Why I'm Both Ashamed and Proud to Call Myself a Tennessean

I was born and raised here, Tennessee has always been and always will be home. I even chose a college within my state's borders to attend when it came time to complete my higher education. And if for some reason I do move away I will request that I be buried back in my home state. I know how southerns may come across as slack-jawed, twangy hill folk fiercely clutching to our Bibles, but we're just like everyone else. All we want is to drink our sweet tea on our front porch on a hot summer day while listening to a bit of Johnny Cash (or maybe that's just me).

I live in the Bible-Belt where there's a church within walking distance from every home (well, I may be exaggerating but you get the point). As a non-Christian I am in the religious minority, and I'm OK with that since most people assume I'm Christian anyway (the Chi-Rho tattoo on my right forearm confuses people all the more after I tell them I'm not one of them anymore). Since Christianity is the religion of the masses here I understand how Tennesseans can feel threatened by an outside group, like Muslims, especially when their knowledge of The Other is based on violent images shown on the news. I'd be afraid too if that's all I knew about them, and at one point I was afraid of Muslims. What changed for me was that I took the initiative to learn about them. Now, it's true that because of my openness and my developing sense of reason that, in the eyes of my neighboring Christians, I have lost my faith. But what I've gained in exchange for breaking my tribal ties is an immense love and respect for my fellow man, a love without conditions, exceptions, or fences.

What breaks my heart is when my fellow Tennesseans allow their fears to overcome their ability to love. I'm referring to the proposed bill which would make following Shariah law a felony, punishable by 15 years in jail. Tennessee is not the only state on an anti-Shariah kick, but since this has hit home the issue has caught my attention. Of course this comes on the heels of last summers wave of anti-Islamic fervor which took root in my old stomping grounds, Murfreesboro, TN, over the building of a new mosque. Fear is truly the mind killer since most of the protesters of the proposed mosque refused to take anytime to consider that their longtime Muslim neighbors (the Murfreesboro Muslim community has been there for close to 30 years) simply needed a larger facility to accommodate their growth over the years. Christian communities expand all the time here in the south but when a minority group begins to expand to the point of becoming visible some Christian communities feel threatened. If Christians communities want a competing religious community to fear it should be their neighboring denomination. And with the decline of the housing market also affecting churches, denominations should be in fierce competition for a flock to fill their coffers.

The mosque protesters tried everything from labeling the Murfreesboro Muslim community as terrorists to claiming that Islam is not a religion but a political movement out to destroy the U.S. To counter the anti-mosque protesters a group formed and grew to not only embrace our Muslim neighbors but support their right to build their mosque and worship freely. The fight over the mosque last summer happened a few weeks after I graduated from MTSU and I unfortunately could not attend any of the rallies. I supported them in any way I could by clarifying the subject with friends and family and by also attempting (a very feeble attempt at that) to contact and bring together the religious communities of my local area to support their Muslim neighbors. What does make me proud to call myself a Tennessean is that even though the loudest residents caught the national media's attention, the silent majority believe that Muslims should also have the same rights to build their house of worship. To be honest I did not believe that my fellow Tennesseans would be as tolerant as they turned out to be last summer and for that I hope they will receive my humble apologies. I was so fixated on the intolerant, Bible thumpin' Southerner stereotype that I too fell victim to pigeonholing my neighbor. I'm glad they proved me wrong then, and I hope they prove me wrong over this ridiculous bill.

The Need for Fear

[I've been busy with work so my apologies for the outdated post.]

In a previous post on the fears of Evangelicals Don brought up a GREAT question in the comment section. Whenever he talks with evangelicals on the fear factors of their beliefs he asks

"Why do you need this fear?"

I absolutely love thought provoking questions like these and although this question isn't directed towards me I will still attempt to tackle it. I think believers choose to believe in a vengeful God and an eternal place of torment because the alternative seems too scary for them: living in a chaotic world. They would rather live with the lesser fear, a judgmental God in control of the cosmos, than the greater fear, a random and chaotic world with no guarantee of an afterlife. They've created a scenario in their minds where these are the only two options in deciphering reality.

Believers who accept the first option are gambling (Pascal Wager style!) that it is better to take a change at living a life in fear of a god which may grant them a minute chance at eternal life than not attempting to gamble at all. I understand their reasoning (you can't win the lottery if you don't play) even though I don't believe in the game of heaven and hell. All of this is driven by the ancient and primitive instinct of self preservation. We know death is coming and we obsess over it throughout our culture, from our popular media and advertisements (think about how many products and slogans focus on "happiness") right down to our daily rituals. Tick tock tick tock, death is coming, death is coming. Survive, survive, survive. It's no wonder that people are driven to religion for comfort and escape.

And yet, all of this is an obsession over something that will eventually happen. Evangelicals need this fear because it is easier to swallow, it offers a mental escape from the inevitable. The set back is that mankind is so preoccupied with the uncertain future that we waste our lives in the present while our eyes and heart are fixed in the future. To live in the present is perceived by some as foolishly letting your guard down of what may be waiting to pounce on us just around the corner. Pastors and doomsday preachers feed off of this fear like parasites engorging themselves with followers and self-righteousness as they weaken the frightened flock. The look on the faces of church goers after an old fashioned fire and brimstone sermon is heart breaking, and their attempts to hide their fear behind trinket smiles is devastating. I can find nothing uplifting about waiting for a chance at happiness in the afterlife (IF you believe and behave).  Yes this world is painful but along with it comes the chance to experience moments of happiness which if we truly live in the NOW becomes all the more precious as death approaches.

Enveloped in Fear

One of my long time blogging friends Don of Reflections has recently commented on the fear factor which has enveloped the lives of many evangelical Christians. (I know this post is a tad outdated but I felt this was still worth commenting.)

I have come to the inevitable conclusion that a large number of evangelical Christians live in fear. Fear of God, fear of the future, fear of the unknown. This fear may not be a 24/7 thing to them…or it may be. The indoctrination within evangelical Christianity teaches them to fear the judgment and condemnation  of a God who loves them. I think many evangelicals "need" this fear to keep them "in line", to keep them on the "straight and narrow". I just don’t understand this thinking anymore. To me it is so schitzophrenic. How could God be loving and condemning at the same time. IMO, he can’t. It’s that simple, He Can’t…

Note that he didn't say ALL Christians or even ALL Evangelical Christians, but a large number within this cultural and religious subgroup. And also to clarify (for my occasional Christian readers, please don't take offense) this is not another jab at Christianity and its belief system, but merely a comment on a particular view within a very large cultural subgroup in America. I strongly believe that like Jacob in Genesis who wrestled with his humanity and the Divine we too should wrestle with who and what we are. Don hit the nail on the head by his last line "How could God be loving and condemning at the same time." For many people this question does not even bubble to the surface because by merely asking this "heretical" question they fear the walls of reality will come crashing down upon them.

