Day: September 2, 2010

Don’t Build The Dang Mosque

The first rule of tolerance is if it’s not a two-way street it’s not tolerance. The second rule is pointless provocation is not a sign of tolerance.

While there may very well be positive aspects to Islam, that that religion was integral to the motivations of the 9/11 hijackers is not something that can be denied and for Feisal Abdul Rauf to want to build, not a small humble structure, but a towering edifice near the site of most of those murders shows gross insensitivity at best, and despicable finger-in-the-eye, start-a-fight triumphalism at worst.

And if  space really were the issue, Rauf could probably save a few tens of millions dollars by moving 10 blocks north rather than south, and probably end up with more room.

Tolerance is good. To promote it, rather than object to protesters exercising their rights to do so, we should seek to open churches — Trinitarian or Unitarian — in churchless Saudi Arabia.

And it the name of tolerance, we should also listen to what the protesters have to say, and not judge them.

Welcome John Gilmore

Welcome John Gilmore, who is BillLawrenceOnline.Com’s first guest author.

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John is a Unitarian minister and school teacher who grew up in Chester, Pa. and his views may not be what you are used to on this site.

Diversity, however, is not what this site fears.

So, again welcome John.

Which World do You Want to Live in?

There have been horrible protests taking place in New York City and all over the country because some of our fellow citizens would like to build a mosque two blocks away from Ground Zero (the former site of the Twin Towers and five blocks away from their present mosque they have outgrown) in New York.  Several people have been protesting.  They feel insulted that that group would dare to want to build a mosque there, mainly because it is Islamic.

 


In the street day after day we find people protesting, almost coming to blows because this mosque is moving from 12th to 2nd St. and building a community center.  Some protest for religious freedom, to allow the to build the mosque.  Others protest in the name of patriotism, thinking that the Moslems are all guilty for the attack on the Twin Towers.  It is a real fiasco. 

 

 

In contrast 

Moslems, Christians, Mormons, Unitarian Universalists, and various other religious organizations, met together at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Philadelphia to provide for the homeless, poor, and unemployed.  Thousands of people who were in need showed up.  

 

While all of the fighting and bigotry, xenophobia, and hatred are being played out  the real religious people who are dedicated to the principles of love, are working to make the world better by providing for the poor and broken-hearted.  I think it is important nowadays to find a group  that does similar things.  I want to be a part of that group.

All the anger, hollering and fighting to stop people from building a religious institution and community center has little to do with God and much to do with unresolved anger and deeply entrenched egos.

What can we do about this?  Find a group working to heal the world so you can channel your creativity into that.  Leave a great legacy to your children and grandchildren;  a legacy of a better world and the memory of a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle who made the right decision, when times got rough, and stood on the side of love.  For love is all that we really have to improve things.  The ability to love and to create is probably the most important thing that we can give to the next generation.   The self-righteousness is something we should just as soon leave behind.


Dr. John W. Gilmore