The whole idea of accommodation seems to be one way. Secular governments are accommodating Muslims by providing everything from foot washing places in public restrooms to the acceptance of traditional attire in schools and workplaces. In nearly every case, religious toleration is aimed at allowing non-Christian religions the same respect, authenticity, and access as those folks think Christianity has enjoyed. Whether that perception of religious deference toward Christianity is right or wrong, something good or something not so good, Christians ought to be sensitive toward anything that would make Jesus stand on equal footing with other gods. Truth is not the child of personal preference but of real claims of truth and authenticity. Whether you believe it or not, the resurrection of Christ from the dead is what gives to Christianity its claim to place and not the enthusiasm of its adherents.
The more we adopt the idea that all truths are personal and that no truth is really objectively true for all, the harder it is to speak Christ to the nations. The more we depend upon feelings over facts, the harder it will be to claim any sort of exclusivity for the truth of Christ crucified and risen. I am less concerned about Muslims being allowed a room in which to pray than I am allowing them a place next to Christianity as a religion of truth. The internet is good at fueling false stories in order get folks riled up but it is also very good at leveling the playing field and making all facts equally true and every religion equally authentic. That is worse than a carpeted room for some folks to pray out of sight of the rest of folks. Yet this is exactly the problem.
We find it less difficult to surrender to the press of religious tolerance than to speak the distinctive doctrinal claims of Christianity and give faithful witness to the truth of Scripture. I am not at all suggesting that we need to be rude or arrogant. Quite the opposite. But we must not shrink from giving evidence of the hope that is within us through the clear claims of the orthodox and catholic Christian faith based upon revelation, fact, and truth and not feelings. Prayer rooms will not sink us but allowing the impression that truth is beholden to feelings certainly will. While I am no fan of a room for Muslims to pray I am offended by the routine idea that both religions are pretty much the same no matter its name. I must say it gives me hope for Rome that for once a pope declined to pray at a mosque and, for whatever reason, give credence to the idea that this is the same deity in different flavors.
The internet, while having positive usefulness, is largely unregulated in content, and amenable to both dishonest speech, false reporting, and plainly stupid and foolish narratives and claims. For all its recognizable benefits, the internet is a cultural steam engine often misused for purposes of destroying objective truth. It is a minefield for mature adults who seek to sort truth from error, and imagine how confusing it can be for children and youth? However, we can hardly blame the youth for being misled when it was the so called adults who started this fiasco. Educated people ideologically oriented to liberal and leftist causes prefer to value feelings over substance and reality, because it is simply their world view. They are captured and ensnared by their point of view and seek affirmation and recognition on the internet. Also, it seems that the Left, which is essentially anti-Christian, easily justifies evil when the “ends justify the means.” The Left built its platform fundamentally on a Marxist political and social worldview. Much of the internet today, is unfortunately either smut, scams, propaganda, or narcissistic hogwash. One does find a sensible podcast here and there, or fine music, entertainment, and instructional videos, but one must seek them out, and quickly pass by the junk, the self promotion, the false narratives, and the foolish talk. The wise will navigate through the iceberg fields of lies and half truths, while the foolish will keep colliding with them. A real iceberg is a danger to a ship because there is as vast a mass of danger below the visible water line as above it. The wise sea captain knows this, while the inexperienced sees only what is on the surface alone. The internet can be compared to an iceberg. One must consider what is below the surface too, and question the motives and commercial interests that produce content. For Christians, perhaps it is better to spend less time on the internet, and less time looking for icebergs. Soli Deo Gloria
ReplyDeleteWhile the Vatican has no Islamic prayer room, Concordia University-St. Paul was at least planning one. Here is a working link (https://steadfastlutherans.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Diversity-Plan_Full_Final_Pages-5.pdf) to Concordia St. Paul’s full “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan (2018-2023),” which included under D. Goal 4: Campus Climate: "Create a Prayer room accessible for different religious faiths."
ReplyDeleteI haven’t found anything about whether such a prayer room was actually created or if it was for any specific use by heathens. As you recall, CSP President Ries retired in 2019 and then became the interim president of Concordia-Portland, which then abruptly closed the following year because of a financial crisis, and was the subject of a $300M lawsuit that was finally settled in a secret agreement in this past September.
While there is no campus Islamic prayer room acknowledged on the Concordia University-St. Paul website, CSP does reveal (https://www.csp.edu/about/student-achievement-data):
9.8% of students in the undergraduate programs are Muslim.
3.8% of students in the Masters programs are Muslim.
1.5% of students in the Doctoral programs are Muslim.
For comparison,
8.2% of students in the undergraduate programs are LCMS Lutheran.
2.6% of students in the Masters programs are LCMS Lutheran.
1.9% of students in the Doctoral programs are LCMS Lutheran.
Of the total number of students in all campus and global programs, 6.2% are Muslim and 4.2% are LCMS Lutheran.
Furthermore, Concordia University-St. Paul also has a Saudi Club, which CSP bragged (https://www.csp.edu/news/csps-saudi-club-named-best-saudi-club-in-minnesota/), "The club’s work to do just that earned them the title of “Best Saudi Club” in Minnesota by the Saudi Clubs Union in Minnesota."
CSP describes some of the activities of its Saudi Club, such as:
“held an online contest during Ramadan where students could research answers to win a prize”
“celebrated Eid Al Adha (one of two main Islamic festivals) with patients at the Mayo Clinic”
“held a modified version of the event called Saudi Table where they shared their culture with the CSP community”