Fear causes separation, and love can't truly reside among and within us if fear is present. It simply can't! If God (however you may use the word) is love then there is no punishment to fear. It really is that simple. But why should we give in to the fear which makes us distant, condemning, and even outright prejudice against our neighbor? Evangelicals may claim that they are only following God's Will by hating what God hates but how is that any better? Shouldn't our goal be to transcend the holy hatred that divided our tribal ancestors? Should we not be more compassionate than our fathers?

A huge factor which fuels the Evangelical's fear of everything considered "un-Christian" is their fear of losing their identity. For many people their belief system and way of life IS their identity. To remove, change, or in any way alter any component of their beliefs places their own identity into question which then throws their entire perception of reality into question. What most people see as meaningless and random chaos I choose (keyword) to see an endless sea of new life and new possibilities. The universe is an explosive arena of creativity and as the most advanced expression of the universe how can we stop ourselves at any one point in history and say "this is it, no more change". History, life, and mankind will continue progressing long after we're gone. The Christianity of today HAS evolved from the Christianity of 2000 years ago (most Christians forget that the first Christians were Jewish AND occupied by the Romans; a perfect storm scenario for the creation of apocalyptic and messianic literature), and in another 2000 years, if Christianity survives, it would be completely alien from the Christianity of today. As the world becomes more globally interconnected and aware of itself the previous tribal walls of separation and identity are beginning to melt on a massive scale. We are also beginning to disassociate ourselves with our previous concepts of morality: we no longer need a god which threatens us with damnation to keep us in line, we keep ourselves in line because we recognize our shared humanity with our neighbor. We are no longer enveloped and driven by fear, we are guided by compassion and love.

Hell House: The Guilty Effect

Trinity Church in Cedar Hills, Texas is entering its 20th year of Hell House. If you are unfamiliar with Hell House it's worth going to at least once to get the full effect. Hell House began in Texas in the early 90's (although it's origins and variations date back to the 70's with Jerry Falwell)  as a fire and brimstone Christian haunted House. Variations of this phenomenon have sprung up across the country and have become a common fixture during Halloween. Click here for a list of Judgement Houses (they claim they are different from Hell House) near you.

Last year I wrote about my experience at a local Hell House in Murfreesboro, TN which was strikingly similar to the 2001 documentary on the Trinity Church spook house in Texas entitled Hell House. As they enter into their 20th year, this year's theme entitled The Twenty Effect, one can only imagine the horrific scenes presented by a surprisingly talented cast and crew. But after watching this year's trailer it seems like more of the same: sex, drugs, and violence.



The production value gets better every year, and their formula of replacing serial killers and ghosts with real life situations makes the fear all the more realistic. The scenes are so close to home that many in the audience may have personally experienced  the scenes they witness in a hell house. It may help to give an empathic perspective for the potential abusers and attackers in the crowd, but from what I've seen the Hell and Judgement Houses, which are presented by (and in) a church, are completely devoid of redemption and compassion for the unrepentant. The bad people continue to suffer and the good will either ascend to heaven or live a happy life. But life isn't as black and white as the producers of Hell House portray it to be, the world is indifferent and full of gray areas. The bad don't always get what they deserve, and the good don't escape from suffering. And the moral standards presented are those of the church community which doesn't come across as universal among the visiting public. This is the disconnect people experience when they walk through a hell house. And to top it all off at the end of the tour you're brought into a room and asked THE question: if you were to die today, where would you go? More often then not many are so shaken and overwhelmed by guilt that they are willing to do and say anything to secure their place in heaven. (The Hell Houses may boast about the number of converts won but I wonder how many actually stick around?)

What the church failed to do is what they were meant to do in the first place: reach out to the broken with love and understanding. To love people for who they are and not condemn them for what they've done is what Christianity is all about (or in my opinion SHOULD be about). There are many reasons why people succumb to drug use, abuse their loved ones, or commit acts of violence. It's not because they love the sin, in fact most born again tales include a heart wrenching description of how painful their previous lives were. The "sins" portrayed in Hell house are not committed from a burning desire to inflict pain on others, but an outcry of suffering on the individual AND universal level. Parading crowds in front of violent and painful scenes while delivering the message that the pain will simply stop if we trust in God is grossly neglecting the pain of the sufferers while denying their basic humanity. Victims of abuse as well as the abusers (who were probably victims themselves in childhood) need compassion, love, and understanding. The only thing hell house is good for is entertainment, except there's nothing really entertaining about watching people suffer nor subjugating the audience to relive similar experiences. I wonder if the congregants of the churches participating this year are aware how well the title Hell House fits them.

The Sacredness of Ground Zero: Part 4- Not in My Backyard!

The Park 51 controversy has sparked a wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric and has empowered local residents to march and protest against the growing radical Muslim horde. As a former resident of Murfreesboro I've been closely following the protests to halt the construction of the new Islamic Center of Murfreesboro. Just over the weekend there's been a suspected arson attack on construction equipment as well as shots fired near the site (I've read one article stating 9 shots and another which stated only 5 were fired). No one in Murfreesboro has been hurt yet but fear has a powerful grip over the ill informed.

See if you can spot the "evidence" produced by Laurie Cardoza-Moore, spokesperson of the Murfreesboro Mosque Opposition, as she states the danger in building this house of worship.



The fear seems to be of radical Muslims taking over America by infiltrating the "capital of the Crusaders", Nashville. First of all, What?! How long has Nashville been the Crusader capital of the world? Pat Robertson also uses alarming words like mega and massive to scare his audience into believing that these growing communities constitutes a national security threat in this August 19 episode of the 700 Club (the same one mentioned on Anderson Cooper). Ms Moore gives two pieces of evidence why we should protest this site:

• Mosaad Rawash, a board member of the Islamic Community of Murfreesboro, had posted pro- Hamas material on his Myspace page. Yes, his Myspace page.
  
• The Imam, Sheikh Ossama Mohamed Bahloul, taught at a mosque in Irving, Texas under investigation for terrorist related activities.
  

