Some thoughts on #Gaza and the #ISIS situation in #Iraq: 1. Broadly speaking, I get annoyed when #Christian folk here in America whine about being persecuted. We have it better here than just about anywhere in the world. However, I do think that the fact that only Christian media and Fox News seem to be reporting on the persecution of Iraqi Christians, and the destruction of one of the most ancient Christian communities in the world, speaks to the distorted nature of mass media in this country. The truth is, it *does* have an axe to grind, and that axe *is,* if not anti-Christian per se, certainly indifferent to Christianity at best. I say this not to rile Christians up to oppose it -- woe to us if all men speak well of us -- but in the hopes that others will start to recognize it, and to evaluate the information spooned out via TV, newspapers, radio, and blogs with greater care and critical thought. It may also be worth pointing out that, though many have fled into exile, there are Arabic Christians still living in Palestine -- including Gaza. A lot of Christians seem so concerned about the well-being of Israel (which, to be fair, does have few allies other than ourselves) that they are reluctant to criticize excessive acts of retaliation and war against terrorist groups, even when these result in massive losses of civilian lives. Mere justice ought to be more than enough to make us care, but if that fails us, I hope that the reflection that the lives of our brothers and sisters in the faith are also at stake will rouse us a little. 2. It has been said before, but it bears saying again: the #Muslim persecution of Iraqi Christians is about as characteristic of Islam as the Albigensian Crusade is of Christianity. Modern evangelicals and conservative Catholics would do well to recollect that two idols of the movement, G.K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis, spoke of Islam in the highest terms in their own writings, and that they had good reason for doing so -- people dont always appreciate the rigor of Islamic morals and the heights of mysticism to which it sometimes rises; in particular, Christians are apt to forget that monotheism is relatively rare, historically speaking, and Catholics in particular are bound (by the Second Vatican Council) to acknowledge that they worship the same God we do. It may be pointed out that many Muslims fail to live up to these ideals, but that is true of every belief system that has ever existed. I have yet to meet a Muslim that I didnt like and respect; and, by contrast, I have yet to hear a criticism of Islamic history that was not at least as biting a criticism of Christian history. 3. I am bitterly unhappy at the tension between the state of #Israel and its neighbors, and I fully acknowledge that Israel is partly to blame for that tension. Some blame must admittedly also be laid at the feet of those neighbors; and rather more at the feet of the European colonial powers who created this ridiculous mess in the first place. That said, as a #Catholic, I have a special debt of gratitude and a special affection for the #Jewish people (and indeed, I felt the same when I was a Protestant): I believe that God revealed Himself pre-eminently to the Jews before taking on flesh, and that, when He was incarnated, He chose to be born of a Jewish woman as a Jew Himself. Correspondingly, I believe firmly that anyone who cherishes hatred of their race commits sacrilege against God and the Mother of God.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 02:34:26 +0000