Islamophobia and Mother Teresa
The proposed construction of an Islamic center and mosque at Ground Zero has resulted in the outrage of many Americans and the recent public discussion about "Islamophobia" in America. These events provoke us to affirm the following:
1. We notice a growing tendency to manipulate circumstances to serve as a pretext to create a public furor that demands people make a choice between one of two pre -packaged, ideological positions. We refuse to engage in a debate about whether or not to build a mosque at Ground Zero. The reality of Islam in America brings up questions that go much deeper than that of the construction of one mosque. Indeed, one critical and open question is how contemporary American culture comes to grips with the human person's religious sense.
2. Many of those among the cultural elite, as well as many who hold the levers of power in our nation, have abandoned the religious tradition that informed the lives of the vast majority of their ancestors: Christianity. They have reduced it to a moral code or a vague myth, linked to a man dead for more than 2,000 years. Instead, they have embraced a "scientific" outlook on human life. But science provides no answer to those questions that continuously gnaw at the human heart, such as the problem of justice, the meaning of human life, or the problems of suffering and evil. In fact, science tends to stifle them. Hence, contemporary American culture finds itself weak and tremendously uncertain about any response to universal human inquiries and longings.
3. Just over two weeks ago, we marked the 100th anniversary of Mother Teresa of Calcutta's birth. One who looks at her sees a resplendent human person, overflowing with love for everyone, especially strangers of different religions. Her humanity touched all: religious and atheist; Muslim and Hindu; rich and poor. Mother Teresa's life invites anyone who seeks truth to open his or her heart and mind and take a fresh look at Christianity.
4. For serious Christians, the challenge of Islam, the large-scale abandonment of Christianity, the emptiness of the dominant culture, and the witness of Mother Teresa signal the urgent need for conversion. Pope Benedict XVI recently said that "conversion...is not a mere moral decision that rectifies our conduct in life, but rather a choice of faith that wholly involves us in close communion with Jesus as a real and living Person." The Pope brings us face to face with the defining difference between Christianity and Islam: one religion bases its response to the human person's religious sense upon a message delivered 1,400 years ago, while the other offers the experience of a Man who died but is alive and present with us today. As Fr. Juliàn Carròn, President of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, recently affirmed: Jesus' message and even all the miracles He performed were not enough to overcome the sadness of His disciples on the road to Emmaus --only His risen presence could ignite their hearts once again.
5. We are not Islamophobic, nor do we fear our post-modern world. On the contrary, we invite all to look at Mother Teresa and at the Man to whom she gave her life. In His Person, present with us today, all can find the Truth that alone will deliver the freedom America promises.
September 11, 2010
Notes
Benedict XVI, General Audience, Paul VI Audience Hall, Wednesday, February 17, 2010 (http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2010/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20100217_en.html)
cfr. Luke 24: 13-35
3 comments:
"We refuse to engage in a debate about whether or not to build a mosque at Ground Zero."
I must confess some mild frustration with this statement. I would certainly agree that the "debate" has been completely overblown and is failing to address the real issues. Nonetheless, are we not able to render a judgment with regard to this question? Can it be that the Christian has nothing to say with regard to this matter? I think not. Can we not simply say that the question of whether or not to build the mosque is not the most important one, but in its regard, we can say X?
Chris, I had a similar reaction when I read that sentence. I am going to think a little more before I decide what I truly think, but one thing I've been considering is that perhaps the authors meant that they don't want to engage in the polemics surrounding this issue. I know that if this is what they meant, it's what they should have actually written, but it's difficult when you have multiple authors and a deadline. I would really love to know how others reacted to this sentence.
This is the comment of a professor at a local seminary after reading he statement. He is not in CL (or affiliated with it):
"I think a position beyond the narrow dualism offered by the media is the correct course of action. The forces at work in the hegemonic culture are not in accord with either the Christian or Classical tradition and thus to allow
ourselves to be drawn into the debate by terms set forth by secularism would be the worst form of accomadationism."
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