Although Anderson Cooper states in the video that the first allegation has been thoroughly investigated and Rawash has been cleared of all charges, and the second allegation was found to be complete bunk, Ms. Moore still believes this is enough evidence to keep the Islamic community of Murfreesboro from building a house of worship for their growing community. Using Myspace as evidence, really? Her evidence is no more than an exaggerated reach to tie a quiet moderate community which has been present in the area for 30 years with Muslim extremists. I doubt she, or anyone heavily opposing the construction of this mosque, has attempted to visit with the Muslim community in person. Moore tolerates the community staying at their present cramped location because this keeps them out of view. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

The issue is not that terrorist may be secretly planting training camps and education centers in the Nashville area, the issue is that many Americans don't know anything about Islam and this scares them to the point of denying their fellow citizens their freedom of worship. Vandalizing the Islamic center's sign with the words Not Welcome is one thing, arson and gunshots are on a whole other level (although the gunshots might be possibly unrelated the ATF and FBI are still investigating). There are thousands of churches throughout Tennessee and I highly doubt that a handful of new mosques and Islamic centers constitutes such a legitimate threat to the thriving Christian community as Ms. Moore argues. Of course it's much easier to love your neighbor as long as they're Christian (well unless you're not). So the moral of the story is if your neighbor is not Christian (in some circles read Un-American traitor) run them out of town. Toleration is so next century!

In My Defense

My beliefs are just that, beliefs. I try to hold them lightly but when my beliefs get attacked I tend to clutch onto them as if they were a life-raft. In the heat of the discussion we forget that we are not the raft, we merely hang onto it. But why do we hold on so tightly? Will we sink if we let go? It's only recently that I fully understood why I took these attacks so personally: I associated an attack on my beliefs as an attack on me as a person. I felt as if they were attacking who I am instead what I believe.

But that's silly! How could any of us confuse who we are with what we believe? We are not a collection of beliefs and ideas, we're more than that. So much more. Yet we tenderly care for that which we are connected to, who we are connected to, and as seen in the news, places to which we share a strong connection. It is the relationship between people, places, and things which we seek to defend, not the things themselves. An idea, a belief, is what it is and doesn't need defending only understood. I'm not saying that beliefs are not worth defending but that we get so caught up in defending them that we forget who we are. Two people can debate and discuss different viewpoints without taking it too personally because they're not talking about each other (at least we hope) but sharing our innermost thoughts on a given subject. For example let's take the theology of Jesus' divinity. Two debaters, two human debaters I may add, can list why they believe or disbelieve in the divinity of Jesus. The believer can cite his/her reasons for believing in Jesus' divinity along with any evidence to support their conclusions. It is up to the disbeliever to understand the believer's position,what it means to them, and how it affects their relationship with other people. Yet relationship is not a one-way street so both camps must strive for the highest level of mutual understand of the other camp's position not in the spirit of convincing (let alone conversion) but to build relationships.

We talk, share, and discuss with one another because we're wildly social creatures! And if we truly want to strengthen and extend our relationships with one another we must guide our conversations in an open manner so that we can actually hear each other. We don't have to completely divorce our beliefs from our identity because they are a part of us, they are but one minute component in the complex organism which makes us human. We can no more understand how a clock works by studying one individual gear than we can sum up the makeup of our neighbor by a singular belief. Can a singular belief be foundational in shaping a person's character? Sure it can, but are they better or worse because of it? Does it guide them to compassion and love, or hatred and mistrust? You can't understand your neighbor with your bag of presumptions. Of course, these are just my beliefs.

The Sacredness of Ground Zero: Part 2- I Support Park 51

With Ramadan under way and Eid al-Fitr marking the close of the holy month which will fall around 9/11, the fear and tension in the U.S. is rapidly building. President Obama strongly backed the Park 51 ("Ground Zero" mosque) in a recent statement he gave on Friday he stated,

“This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are.”

Two American Muslims are on day 6 on of their Ramadan Road trip visiting 30 states in 30 days, you can follow them here. I thought it was very interesting that they chose the controversial Park 51 mosque as one of their first stops to kick off their trip. You can see pictures inside the mosque here of the building which used to be an old Burlington Coat Factory. And there's also been a recent Anti-Ground Zero Mosque bus campaign which boldly ties the terror attack of 9/11 with everyday American Muslims.

And of course let us not forget the most trusted name in news, Jon Stewart. Nails it!!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
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Why I support Park 51.

You can't have it both ways. If we want to be the beacon of freedom to the world by proclaiming egalitarian ideals like freedom of religion then it must be freedom for ALL. It seems as if whenever freedom of religion is spoken of many conservatives and fundamentalist Christians equate that with "Christian freedom" of religion only. We must be better than the countries which deny these freedoms to their own citizens, we can call them out to do the same but we must not drop down to their level as it has been commonly suggested "we'll allow a mosque here for a church in Saudi Arabia".

Protest if you like but know your enemy, really, go visit a mosque and get to know them. Find out what they really believe not what you fear they believe. These are American Muslims, our neighbors, they are not the Taliban or Al-Qaeda just people living, working, and praying peacefully. If you want the truth don't go to your pastor or gossiping neighbor, go directly to the source, go to a mosque and talk to them. Don't try to convert them or argue, just ask your questions openly, honestly, and courteously.

9/11 was caused by the hands of Muslim extremist, period. You can't judge 1.4 billion people for the actions of a few. How would Christians respond if a Muslim thought that all Christians were bigots because of the actions caused by members of the Klan? Would a Christian appreciate being forever associated with members of a hate group? Stop presuming and protesting, and start asking and acknowledging.

I support Park 51, and all mosques for that matter, because there is no more danger from a rational Muslim than a rational Christian. It is when believers go to the extreme, becoming irrational and violent in their words and actions, do I begin to fear. All religions have skeletons in their closet and blood on their hands, not because of what they teach but how they balance the religious teaching with their humanity. I personally fear for the Muslim community in my area because I sense the hatred boiling. The Islamic Society Of Greater Chattanooga is collecting donations to build a new Islamic center off Gunbarrel Road (the open plot of land next to the roundabout). They purchased the land in 2007 and now they are raising the funds to begin construction. I know when word gets out when construction begins that all hell will break loose. When that happens I will be standing side by side with the Muslim community not because I agree with their beliefs (which I don't) but because I acknowledge their humanity and their freedom to worship.

The Reason for Salvation

"The reason we're Saved is not to have a better life here, it's because we broke the holy laws. We stand guilty before Him and we don't want to go to Hell." ~Pastor Roberson, Calvary Baptist Church-Redbank, TN.

I was hoping for something a bit more uplifting and "Christ-like" than saving our own necks from Beelzebub's boiling stew as I sat on the edge of my seat for the reason why people yearn for salvation. Is salvation really all about divine justice and avoiding Hell? What if you don't believe in either, what then? I do believe in justice but the divine justice portrayed in Christianity and Islam (they are quite similar, you know) sounds immensely unjust.



Why the need for punishment in the afterlife anyway? Why must sins be paid with blood? Is there no other way, a more compassionate way? Why must God demand sacrifice, human sacrifice, from its flawed creation to laws God put into place? Is there no other way in approaching the divine without blood as the ticket to dwelling in the presence of the holy?

