Bill Thompson – Chaplin
Are you a person of great faith? of little faith? of no faith? But every person has faith in something (it may be just in himself–that could be HIS faith!). Whatever faith you have, I will share with you part of an article by Molly Marshall who is president of a Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee, Kansas.
She writes: …It is the role of the state to create a context where religious pluralism can flourish; it is not the role of the state to impose or favor one religion over another. …..Nor is it the role of religion to commandeer the state for its own purposes, and the cynical use of Christianity (a.k.a civil religion?) to further one’s political prospects demeans responsible faith. Respect for the religion of others is more than simply tolerating religious difference; rather, it draws from the common affirmation of the dignity of humans and their right to religious liberty. It is a critical task of our time to learn from adherents of other ways of faith. ….Every faith tradition has its radical fringe, and we ought to know better than to measure the whole by those who distort its essential teaching. ….When a religion is an instrument of hate, it has abdicated its moral voice. At the heart of faith traditions is love of God and love of neighbor. We can offer this as a common word, even as we seek to preserve the religious liberty of those who do not share our Christian faith. This will be the best witness of all, demonstrating the remarkable dignity that Jesus accords all people.”
She writes as a Christian. But regardless of our faith, she give us something to think about.
