 2006 at 8:50 pm

Jimb
#17

You are so very correct. God gives man free choice to be either good or bad. A lot of men choose to be bad (their choice). It is not God’s decision to “allow” these murders. God doesn’t interfere in our lives like that — if he did, we would all be slaves. Anyone who confuses these “people” as Christians, needs to read the Bible. The thing is, they will have to face their master one of these days and explain what they have done in this life, as will all of us.
Neocon on October 5th, 2006 at 8:51 pm

SOB!

Thanks! It is 29.95 and I am sticking to that story!
vlou on October 5th, 2006 at 10:22 pm

Wow…all these marvelous faith-based sermons! The Holy Spirit guides and testifies.
Neocon on October 5th, 2006 at 10:32 pm

vlou
#21

Please do not confuse these fanatics with Christians. Unlike the mooslums, we conservative Christians come out publicly and denounce these fanatics as what they are.
texaskaz on October 6th, 2006 at 9:36 pm

I too have given up my liberal reform jewish life, and am working towards becoming a member of the Chabad community. It will take me about 5 more years until I can move and be apart of their wonderful lifestyle and community. They LIVE it..and yes some ways are old and archaic. But I want that. I am tired of all the time saving gadgets that actually take more time, or better yet, waste more time.
One of the above posts about going to church does not make you faithful, reminded me of a conversation I had today with a co-worker. She goes to one of the big showy churches..their idea of a sermon is to bring in a magician to entertain, but yet tell kids magic is evil(?). Her son has never talked to or met the preacher as my pal told me, “well he is like a rock star to us”. (GAG!) She told me that they have let baseball take over their lives and miss going to church. I told her..why can’t you make church in your house? Why can’t you open your Bible, read some as a family and then have dinner as a family?
G-d is everywhere.
Bless the Amish. There is a group like them, called Heritage Farm North of Waco. I love them so much. We go to their Thanksgiving festival every year. They are /live just like the Amish, and are such lovely people.