The reasoning in Christian theology sounds reasonable at first: the price we pay for giving into our carnal nature is the destruction of life. This speaks to our desire to survive, and if we want to survive and honor the gift of life we must redeem ourselves. But to us in the 21st century there is a disconnect. We (the Nones, SBNR, the secularist, etc.) feel that sacrifice is unnecessary to connect to each other and to the divine (however you may define that). Not only does distancing ourselves from the sacrificial interpretation relieve ourselves of unnecessary self-created fear and guilt this gives us all the more reason to honor life in THIS world. There is no stick and carrot prompting us to love our fellow man, we love from an inner desire to do so. Is this not more genuine than love propelled by the fear of hell? I do not love to save my own skin, I love to honor the skin of my neighbor. Does this redefinition of the Crucifixion devalue the good news of the gospel? This depends on your views on theology. A brief study into the history of God shows that our views of God has evolved and continues to do so. Maybe it is time to review the popular beliefs of God. There is a growing trend that people are becoming dissatisfied and disconnected with the traditional views since spirituality has not declined only the religious envelope in which it is presented. I believe that humanity is on the verge of a global awakening, we are becoming aware that the old notion of 'every man for himself' is not going to cut it anymore. We are aware of the humanity of our global neighbors and it's becoming increasingly difficult for us to hate Them when we know Them. How can we damn our neighbors to eternal hell fire when the lines between Us and Them are blurring?

22. Jesus saw some babies nursing. He said to his disciples, "These nursing babies are like those who enter the (Father's) kingdom."

They said to him, "Then shall we enter the (Father's) kingdom as babies?"

Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will enter [the kingdom]." [Gospel of Thomas, Logia 22]

Canyon of Faith: Part 3- We All Need Love

During my recent visits back to church I've been pondering the canyon which separates the faith I once had and the faith I have now. What really separates the me from 5 years ago from the me of today? How does our understanding of the universe shape our relationship with its inhabitants? Does our definition of God have an impact on our relationship with man? As always I'm not out to bash Christianity but to wrestle with the unasked questions themselves, and in wrestling I might find some enlightenment even though the question may defeat me.

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Love, although essential, is often denied. It should come as naturally as breathing, yet it doesn't. We choke on the fumes of fear, fear of denial, rejection, exclusion. I know I put up barriers to my heart so that I won't get hurt, but I know that's just fear. Fear is the mind-killer...

I've recently recovered an email buried away in an old email account flooded with junk mail. The email is from a friend, Paul, I've been in contact with via email. He occasionally responds to my posts and I found his recent message so illuminating I thought I would share excerpts. Paul's email was in response to the previous two post in this series, he focuses on the denial of love.

I think there is “Love” (or Source, or God, or whatever. As you state, words are constricting) and then there is “The Creation of Love” and it’s this “creation” point where we as humans go so awry.

How do you “create” love? That’s what an organized religion tries to do. Love just is. Always has been, always will be. And love is not ethereal. It’s practical and always in everyone’s best interest. Love is all encompassing. It is expressed in the smallest action, a kind word or smile, to something as large as an unending supply of oxygen via photosynthesis, a process in which the most abundant life form (plant life) takes in carbon dioxide and gives off oxygen, thereby insuring the survival of the most intelligent life form (man).

His thoughts struck me so hard it's as if I received a revelation straight from the divine, and now whenever I catch myself acting unloving I envision myself denying that person love. But why would I want to deny anyone love? Paul continues with a simple explanation.

You can’t learn to do what you are. You can only deny it. The problem doesn’t lie in teaching, modeling or imparting what you are. The problem lies in the reasons you deny it. Acknowledge and correct that. Peace follows.

Why should any of us deny love? I'm not sure about the other 6 billion people on the planet but I can tell you why I do it: fear. I'm afraid, like many other people, that my love won't be returned and that I should be loved as well. We clamor for each others love and attention like siblings battling for their parents love. I completely agree with Paul, Love is always present, we just have to acknowledge and correct the reason why we deny it to others. In a sense that is the purpose of this blog, for me to discover that I have no reason to deny the inhabitants of the world any amount of love. What separates the me from today from the me 5 years ago is that I acknowledge the denial of love and I'm actively seeking to correct it. I fail constantly but I press on. I am thankful for the incredible insight from friends like Paul and I thank him for the humbling reminder that we all need love.

Damn the Facts, The Enemy is Nigh!

As an unofficial sequel to my post on the theme of fear underlying the patriotic celebration at Sunday's 4th of July service at our church, today's post is on a popular video which was shown at yesterday's service (July 11th) as a part of Soul-Winning Sunday. Although the guest pastor only showed the first 2 minutes of the video (where they mentioned Islamic Immigration) it rattled me to my core. I wasn't rattled because I had considered converting to Islam a few years ago but because I knew exactly where the film was going (In fact I had recognized the film 30 seconds into the presentation.).




This video has received over 12 million views since it's posting over a year ago. Since then there have been several sites, including good ole' Snopes.com, which have covered the erroneous and exaggerated statistics presented in the film. I'm not a statistician but a lot of those numbers seem abnormally high. BBC radio did a report on this video last year debunking some of the inflated statistics on their More or Less programme.



The guest pastor at our church stopped the film 2 minutes in and invited the congregation to view the rest of it during the evening service. Of course I highly doubt he would correct the misconceptions if someone were to bring it to his attention (which I plan to). Why? Because it reinforces their fear of the Other and makes for good propaganda (there was a massive crowd at the altar call). I have no problem with spreading the gospel but it should be done without fear tactics. The Good News is no longer good when it lacks love. When the Good News is used to distinguish Us vs. Them the gospel becomes a battle cry rather than a welcoming embrace.

God, Country, and Humanism

This post details my thoughts from last Sunday's 4th of July church service.

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Sunday was the most militant Sunday service I've ever attended. Was it always like this on patriotic holidays? How long have I been out? I don't ever recall church and patriotism being blended as smoothly as I experienced it on Sunday. We were surrounded by dozens (if not hundreds) of flags and banners stating how much God wants to bless America. A short video was also shown saluting the military in almost a Messianic manner set to the poem It Is the Soldier by Charles Providence. Here is an excerpt.

It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.

The poem itself honors the freedoms protected by the blood of those who fought and died for this country, but place it in a religious context and it gives the subtle impression of honoring the soldier as a messianic figure, blood shed for our freedom (salvation). If my mother wasn't there I would have walked out. I have no beef with honoring veterans or worship service but to quote one of my favorite sci-fi authors, Frank Herbert, “When religion and politics ride in the same cart, the whirlwind follows.” I fear the day when nationalism and patriotism in the U.S. becomes commonly equated and intertwined with the commoner's faith.

The pastor shifted gears and spoke on the public school system by pointing out the errors of humanism being taught in school. Humanism? I don't remember ever learning about humanism although I admit that I only went to a public school 2 years throughout my youth until college (I attended private SDA schools). The pastor noted the 5 major erroneous beliefs of humanism.

