When you hear Islam referred to as a "religion of peace," what is the first thought or image that flashes through your mind? Now let's try a somewhat more difficult question. When you hear an evangelical fundamentalist Christian claim something along the lines of how "love thy neighbor" or "do unto others" is the central message of Christianity and/or of some dead (and possibly non-existent) person with whom he or she claims to have a personal relationship, what goes through your mind?
Here's what goes through mine:
- Franklin Graham urges Christian boycott of gay-friendly companies
- Pat Robertson tells grieving mom: “Your dead baby could have been Hitler”
- Pastor Steven Anderson on Caitlyn Jenner: “I’m Gonna Pray That He Dies and Goes to Hell!”
- Christian couple promises to get divorced if gay marriage is allowed
- Christian Group Kicks Off All-You-Can-Eat Fast To Oppose Marriage Equality
- Christian author who co-wrote books with Roy Moore and Mike Huckabee sued for child molestation
- Neighbors confront controversial Harlem pastor over ‘hateful’ church sign
This list could easily go on and on. I started with three links and before I could hit "publish," I found that I had added five more. It could (and probably should) contain hundreds of examples. And that's just from the past week or two!
I have a very difficult time not seeing this as hypocrisy. If you are going to claim that the central message of your religion has to do with treating others with kindness, love, or compassion, don't you kind of have to set aside the hatred and bigotry? Don't you have to treat people much better than you do?
What I have heard from many evangelical fundamentalist Christians when I've brought this up is that they are under no obligation to love anyone who isn't Christian in the way they define what it means to be Christian. And guess who isn't Christian in the way they define what it means to be Christian? You guessed it! Anyone they disapprove of for pretty much any reason is not a Christian and thus excluded from humane treatment. How's that for morality?
