[Vision2020] Neighbors Doing the Right Thing

Wed Sep 8 17:00:39 PDT 2010

Hurrah! Finally, some visible Christians behaving in a Christlike fashion! This is a cause for celebration and perhaps an indication that those cynical, mean-spirited, self-agrandizing "spokesmen" for Christians are not having as much sway as they hoped. 

Fear mongering and the use of threats and violence towards other faiths has always had a bad outcome for those targeted, but in the long term also for those trying to gain power through promoting hatred in the name of God. 

Lest we forget the Holocaust, the burning of "witches", the whipping-up of anti-Catholic sentiment towards John F. Kennedy, etc. ad infinitum......There are always those among us who use these tactics for their own gain, and those people foolish or delusional enough to believe the lies which prop up their own belief system. The foolish go along in the name of "righteousness", harming others and acting with perceived divine impunity, while the power mongers gain money, followers, and publicity.

The cynical authors and promoters of  "permission to harm" are not the ones who end up in jail for domestic terrorism, racially motivated crimes, or violence towards religious organizations. It is the deluded "righteous" folks who fall for the reassurance of those selfish bottom feeders. It is righteous folk who believe they are doing God's Work while defacing (or blowing up) a Jewish, Mormon, Catholic, Buddhist, Protestant, or Muslim house of worship who end up in the newspaper as a nine-day-wonder and eventually incarcerated. Somehow, the sane and decent folks of religious bent, who actually follow the words and deeds of Christ (or Mohammed for that matter), get mostly left out of the equation. 

I feel so sorry for those Real Christians who are identified with Christianity by the deeds of delusionary crackpots on the religious right who are fueled by cynical sociopaths using Christianity to gain power and cash...What a sad chain! And I pray to my Divine Power that you Real Christians are successful in overcoming this adversity, and are able to throw the money-changers and heretics out of the Temples of Abraham.

Debi R-S
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tom Hansen 
  To: Moscow Vision 2020 
  Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 7:23 PM
  Subject: [Vision2020] Neighbors Doing the Right Thing

  Yes.  

  This, in my heart and mind, is true Christianity.

  Courtesy of WMC-TV (Memphis, Tennessee) at:

  http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=13107746

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  Cordova church welcomes new Islamic Center to the neighborhood

  CORDOVA, TN (WMC-TV) - In New York protesters continue to demonstrate against a proposed mosque near the site of the September 11th attacks.  This protest comes days after a Nashville Mosque site was vandalized.  But here in the Mid-South there's a different sentiment.  A Cordova church congregation is welcoming a new Islamic Center.

  The words on the sign said it all, "Heartsong Church welcomes Memphis Islamic Center to the neighborhood."

  "Once we put up the sign, within three days people from Memphis Islamic Center contacted us and were overwhelmed with emotion that we would be so welcoming."

  Steve Stone, pastor of Heartsong Church, said when he heard about plans for the multimillion dollar Memphis Islamic Center Complex being built near his church, he knew he had to react.

  "I don't know a lot about Islam and I only know one fellow who is a Muslim," said Pastor Stone.  "So I knew it was going to be a learning process for me, but we follow Jesus and he tells us to love our neighbors."

  Stone said he hopes that by putting out a welcome mat for Muslims, it will send a strong message to those who may have associated Christians with being anti-Islam.

  "People that associate Christians with folks that are afraid of or don't like Muslims, I can't judge those people that are Christian.  I believe that to take the name of Christ and do hateful things is a real insult."

  To prove his point, Stone told Action News 5 that the Heartsong Church congregation is taking its new relationship with members of the Memphis Islamic Center one step further.

  "Their facility is not quite finished and they came and asked us if they might be able to use our facility for Ramadan prayers which we took as a high compliment."  

  Stone said it's the beginning of a friendship he hopes will inspire others to love their neighbors.

  According to Pastor Stone, the congregations of both churches have gotten to know each other on a first name basis.  They even call each other brother and sister.

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  http://wmctv.images.worldnow.com/images/13107746_BG1.jpg

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  God bless.

  Seeya round town, Moscow.

  Tom Hansen

  Moscow, Idaho

  "The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change and the Realist adjusts his sails." 

  - Unknown 

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