1. No God- If we don't have a God to hold us accountable for our sins then suffering will increase in the world.
   
2. Evolution-If we don't acknowledge the Creator as the author of creation then that means we come from animals and our existence becomes pointless.
   
3. Amorality- You choose what you think is right or wrong and if it feels good, do it.
   
4. Self-Sustaining Man- We don't need help from the divine, we can save ourselves.
   
5. One World Government-.... (The pastor just mentioned the phrase and didn't elaborate at all.)

Honestly, I found all of his descriptions and arguments against humanism incredibly weak. I admit I know very little of the actual definition and history of humanism but I think it has more to do with the benefit of mankind as a whole than a self-centered, hedonistic worldview. Of course the enemy is always painted in a negative light and their views are distorted in a manner to cause a "normal believer" to cringe. But this blatant attack on humanism not only distorts what humanist believe it increases the rift of fear alienating Us from Them. Christianity historically is more prone to covering up theologically difficult questions than actually wrestling with them. If the first four points, although crude, make up an understanding of humanism then I might consider myself a humanist, although I don't feel any more of a sinner than I did before I started questioning my beliefs 5 years ago. Here are my short responses to the pastor's view of humanism.

1. Atheism-The atheist and agnostic groups are growing in the American religious landscape yet I haven't heard of Atheism being the contributing factor behind crimes and violence. Christians, or should I say true Christians (whatever that may mean), are no less immune to committing sinful and atrocious acts against our fellow man than an Atheist. Atheists still believe life is precious, not believing in God does not turn someone into a mindless, amoral beast.
   
2. Evolution-What would it mean to mankind if evolution was found to be true? I believe it means that we first must create and find our own meaning to life and that we must cherish all life. If there is no afterlife maybe mankind might be less violent against their own neighbors. If scientists say that the evidence points towards evolution who am I to argue against their findings? I have no problem with science and the scientific method as long as we continue to question and reshape our theories in light of new evidence.
   
3. Amorality-Everyone already decides what is right or wrong regardless what the gods may proclaim. We choose how moral we want to be as easily as we choose which church to attend. I for one believe we have outgrown our previous images of the divine. I'm not saying that God and religion should be thrown out but that we should be more moral than the God of the Bible. Mankind's collective consciousness has evolved throughout history and continues to evolve as well as our notion of morality. We each have an internal moral drive which is tied to our yearning to survive and our desire to be accepted and loved.
   
4. Self Sustaining Man- Man is fallible, as well as our image of God. Our image, myth and story can not save us because they were penned by us. They might inspire and guide us but in the end we must save and redeem ourselves. How can we do this if we are fallible creatures? We already have the means, the symbols, and the teachings scattered throughout human history which all point to one thing: love. If we allow Love to dwell within us, and we dwell within Love, then redemption will find us.
   
5. One World Government- The pastor did not elaborate on this point as I believe he only stated it to further impress fear upon the congregation. The idea of a one world government is the penultimate fear among conspiracy theory junkies (I admit I was one of them for a brief period of my youth). But it's created from fear as it perpetuates fear, on and on it goes. I'm not discounting that history might take this direction I just refuse to fear the unknown future.
   

As the pastor concluded his rant on Hell and the unbelievers that will undoubtedly populate it, I can easily sum up Sunday's service in one word: Fear. Fear was the theme, it wasn't honoring life and freedom but the call to arms in defense of an invisible enemy created by their own fears. There are enough demons and hidden skeletons in closets without creating an unnecessary fear of our fellow man. There is no They, only the illusion of separation.

On a similar note, Peter Walker over at Emerging Christian recently wrote on the dangers of being too proud on Independence Day and reflects on what it means to be patriotic of a country with a dark past.

Empathy is the Invisible Hand

Tim King over at Post Christian has recently shared an incredible video on mimetic theory, empathy, and the evolution o our internal wiring on how we interact and identify with our fellow man.



Click on over to Tim's site for his response, but I have to say that I am also wild about this stuff. This video brings up all sorts of intriguing question my favorite by far is "why stop here?" in relation to how we identify ourselves and the "alien" other. If history shows us that our ties have been growing to include people we've identified as The Other in the past, why do we feel the need to stop? Do we need The Other to self-identity? Is there any danger in embracing our human neighbors in whom we share our genetic material? And if we choose to embrace more global ties do we necessarily have to lose and/or reshape our prior identity (cultural, religious, etc.)?

Hey, Hey We're the Monkeys

I read a confusing article on the RNS blog about a tea party leader, Mark Williams denouncing the construction of a mosque near the world trade center site and calling Allah the 'Monkey God'.

Monkey God? Did I miss something here? Here's a quote from his blog (which is password protected for some reason) taken from TPMMuckraker,

The animals of allah for whom any day is a great day for a massacre are drooling over the positive response that they are getting from New York City officials over a proposal to build a 13 story monument to the 9/11 Muslims who hijacked those 4 airliners.

The monument would consist of a Mosque for the worship of the terrorists' monkey-god and a "cultural center" to propagandize for the extermination of all things not approved by their cult.

[Image of Hanuman taken from Passport of the Soul.]

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Now to clarify, some within the Tea Party Express have come distanced themselves from Mark's comments calling it hate speech. But why monkey god? Why do some people feel the need to dehumanize the enemy? Does hate speech really help to disarm their opponents? Does dehumanizing the enemy help to justify the hatred? I'm assuming that Mark and his friends rationalize that they can love their fellow man as long as their human. For example Mark has apologized to Hindus for his remark (but not to Muslims) who actually worship a Monkey god, Hanuman, as a symbol of perseverance, strength and devotion. He goes on to say,

"Those are hardly the traits of whatever the Hell (literally) it is that terrorists worship and worthy of my respect and admiration not ridicule."

What surprised me is that he probably took the time to Google "monkey god" and apologized to Hindus but didn't have the effort to Google "Allah" to find the similarities between Allah and the OT God of the Bible. I'm not defending terrorists only highlighting the dangers of throwing all practitioners of a faith into the frying pan for the actions of a few extremists. The very same can be done with Christianity by saying all Christians are white supremacists by looking to the KKK as the defining example of Christians. Of course Christians would be outraged and quick to argue that hate groups aren't "Christian" as much as Muslims would (or at least should) be outraged in being defined by the actions of the extremists in their faith. But hey, why bother apologizing to a monkey, right?

Obama Admits He's a Muslim! Are We Still Debating This?

1.4 million views in 6 months. What are people looking for when they watch videos like these?




There are 3 things that does scare me when I watch videos like these and it's not about the possibility (which is nil) of him being a Muslim.

