Sometimes we as Western Christians get caught in the middle of a crisis of values. I am talking about the uproar by Muslims over the showing of a film that disrespects the Prophet Mohammed. On one side of the divide is the Western value for Freedom of Speech. On the other side is the Islamic respect for the sacred.
We have to admit that if Jesus was being denigrated, Christians would feel very much offended, even though we may not go to lengths of those that perpetrated violence to defend the honor of Jesus. There may be reasons for that like the Chrisitian expectation that Jesus and his followers will be hated by the world. Disrespect for the people of God is natural and not something to be beaten down with a sword.
My purspose in this blog is to caution us to just looking at this as a Freedom of Speech issue. There are heart issues involved. The extreme secularism that denigrates the sacred is going face to face with extemist Islam that legitimizes the use of the sword as an expression of spiritual zeal. Although we Christians do not consider Muhammad our prophet, we must symphatize with the feelings of those offended Muslims. This historical drama provides an opportunity to preach to the heart of both sides.
To those who disrespect the sacred, it must be proclaimed to them that there is a supernatural side of life that must be dealt with. Besides that, human sensibilities are to be respected. Although we may see political correctness as an overreaction, we have to admit that its concern for respecting human sensibilities is a worthy value. A father humiliating his child (at worse, yelling and hitting) to get him to do what he wants is not being a good father. A politician who insults his opponent's record as if his opponent is a bumbling fool or just evil, is not being a good person. We must not be quick to excuse insensitive behavior. Then to the zealous ones, violence is not the ultimate answer to evil. Although violence is sometimes necessary, it is not the ideal answer to injustice in the world. Violence begets more violence, which increases the suffering in the world. If we want peace, we need to contain our violent impulses.
