The Hypocrisy of Acceptance?

"Protestantism has the method of Jesus with His secret too much left out of mind: Catholicism has His secret with His method too much left out of mind; neither has His unerring balance, His intuition, His sweet reasonableness.  But both have hold of a great truth, and get from it a great power.

-- Matthew Arnold (1822-1888), poet, educator, cultural critic

Before I even start this post I find myself at odds with the title.  With what I've dealt with the past few weeks, the terms have become near and dear.  Acceptance or tolerance?

Maybe I should explain.

Several of us, ministers, bolted from faith based "discussion" sites due to rules that were restrictive seemingly without sound reason.  But, even that isn't being completely accurate.  The reasons, though sound to the site managers, seemed to lack expected intellectual maturity to some interfaith ministers wishing to grow beyond the boundaries of "mainstream" church doctrine; doctrine many ministers found suffocating and hypocritical, and had hoped to find relief from in the Universal Life Church.  These various site managers, for all their good intentions in trying to create a different, friendlier environment, succumbed to complaints from a minority of "dark ages" clergy that probably should have stayed in the mainstream church, but... the squeaking wheel gets the grease.  The sites became the suffocating and hypocritical, closed-minded and intolerant, accusing us of fomenting conversation that any reasonable person would have seen as simple mature exchange of thoughts.  These sites became what we had left.  

Once again we found ourselves intellectually persecuted and looking for other realms of religious and spiritual freedom.  New sites were formed to accommodate a freer exchange of ideas, discussion, and debate, encompassing a broader range of subjects deemed unacceptable by the previous "free thinking" sites.  But, as the old saying goes, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."  Both sites I recently became affiliated with fell victim to the same hypocrisy, if not worse.  The latest outlawed any but Christian thought.  So much for "acceptance" of all who come in peace.

Having started my Congregation for Religious Tolerance, I know full well the difference between tolerance and acceptance.  One may tolerate another's peaceful beliefs without accepting them.  What is happening in these sites is blatant non-acceptance backed up by the intolerance of their "convert or else" mentality that is all too reminiscent of the Islamic heretics of ISIS, which bodes the uncomfortable question, "When do the beheadings begin?"  I do not ask this question to be flippant or make light of the horrors ISIS is visiting upon innocence.  I mention it because it seems, to me, peaceful Christians are beginning to walk that fine line between faith and terror when it comes to two groups, in particular, which they historically show little tolerance toward - Islam and the gay community.  If you want to find humor in something, it would be these two groups put in the same bucket by Christians.

I have had multiple conversations and written posts, ad nauseam, on these two subjects.  Two recent "conversations" ended with me asking the other parties when the lynching begins.  A third conversation, today, began and ended with me simply asking for judgment to be left in the hands of God.  There was agreement... just before the other party launched into another long winded diatribe to excuse yet more judgmental opinion which I think he felt the need to flaunt to prove what a good minister, a good Christian, he was being.  Really?  I should have asked him if he believed like the other mainstream "Christians" I've encountered when it comes to Islam or gays - the only good one is a dead one.

To be honest, I was afraid to ask.

Matthew Arnold addresses his thought in the quote, toward the Protestant and Catholic churches, but I feel his point is all encompassing of the Christian faith.  He is correct when he states, "But both have hold of a great truth, and get from it a great power."  A great power!  The power to mount a crusade, to form the courts of the Inquisition, to determine if one is a "witch" worthy of burning simply because they dabble in healing and science, and, of course, the power to determine who deserves to be a Christian and who gets damned for all eternity.  More to the point, it seems Christianity, whether through fault or design, continues to miss the unerring balance, intuition, and sweet reasonableness that was Jesus.  I think Mr. Arnold was remiss in not adding His love, tolerance, and understanding, to that list of attributes.  But, then, maybe it's just because my family believes in a more loving God than many of these "Christians" do.

The point that I've been trying to make is, if you're going to preface a mission statement with acceptance of all that come in peace, you should not pick and choose your membership.  It brings to mind the Methodist logo I came across during the Methodist "trial" of one of their own ministers who presided over the gay wedding of his son - "Open hearts. Open minds. Open Doors."  That is, unless you're gay, or preside over a gay wedding.  I mean, Christ's love only goes so far, right?  Gays, peaceful Islam, who else?  I'm certain there's probably a list of the unacceptable that man has determined God should not allow in heaven.  Yeah, what God really meant to say was...

I'd love to be a fly on the wall at comeuppance time when they all have to explain why they interpret God to excuse their actions.

I think we have lost the truth of our faith.  Oh, we spew the forth the words, chapter and verse.  Like the good hypocrites we are, we quickly proclaim our faith and just as quickly condemn others to hell and damnation in complete contradiction to the faith we proclaim.  I say this for one reason, and I pull that reason from the very book we hold so dear.

During a recent conversation one participant was accused of not quoting the Bible properly.  Personally, I quote the Bible because I think it is a great guidebook for life.  When I quote it, however, I go to the source so I don't muck it up.  Well, since everyone seems so tied up in quoting it, let me use two well-known verses to evidence why I feel we suffer from contradicting the faith we proclaim to have:

"Judge not, and you will not be judged.  Condemn not, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

Luke 6:37 

"Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you."

Matthew 7:1-2

I'm not sure my fellow minister's critique of quoting the Bible correctly is as important as knowing the Bible at all.  I have found it an interesting book of scripture, written and compiled by men that had the best of intentions while living in cultures fraught with politics, social castes, and classes.  To think their lives weren't reflected in what they wrote would be giving them credit without support of evidence.  This becomes more evident, however, as we discover and study lost gospels, and gospels deemed not worthy of inclusion in the Bible.  When we find verses that seem to be gleaned from a monks margin notes, than from any worthy text, it makes the entire document suspect.  But does this all detract from the basic message of it?  Absolutely not!  The Bible remains a text revered by the faithful as a basis for faith and life.  Just as with the Qur'an, It is how we interpret it that causes us harm.

Christianity is not a "members only club" and the fact that many presume to dictate who can worship seems offensive.  I am not a member of the Christian faith, I am a Christian.  I am not a practicing Catholic, a Protestant, Methodist, or and Evangelical.  I am a Christian.  Over twenty years of my military career my dog tags reflected my religious preference as Christian, agnostic, Buddhist, Taoist, and Not Applicable.  When I finally found myself, I realized my mother was right, as always.  I am Christian.

I leave you with one more quote, one of my favorites that I try to remember when I get into braying contests with jackasses.  I hope you will see the point.

"As for one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.  One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.  Let not one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him.  Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another?  It is before his own master that he stands or falls.  And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.  One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike.  Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind."

Romans 14:1-5

They are gay.  They live, work, love, marry, raise children, and want to worship God as Christians.  Maybe it's time we started acting like Christians.  Heck, maybe it's time we take a page from Christian gays and started acting better.

Note from Pastor Tony, the founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance, as well as the author and editor of "The Path," the Congregation's official blogsite:  

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion.  It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other.  An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth.  After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human.  God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.
  

Frank Anthony Villari, Pastor