Bad Neighbors

Camassia recently used my post, Salvation by the Sword, to springboard into an interesting discussion. Being that I don’t know Camassia, I was a little surprised to discover myself being quoted and commented upon. I guess all’s fair in love and blogging. 

Camassia makes some excellent points, but to bottom-line it, objects to the denunciation of Islam and feels it hinders the Christian cause.

This is yet another chapter in the long-running debate about whether Islam as a whole is a good religion or a bad one. I’ve seen arguments both pro and con, and don’t really have an opinion about it. But one thing I do have an opinion about is that to Christians, it shouldn’t actually matter.

First of all, the only really relevant question about any religion is whether or not it’s true. If forced conversions actually please God, complaining about them isn’t going to help. I realize that Mike and others are objecting against a certain pluralist theory of religion, but it actually seems to be ceding too much ground to the pluralists to judge religions not by their truth, but by whether you’d want one as your next-door neighbor or not. “Good” believers keep to themselves, abide by the laws and don’t bother anyone; “bad” religions make themselves pains in the butt.

By those standards Christianity may come off better than Islam, but it would certainly come off worse than some other religions…

In one sense, I agree that “the only really relevant question about any religion is whether or not it’s true.” Of course, how one determines “true religion” is a matter of debate. Scripture’s pretty clear in that regard. But alas, Scripture is seldom the primary rule of measurement for most folks, which often leaves the debate muddy. 

Camassia suggests that we’re “ceding too much ground to the pluralists to judge religions not by their truth, but by whether you’d want one as your next-door neighbor or not.” While I’m all for judging religions by their truth, I think it’s also wise to keep a good eye on your next door neighbor. Especially if that neighbor has it out for you. 

Being a “good Christian” means a lot of things. But most — even opponents of Christianity — would agree, that being a good Christian does not mean blowing one’s self up in pizza parlors, beheading infidels, and forcing conversion at gunpoint. However, there is a split within Islam exactly along these lines! What does it mean to be a “good Muslim”? The answer is not nearly as clear cut. Why?

I’d suggest it’s intrinsic to Islam. It may not be a “bad religion” in the sense that it serves no utilitarian, societal good. But at this point, it is not a very safe religion. Whereas bad Christians might be noisy / arrogant / indifferent / rude neighbors, bad Muslims might want your head on a platter.

Let’s face it: A bad Christian potentially makes a way better (and safer) next door neighbor than a bad Muslim.

This is where most objectors play the “Christian evils” card. “Christians have their share of extremists and evil,” they growl. “Just look at the witch hunts and the Crusades!” Ah, the Crusades. Yet there is a fundemental difference between the Crusades and the modern jihad movement. The Crusades were an illogical outworking of the teaching of Christ. Jihad, on the other hand, is a logical outworking of the life and teaching of Muhammed. Unlike Jesus, the founder of Islam was a man of the sword. Therefore, contemplation of the lives and spirit of these two leaders inevitably sends folk off into different trajectories. Christians and Catholics typically distance themselves from the atrocities of the Crusades, and admit it was a misguided missile. However Muslims, for the most part, do not actively denounce the rhetoric and violence exhibited by their “fringe.” Violence and war can be legitimately extrapolated from the history and teachings of Islam.

While I agree that Christians should view Muslims as any other “unsaved” group – we should love, serve and exhibit a Christ-like spirit — it still begs the question. If large segments of this religion are so avowedly violent, blatantly anti-west, indifferent toward the slaughter of human life, and resistant to reform, and the leaders within said religion do little to curb the “extremism” of their bretheren, what the hell does it matter if they’re a “true religion”? They are bad neighbors.

Yes, I am called to pray for my enemies and turn the other cheek. I must live alongside atheists, alcoholics, and adulterers. I must tolerate loud parties, uncut grass and dogs that crap in my yard. Moving may be an option. But I must never stop loving. Yet what if my neighbor has more insidious plans — if they want to hold a gun to my head and force me to convert, or detonate a bomb in my presence, or get me on a plane where they can ignite an exploding shoe? At that point, I’m more worried about protecting my family than showing charity or validating their religion. And if it comes to that, perhaps the best witness is a closed door.