[Vision2020] Crossing the Line

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (September 2, 2005) Moscow-Pullman Daily News with a special
thanks to Nick Gier.

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Crossing the Line

At its annual convention in 1999 the Southern Baptist Convention passed a
resolution proposing that all their churches pray that Hindus "realize the
darkness of their souls."
 
Prominent Indian Christian leaders were outraged at this insult to their
compatriots with whom they have been living in peace for 2,000 years. As one
of them said: "One cannot preach by annoying others." 

Would Ed Iverson (Opinion, Aug. 13&14) see this as a proper expression of
religious liberty? His pastor, Douglas Wilson, regularly condemns Christians
as well as non-Christians from his pulpit and blog, so I would assume that
Iverson's answer is "Yes." 

Contrary to Iverson's implication, most Christians do not believe that all
religions are the same. They would also reject Iverson's insinuation that
they do not take their obligation to proclaim the Gospel of Christ
seriously. They would contend that gentle persuasion, rather than insulting
rhetoric, is the Christian way to accomplish this. 

Most of us learned in high school civics that liberty without responsibility
is license. The core of responsible citizenship is mutual respect and
tolerance for those with differing views. Petr Kuzmic (Opinion, Aug. 18) is
correct: Iverson's religious liberty (equals license) leads to intolerance
and conflict. 

Iverson claims we quote his colleagues out of context, but what is the
context of Wilson's proposal that homosexuals should be executed or banished
other than a "mean spirited" attitude? What are the descendants of slaves to
think about Wilson's claim that the antebellum South was a harmonious
multiracial society? 

I'm writing a book titled "The Origins of Religious Violence." My thesis is
religions that are inclusive and tolerant have generated far less
religiously motivated violence than those that are exclusive and intolerant.
I've discovered that people who have claimed one religion as their national
identity have been the most violent and destructive. 

Nick Gier, Moscow

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Thanks, Nick.

Take care, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a
garage makes you a mechanic."