• People reveal their bigotry and hatred for The Other a lot easier when hiding behind avatars in the online world. It is easier for us to throw rocks from behind a bush than out in the open. I don't fear the people who are openly hateful, I fear the ones who disclose their hatred.
  
• People will swallow any easy answers even if it nurtures the darker side of the soul.
  
• When we are confronted by the unknown we warp and shape it into an enemy. Suffering, pain, hunger, poverty are not tangible enough (although the people who experience it are) to confront so we must create a tangible target.
  

The only part of the 1st video sounding remotely close to Obama admitting he is a Muslim is at the :57 mark. The following video puts the statement into context.



People are looking for Obama to slip up and say he's a Muslim as if this would destroy America. (Just take a look at this screenshot taken yesterday on some of the responses displayed in the comment section of Youtube user, FeelTheChangeMedia, who posted the first video on his channel.) The real fear isn't based on The Other it is based on the unknown elements of The Other. People fear what they do not understand and this fear drives them to hatred. For some, it seems easier to demonize and eliminate the unknown than to embrace it. And of those who actually reach out to learn anything about Islam are faced with the difficult decision to read something that supports their fear or something that may allay it. Most people are very uncomfortable with pulling the rug from under their own feet, and are much more willing to comfort themselves with the fact that they were right than letting go of their fear and hatred EVEN IF one doesn't agree with the faith.

I leave you with Bill Maher to settle the Obama Muslim "Controversy".

Can We Be Scared into the Sacred?

I've known about this film for awhile, and even added it to my Amazon Wish List. I sat motionless and with a fractured heart after watching this film last weekend. Scared Sacred produced, written, and narrated by Velcrow Ripper is an immensely moving film in search of hope during our darkest times. I highly recommend watching it; click here to watch the entire film online.

Canadian filmmaker Velcrow Ripper sets out on a 5 year journey (1999-2004) seeking out a glimmer of hope in the dark and troubled corners of our planet. He is on an anti-pilgrimage, not to the sacred places of the world but to the places which have suffered, mourned, and live with the scars of their suffering. One would think that all you would find is pain and suffering in the war torn, and scarred populace, but Velcrow does find that glimmer of the sacred peeking out through the scared. From Bhopal and Bosnia, to New York and Hiroshima at every stop in his journey the story is the same: people have died and suffered, but there IS hope. Without it these people would die. Yet I know that living in America, I might never experience anything as horrible as the people interviewed in the film.

Would I have enough hope to survive? Would I blame God for my woes? Would I find the sacred in the scared? I do not know, and that is what I found so moving about the film. It speaks on the vulnerability of humanity, and in our soft spots the sacred speaks to us, comforts us, and brings us together. On September 11, 2001, the U.S. came to a screeching halt and was hurled into the presence of the sacred. Some were angry, most were scared, but in that fear we were awakened to the soft spots that were buried and forgotten in our media bombarded, workaholic lives. My heart goes out to the suffering, yet I might never experience suffering of the same degree. The best I can offer is that whenever I come across others suffering that I face it and do what I can to ease their suffering. Even if it means taking some of their suffering upon myself. Only, I pray, I hope, I am strong enough to carry the burden.

Sunday School Stories for Naughty Children

Bible stories. They are a source of both education and entertainment for children in Sunday school which teach them about God throughout the Bible from His awesome power (the parting of the Red Sea) to His eternal love (The Crucifixion). They are meant to inspire, illuminate, and illustrate how to be good little Christian boys and girls. Of course there are a few stories in the Bible that would give these children nightmares and might even traumatize a few of the younger ones. We only tell these to the adults to keep them in line . I'm sure children would find some of the untold Sunday school stories troubling at times although adults seem to accept it without question as the will of God. I, on the other hand, can not accept that God would cause innocent or guilty people to be butchered and killed throughout the Bible just to further His mysterious cause. I also can not accept the mass genocide and the deaths of innocents found in the Bible being the Will of God anymore than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 9/11 attacks being a part of His plan. I may be mortal and unable to see the grand scheme, but if I, like Abraham, question God's sense of justice, does that mean that mankind has a better sense of justice than God? Or are these horrific stories just an image of God written by the authors of 2 Kings during the Axial Age? Is this image of a vengeful God still relatable in the 21st century?

[Cover of Illustrated Stories From The Bible by Paul Farrell]

How then do we reconcile the good stories with the bad? And what does this tell us about God? Would God really cause innocents to suffer just to further His Will?

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I have not read Illustrated Stories From The Bible by Paul Farrell, an agnostic, who brings up a challenging point just by looking at the cover: we pick and choose certain tales to tell our children. Let's take a look at the tale of Elisha and the two She Bears (illustrated on the cover) found in 2 Kings 2:23-25:

²³ From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!" ²⁴ He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths. ²⁵ And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.

This IS horrifying! Elisha calls down a curse in the name of God and two bears maul 42 of the youths. So I believe a question worth asking is why would God send bears to kill these kids (or youths, but kids make it sound a bit more shocking)? [Click here and here to read a couple interesting views on the text.] Notice, I'm not asking why God allowed this to happen because terrible things happen everyday without divine intervention. The interpretation by Traditional Christians would be something along the lines of "Don't mess with God and His prophets, EVER!" Talk about a loving God who doesn't use fear tactics. How would a child interpret this story? Would they believe that if they're bad that God would send something awful after them? This may be a reason why Christians sugarcoat certain parts of the Bible during Sunday school.

Although I don't know what the authors originally intended by including this story (other than "Don't mess with God") I agree with David Kerr over at Lingamish that the bear attack was purely coincidental and that we, the readers, made the connection between the bear attack and God being sore about the name-calling. 2 Kings ends with Nebuchadnezzar taking God's Chosen people into captivity and burning down the house of the Lord. You would think that God would be pretty peeved for burning down His house and send a whole army of bears after Nebuchadnezzar.

Let's go back to our main question: why would God send bears to kill these kids?
I believe that if God is a bloodthirsty, violent character who demands worship then 1) this story would fit in perfectly with his character and 2) we're all in a whole heap of trouble. A God who uses fear to encourage His creation to Love him is not an image of a loving God no matter how you try to cram the two different views of God into one Almighty. It just doesn't work. I'm sure other Christians would claim that I'm taking the portions of the Bible that makes God look bad (and there are quite a few) out of context without looking at the Big Picture. This doesn't get us anywhere because I can say the same thing about how Traditional Christians portray God by focusing on the stories that only show God's goodness while ignoring the troubling ones. If God's Character is indeed found in the Bible then we must look at ALL of the texts, both the good and the bad.

