Two government officials, two deaths, two different systems, two religions, two different outcries. Cathy Young writes about all this in her very insightful blog. Basically with the events, especially in Pakistan this past month, we can no longer ignore the issue of "religious intolerance" among Islamic countries. Certainly we cannot ignore its magnitude.
She writes, "There is not a single majority Christian nation today that executes or imprisons people for blasphemy or apostasy." Finally glad that somebody noticed. And the same is true of Jews. But that is not the case in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, to name a few. And it's not just the leaders. In Egypt, 85% of the population support the death penalty for anyone converting from Islam to another faith. Imagine.
Now don't go running back to her or to me to suggest that "hey, what's the problems? Do you forget the Crusades?" No, I don't and neither does Young. The point is Christianity changed. It was never meant to be like that. Also, as trite as this may sound -- that was over and done with, and this is going on right now in Islam. There are no plans to change it because radicals believe that is what Islam is all about. And then of course there is the push for Sharia Law to be enacted anywhere there are Muslims.
Young and most of us recognize that all Muslims are not cut from the same cloth. They are not. But that's not the way the radicals see it. To them, all Muslims must be cut from their cloth -- even if they have to kill some of them to get the others to be so.
Okay, so how do we recognize these problems and how to we honestly confront them? Cathy Young offers no real solutions. Except, that America must be more tolerant. That's a nice thing to say. When all your cheeks have disappeared with your own martyrs, there will be none left to turn. But then again, there will no longer be any need for tolerance. Take a look at her thoughts and then share yours.
Perhaps for those of us that are Christians, the only answer is indeed an "individual one" -- a stronger and stronger personal relationship with the true God through Jesus Christ His Son. More and more people are turning that Way.
You can read Cathy's viewpoint which gave rise to my comments in the link below:
RealClearPolitics - Islam and the Intolerance Problem
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