Dear Christian Ministers of all Denominations,
I cried myself to sleep last night. Again. I made the mistake of reading an account of the atrocities being heaped upon the Christians in the middle-east, namely 250 young Christian girls who had been kidnapped, forcibly gang raped and then shot ... all while jihadists video taped their abuse.
Beyond turning my stomach, this grieved my spirit. I sobbed for them, for their mothers, for their families, who are most likely displaced and starving in the desert, if they had survived the attacks at all. And all because they subscribe to a religion that preaches kindness, love, tolerance, peace and self-sacrifice.
Now, before I get comments citing the Crusades, etc., I'm speaking solely to the teachings of Christ, who we swear to try our hardest to emulate as His followers. He teaches us to "love one another." Even our enemies, which these days is hard.
As Christians are slaughtered on one side of the globe, right here in the United States, we are being squeezed out in other ways. No, our houses aren't being burned ... yet. But, our religious rights are being stripped on long piece at a time, all in the name of tolerance (for others). We can no longer pray to our Lord in schools. We can no longer deny services to those whose lifestyles we don't agree with. Saying the name "Jesus" in a public place evokes looks of sheer horror or, worse, repulsion, like the speaker has grown a third head.
Suddenly saying you are a Christian is a crime, if not legally, then socially. It seems the word tolerance is only reserved for those with "trendy" titles, like Muslim or Catholic, or Homosexual, or Trans-gendered. Not for us Christians. Instead, those who slap labels like "judgmental" or "old-fashioned" on us are considered the tolerant, open-minded ones. "Yes, let them burn your house," the world seems to be saying. "You're only a Christian. You're rights, feelings, thoughts, beliefs, don't count."
And among the silent majority are those who should be outraged at such treatment -- our ministers. Men and women of the cloth, I ask, where are your voices? Why aren't you holding press conferences, marching on Washington, raising banners? Where are our Christian heroes?
My step-father is Jewish, and I respect him a great deal. I've always been troubled at the silence that surrounded, for so many years, the Holocaust. If not for the bombing of Pearl Harbor, we might never have stood up for those being shackled, starved, beaten and abused, all for their faith. And, we might be under the Nazi regime right now if not for America and the United Kingdom's actions during that fight.
Now, as we stare down the barrel of another Holocaust, I ask where are the Christians? Why are we being silent to a war that is creeping its way to our own doorstep. Will our daughters be raped next? Our houses burned?
If they were, would anyone care? Afterall, we're JUST Christians, right? I'm writing this letter as an appeal to all who call themselves "Minister." Your denomination doesn't matter. But your voice does. And so does mine. I ask you to pray, to gather, to plan. Find a way to speak up for a religion that does matter and for the children who choose to follow bravely in the face of such terrorism. They deserve it, and so does He.
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