Signs of other faiths are everywhere — and that’s a good thing
On my drive from home to church, I pass by our local mosque and see the bold letters on the building saying “None to be worshipped but God. Mohammed is his prophet.” And it makes me happy. Why would a Baptist pastor be happy about a Muslim statement of faith? I am thankful for that message because it reflects the freedom of religious expression that we currently enjoy. Others’ freedom to express their faith means that I have the freedom to express my faith.
Unfortunately, I fear that this freedom may not be a permanent situation. This fear is not out of concerns over an oppressive government but out of something much more grassroots.
Whether it’s created by or just promoted by social media, I have noticed an increased culture of outrage. People are continually offended by anything they disagree with. Not only are they offended, they will fight for the right to not be offended.
People in positions of influence are tiptoeing through a minefield, trying to avoid the next thing that will cause great offence.
While there are many things that offend people, one of the most prominent is religion.
People of one religion are offended by the public expression of another religion. People of no religion are offended by the expression of any religion.
To be honest, this completely baffles me.
I was an atheist from my midteens to my early 20s and I do not remember ever being offended by a church’s message, even if I disagreed with it. As a Christian, it never bothers me when Jews promote Hanukkah or Muslims promote Ramadan. I expect them to celebrate their faiths.
That may seem straightforward, but what about when a person wants to criticize my religion? Not all religious people believe Jesus was the Son of God or that he rose from the dead. Should they have the right to express those views?
I believe a society that is working well can endure the expression of opposing viewpoints, even ones that are dearly held. I also believe we do not need the right to not be offended.
This, of course, brings us into the topic of hate speech. If a person or group calls for violence or persecution of a group because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or anything else, they should face the legal consequences.
The problem with hate speech is that it’s often too loosely defined. Hate speech is not the same thing as being offended by an opposing viewpoint. If hate speech becomes everything, then hate speech becomes nothing.
I am not writing this as a political post aimed at convincing politicians to vote for or against certain legislation. This is for the average person in our community who will have to face a wide variety of world views.
How will you react when you encounter a belief or opinion that you disagree with or are even offended by? Will you stand up for your right to not be offended and demand limits on someone else’s expression? Or will you be thankful that their freedom to express reflects your own freedom to express?
As I drive to my church, I keep checking for that message on the side of the mosque. I know that when they are forced to remove their sign, we will be next.