Remarkable Statement

In the December 7, 2009 issue of the New Yorker was a story about a Dutch politician, Ahmed Marcouch. Mr. Marcouch is a Moroccan born Muslim who now heads the district council of Slotervaart, which has a large Muslim population. In the article, he is quoted as saying:

Look, the fact that one is allowed to be an orthodox Muslim is a right. What people in the neighborhood fail to understand is that gays have the right to be gay. People - gays, Muslim, black, white - should never be forced to be untrue to themselves. The freedom of every individual to insist on his own identity must be defended.

This is a remarkable statement about tolerance. How do you respond to it?

Air Force Academy Incident, Part II

Dr. Robert Jeffress, the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, has weighed in on the controversy at the Air Force Academy's attempt to set aside a space for the Wiccans on campus to worship. In a February 5 "Guest Voices" column in the Washington Post On Faith section, Reverend Jeffress, as you might imagine is aghast that the Academy would have made any accommodations for this religious minority.

He began his piece by showing the reader that he is a sane and reasoned voice on religion since he disagreed with the Reverend Pat Robertson's remarks linking the Haitian earthquake to God's judgment on the nation. Then, Reverend Jeffress asserts, "However, the decision by Air Force Academy officials in Colorado Springs to construct an outdoor space for the worship of pagan deities is an open invitation for God to send His harshest judgments against our nation." The Reverend Jeffress then draws a parallel between the establishment of this worship space and the idolatry condemned in the Hebrew scriptures and asserts that idolatry now is no better than idolatry then.

He concluded his piece with these words, "I don't know the cause of the Haitian earthquake, the Indonesian tsunami or 9/11. But I can say without hesitation that any nation that officially embraces idolatry is openly inviting God's wrath.
This past week government officials testified they are "certain" of another terrorist attempt on our soil within the next three to six months. One would think this would be a good time to seek God's protection rather than kindle His anger."

I would make a few comments.

First, I noticed that Reverend Jeffress had nothing to say about the cross that was planted in the Wiccan worship space. From that, should I presume that this kind of religious vandalism is commendable since it evidently was done by Christians against non-believers?

Second, his use of God's judgement against the nation of Israel for their idolatry is not really applicable to America in 2010. America is governed by a secular government on the basis of laws built from a constitution that guarantees rights to all people who are citizens of our country. Ancient Israel was not.

Third, the presumption that no one deserves rights except for those with whom I agree and who agree with me is most dangerous. Many of the countries in the world today that we condemn are condemned because of that same attitude.

Finally, his concluding innuendo that God would use a terrorist organization to attack this country and kill innocent people because the Air Force Academy tried to make some accommodation for all of its students is abhorrent.

What do you think?