September 04, 2006

the other cheek

"What do you expect us to do? Be quiet and be calm and turn the other cheek? We're not Christians. We're Muslims."

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Since high school, I've taken a significant step away from studying, arguing, or really paying consistent attention to politics and current events for various reasons. But...hearing that the crocodile hunter died glued me to the news for a little while.

Then hearing this quote on the news shortly after all the tributes really hit me.

It's sobering to hear from this man that I (or at least people like me) am his enemy. But it's more sobering to have him remind me what my faith really calls me to do, what turning the other cheek might look like in real life.

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"For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake." Phil. 1:29

"And he said to all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.'" Luke 9:23

(edited 2:41pm 9/7/06)

Posted by mgemb at September 4, 2006 10:48 PM
Comments

You want to know why I don't get involved particularly in that stuff? Well, you get to know anyways :) Haha, but really.. honestly, it's a hard thing to take and be like "aha!" to the Muslims, because people do it to Christians all the time. It's so easy to take what some crazy person says, and use it against them. I'm not advocating for the Muslim and their faith at all, but the reason I stay out of that is because the same thing can happen to Christians.

I dunno if that makes any sense at all, but I just feel like Christians get blasted all the time for stuff like this, and that's why I just don't get into that kinda thing, because I feel like it's a circular arguement when it comes to religion and beliefs and the media.. it all comes back to slap you in the face. Not that I'm being passive about the problem, but I just really .. I dunno, I'm done. :)

Haha well that's just the Canadian's view - not that I have an opinion or anything..

Sarah

Posted by: Sarah L at September 6, 2006 12:00 AM

lol. I kind of wanted to just take down the post when I read your comment.

I know what you mean--I'm not exactly excited to be stereotyped as believing what Pat Robertson says about politics.
And the guy who I quoted is not like any Muslim I've met. So I know that not all Muslims are like him.

Looking back at what I wrote, it does sound like the kind of "aha" that you were talking about. I don't like that either.

I felt more gravity than I did superiority when I posted it, though. I mean, obviously I think what I believe is better or I wouldn't believe it.

But hearing that quote really sobered me--for one reason, I know he thinks people like me are his enemy. Also, I'm called to suffer, and not to kill. And having a doctrines in my religion about "counting the cost" isn't something to gloat about.

So...I don't want to quote crazy people to show why Christianity is right, but rather to show that there are fundamental differences between faiths, and that different religions (or aberrations of religions) are not different paths up the same mountain. hmm...

Posted by: mgemb at September 6, 2006 09:45 AM

Yeah, I'm not blasting the fact that you posted it at all. I totally understand where you were coming from, and I know that the Muslim faith is a violent one, and contradictory to itself all the time. But it just got me thinking how posts like these happen all the time to us as well, how easy it is to take something and run with it. I just felt like posting a thought I had about it all. :)

Posted by: Sarah at September 6, 2006 11:31 PM

thanks for making me think about it, though :)
I did a little editng today.

Posted by: mgemb at September 7, 2006 02:47 PM

Haha you're funny. It's a good post anyways.. thanks for making us all think about this kind of stuff we're (Christians and the world) going through.

Sarah

Posted by: Sarah at September 9, 2006 01:17 AM

Good verses...

Posted by: Tulsa Photographer at February 6, 2007 10:09 AM
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