I do not think that stories like these reflect a God of Love and tell us more about mankind then they do about God. Is it not possible that these are just stories and not literal history? Is it not possible that the authors of the Old Testament penned myths and legends from oral tradition that speak about how they viewed Reality? If we read scripture literally then we are trapped making excuses for all of God's bad behavior. When read spiritually we can learn and delve into fathoms of knowledge of our inner most selves, the human experience, and the reality we call God.

Under Quarantine

Like the rest of my blog, my posts are meant to seek understanding and not as an attack to any particular faith. It is true that within those religious traditions my words may seem as an attack but if you look closer they are just simple questions that believers would benefit from asking themselves. Today's question: Why are Christians afraid of outside influence from the world and other religions?

[Gas Mask Jesus by Jackace]

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There is no doubt that the majority of Christians are indeed careful of who and what they come in daily contact. There is nothing wrong with being careful but why fear outside influence? Are we (and I'm including myself although mainline Christians would not) so weak in our faith that we might catch a "spiritual disease" from a Buddhist, or even begin doubting God if we talk with an Atheist? I believe the fears are legitimate when seen from within the Christian community: anything alien that enters into our gates that is "not of Christ" may cause disharmony. Take a step back and those fears look a bit xenophobic when seen by someone outside of the Christian community. Christians speak of loving their fellow man as long as they don't get too close: loving them at arms length with a Bible in one hand and Germex hand sanitizer in the other. But not all influence is bad. Zachery Karabell's Peace Be Upon You: Fourteen Centuries of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Conflict and Cooperation is a great book on the historical relationships and influences between the three monotheistic faiths. History tends to focus on the conflict and what surprised me the most is that not only did these three faiths live harmoniously (as humanly possible) at times, they flourished while influencing each other enormously.

Let's face it, if we hang out with the wrong crowd we're gonna get influenced. I guess the opposite is true for me. Even though I live in the Bible Belt (right next to the buckle) and I'm surrounded by Bible believing Christians I somehow slipped through the cracks and became, to them, an unbeliever. I never hung out with anyone of a different faith, (I have met a Muslim and asked him a few questions he couldn't answer, and my professor is Jewish) just good old, church going Christians. I explain to them I am a Christian even though my views on Christ, the Bible, and God differ from theirs, yet I am still considered lost to them. If I were to move a few hundred miles north I might find a Christian community that holds the same beliefs as I do. So, which community of Christians are truly following Christ? The community itself decides the extent of their borders: whether something is clean or unclean, worldly or Christian, right or wrong. One community/denomination/individual may privately state that the other ones are misguided on their path to God, but we have no way of determining the validity of those statements. We have no way of viewing our theology and warring doctrine from God's perspective. We have the Bible, God's Word, yet it is interpreted with human eyes and human mind. And this is why each community determines for itself where they belong among other communities, what they believe, and how they act. This develops a communal personality that is shared between the members of that community. When someone dies, everyone mourns. When a mother gives birth, everyone cheers. Like members in a choir they sing in unity.

Good and bad influence may come from outside AND inside the community. Yet, it is still the interpretation of the community (and even the individual), not God, that decides the extent of their borders in regards to God's Will. It is fear of division, disharmony, and disease that causes those within the community to keep firm to tradition. This causes stagnation which some may label a "dead church". I am not saying that every church must drastically change their beliefs and traditions (their borders) to keep the community healthy, but continuously challenging those beliefs may lead to growth and progress. Man is a fallible creature and the descendants of a community should not pay the price of stagnation for the beliefs carved in stone by its founders. If not, then black men and women of African descent would still not be able to participate in Temple ordinances that is necessary for the highest degree of salvation within the LDS Church. In 1978, they got rid of a racist doctrine that the founding fathers of the LDS church put in place. I'm sure that there were those within the LDS church that found this to be a "bad influence" and that the secularist ideals of racial equality would poison their long held beliefs and tradition. Yet, progress at any speed is still progress.

In the last 3 years of studying other religions I have come to find that we have more in common between faiths than we think. There are huge differences, but there is no need to fear the differences when we share core values. Outside influence is ALWAYS bad if you're firm that you're beliefs are 110% irrefutable facts while ignoring your own mortal fallibility. I believe that we can learn from other faiths and grow spiritually on our personal journeys. We each define our own borders and we each decide the components of our spirituality. We are not helplessly doomed to Atheism if we are surrounded by Atheists nor are we changed by their presence. We may say that God defines the borders of our faith but even then it is our own interpretation of God's Will that governs over the community we join, the beliefs we hold, and the way we behave.

I hope to always question my beliefs thereby allowing myself to never succumb to a stagnate faith. I do not fear other religions because they are different, I love them because they envision the Divine in ways I may never have know solely within Christianity. If I am influenced by other faiths, I hope to always be influenced towards compassion. I do not try to reconcile the differences between the different faiths but seek out the common denominator between all of us. What we share in common is stronger than the differences that keep us apart.

May peace and blessing be upon you all.

Time Enough At Last...

Unlike most other college students, I poke around the religion section of our four story library on campus in between class and afternoon labs to pass the time. I think the proper response would be, "NERD!" Which fits me perfectly since I get more excited over discovering a new book that I HAVE TO read immediately than I would watching sports.
[What's a line of scrimmage?]

Rows upon rows, shelves upon shelves, pages upon pages of words and ideas patiently waiting to be read. I guess I feel a bit like poor Henry Bemis in The Twilight Zone episode "Time Enough at Last", who only wished for time to read but was constantly harassed by those who consider reading a waste of time. My wife and I are serious bookworms although she consumes books much faster than I ever could. So IF we had enough time to read and understand our neighbor's faith, would that make a dent in the religious warfare we have experienced throughout history?

[Screenshot of Burgess Meredith as Henry Bemis in "Time Enough at Last", The Twilight Zone.]

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Maybe if we had enough time to educate ourselves we might find that other cultures have creation stories wrapped in myth that also speak on issues dear to the human condition. Or the West might be surprised to find that moderate Muslims are also battling Muslim extremists within Islam. These are just a couple examples of what I found while browsing in our library on campus. The sad part is that the only thing from holding me back from reading IS time. I have school, house work, and my family that take up the majority of my daily activities. Any free time I get I devote to blogging and reading (I am currently reading C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy). I know we all have busy lives but if we truly want to live peacefully then we at least need to begin by understanding our neighbor's faith. We don't need to believe it, but at least strive to clear away any misconceptions and learn what they truly believe. Is this asking too much? Or are we xenophobic to the point where even reading about foreign beliefs may make our heart skip a beat? All I'm asking is that we try, and if we still hate or mistrust a particular faith well then at least we tried, right?

The ironic part is that there are thousands, if not millions, of people that do try to learn about other faiths from the same technology which interconnects humanity is also used to tear us apart. Like Henry Bemis, we have all the world's knowledge at our fingertips but we are reading with broken glasses. There is a never ending stream of emails, forums, blogs, and websites filled to the brim with pure hated for others. They seek to demonize their target while in the guise of illuminating readers of their target's true intentions. How can less knowledgeable people even tell what they're reading is false? We do not have time to read every article on the topic to validate their claims, so we accept what we read as true. What are we to do?

Do we dare visit our local Hindu temples, Muslim mosques, or churches and interact with the very people we fear? ABSOLUTELY YES! I must confess with all of the articles I write in overcoming the fear of other religions I have yet to visit a foreign place of worship. I know where they're at but I'm too timid to visit. Not because I am afraid they'll sacrifice me to a pagan god but out of fear of rejection. I'm afraid that I'll show up and they'll have a sign up stating "no Christians allowed". I understand this is a petty fear based on protecting the ego and I have more to gain than to lose. If you're like me and you're too scared to visit another faith's place of worship what do you have to lose by visiting your library? As Christians, if we truly want to love our neighbor should we not seek out to understand them? With all the time that God allows us I believe we do have time enough to be as loving as we each seek out to become. The question is then how loving do you want to be?

Only Fools Use their Heads

Stop! Stop thinking right now. Just sit there and slowly read (don't think about) the following post. This is not a threat but a warning: if you continue to think you may be jeopardizing your very soul. The thinking I speak of is not your everyday "gee, I wonder what I need at the store?" thinking, but pondering (which may lead to doubting) elements of your faith. Have you started thinking again? Well stop. At least promise you won't think until you're done reading.

[Copy of The Thinker by Augeste Rodin in Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen. The Thinker was originally meant to depict Dante in front of the Gates of Hell, pondering his great poem.]

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"I don't want a God that I can understand", a pastor once told me and I can see his reasoning. If he can understand God, and by understand he meant a comprehendable God that lacks mystery, then he would be on the same level as God rendering Him equal to humans. This is the same pastor that told me that it was dangerous for me to study and read into other faiths. And again, I understand why he says this. His argument was that if I thought too much about my faith I just might lose it because faith isn't about thinking, it's about believing.

Here's a list of a few things you should never EVER THINK ABOUT, EVER. I'm only listing them as a warning, so DON'T, I repeat don't think, read, or talk about anything in this list after today. Don't even leave comments, because that would imply that you thought.

• A strikingly similar story to that of Noah's was written over a thousand years before that of Noah's in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
• No evidence of the Israelites mass migration (Exodus from Egypt) has been found in the Sinai Desert.
• Jesus died on two different days according to the Gospel accounts.
• The Comma Johanneum (1 John 5:7-8) only appears in eight out of the thousands of surviving Greek manuscripts and only after the 10th century c.e.
• New Testament scholars across the board only consider 7 out of Paul's 13 epistles authentically his. The others were written after his death and some do not line up with Paul's theology.
• The original ending of Mark in our oldest manuscripts ends at Mark 16:8, due to death of the author before completion, lost to history, or intentionally written to end at Mark 16:8.
• There were various forms of Christianity in early church history and they all fought each other until one branch remained, the Orthodox (which then branched into others).
• Mythical (or miraculous) events in the life of Jesus as depicted in the gospels are strikingly similar to "pagan" gods that predate Jesus by thousands of years: Horus, Mithra, Krishna, etc.
  

Now that you've read them don't ever think, read, or talk about anything in this list. Don't even check to see if I'm lying, because that would cause you to think. Just forget everything I just wrote and continue believing, which is more important than thinking. This is an example of things you should avoid thinking when it comes to faith but even one may be challenging enough. You should believe that the Bible is inerrant in infallible even though it was written by fallible hands at the behest of a church that wrestled with its theology for the first few hundred years after Christ. You should believe that no matter what archeologist may find through scientific study that the Bible is the ultimate authority. You should believe that through Christianity you're saved and EVERY other religion leads to the hellfire without thinking how terribly unjust it is for the millions of people who have never heard of Jesus. Again, DON'T THINK, just believe, because thinking is overrated.

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

If your faith was strong enough would you learn about other religious traditions? Or, since you have the truth, are other religions meaningless and therefore a waste of time to learn anything from them?

This depends entirely on the strength of your faith and your level of religious superiority. If your faith is not strong enough there is the fear that you might be swayed by wrong belief. Or if your faith is strong your level of religious superiority might be low enough to consider that other faiths might also carry gems of wisdom. Either way, if you're spiritually weak then you have plenty of reasons to be afraid of the big bad wolf.

[Wepwawet, Opener of the Way, clears routes for the army to proceed and assists at "the Opening of the mouth ceremony and guides the deceased into the netherworld." Often confused with Anubis.]

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I believe a persons certitude of beliefs to be the biggest stumbling block that keeps someone from considering reading on other religious traditions let alone validate them as equals. Christians, more so than any other group, wrestle with this concept to the point that it hinders any kind of inter-faith dialogue. There are inter-faith Christian organizations, but Christianity has always had a problem with other religions. If they were considered equal to Christianity then Christ's resurrection is not important anymore because there are other valid paths to the divine. Most Christians wouldn't agree with this so other religions have to be false which will then elevate the Christian faith above a sea of heresy.

[Note:For the record I'm not an anti-Christian but I do pick on it because I'm more familiar with it then any other faith and I believe it is healthy to take a critical look at one's own faith.]

Fear is what keeps us from even looking at a book about another faith. Fear of being incorrect, fear of losing our way, fear of a wasted life, fear of insecurity. Faith is our foundational support that billions rely on in times of trouble. We fear losing security. Secure with the knowledge that our loved ones are smiling down at us from heaven, secure that death is not the end, and secure that we will never be alone even in our darkest times. So some of us shut the windows and lock the doors and barricade ourselves inside our faith fortress. Members of other faiths knock on our door (usually Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses) and we tell them to get off our property.

There is no love in fear.

Not all Christians are afraid of other faiths. Many reach out to other faith communities to teach and learn from each other. Their faith is strong and humble enough to truly love their fellow man. To me this is the heart of a true Christian, strong and humble in faith. The Big Bad Wolf they once feared is now a puppy to be loved and cherished. People of other faiths don't see them as Christians filled with fear but with love.

Infinite love that radiates infinitely!

For Christians, others see Christ in you by the waves of love emanating from your soul. It intoxicates and illuminates the soul spreading like a virus. Like a lighthouse people will be drawn to this love emanating from you and they will ask, "what is this love I see in you?" And then you will respond, "let me tell you the story of a man named Jesus."

So I encourage everyone to go out and learn about another Religion, any religion, so that we may begin talking to one another without fear.
Here's a few to get you started. Learn, talk, grow, love.

Hinduism
Buddhism
Islam
Baha'i
Southern Baptist
Shinto
Judaism
Protestantism
Catholic
Taoism
Nestorianism?