Faith without religion.
We can do better. Much better, us people who walk by faith. Interestingly, all religious expressions that accept Abraham as the father of their faith look to the living God in faith. We have different views of Him, different ideas about what He wants, even different doctrines and practices we all respectively employ, but the fact of the matter is, the God of these individual faiths suggest that the God we worship, for whatever reason, loves it when His human creations choose . . . faith.
Unfortunately, these varied expressions, instead of looking out at each other as individual expressions of faith and trust that any who seek God in this way honestly and from the heart will find Him, choose to war with each other.
I’ve a few friends who are, or who have, served in the US military. My father-in-law was a full-bird Colonel in the Army. I’ve heard several stories, and seen these stories reflected in popular films, where some bar in some foreign downtown third-world country fills up on a weekend with men from every miliary arm imaginable. There are tables of loud, angry Marines, a table or two of Army soldiers, a table of men and women in the Navy, and of course there has to be several people representing the Air Force.
After enough alcohol and smack-talking, someone from one of these expressions stands on a table and boasts of being part of the “the best, the toughest military arm. This is met with immediate resistance from those of different expressions and before you know it, the whole damn place breaks out in a full-on barroom brawl. We’ve all heard the stories, most have seen the scene in movies. Infighting over which arm is best, toughest, smartest, and most able to defend the country. But that is the point that is often overlooked – all of them are involved and focused on the same mission – to defend the United States and this is made obvious when they are actively engaged in doing so. But in the downtime, in the free time, and in times of R and R, the groups do what most groups of human do – they divide, usually over really ridiculous claims.
My dear brother who served in the military let me in on something interesting relative to these scenes. “Yes,” he admitted, “there has always been a, ‘we are better that everyone else’ in the military, and yes, fights break out between the different representatives. In fact,“ he added, my Army buddies absolutely hated the Marines and would go to war with them if the wrong look was given. But,” he said, “what a lot of people don’t know is if there was a bar full of Marines and Army men and some non-military outsider came in and punched a Marine, there wouldn’t be a guy from the Army that wouldn’t come to his defense.”
So, let’s replace these various miliary expressions with a table full of Catholics, Baptists, Jews, Muslims and Latter-Day Saints filling up a bar. I’m not talking about phony religious observers who have little interest in following the tenets of their faith but real sold-out Catholics, Baptists, Jews, Muslims and Latter-Day Saints. And they are all in the bar and perhaps they are engaged in some strong dialogue against one another. And suppose a gang of angry ruthless godless individuals barged in and started mocking these people of faith. I wonder if the people from each religious expression would unite and defend one another, or if they would rejoice if one of these devout men of faith were taken and pummeled by the invaders?
We would hope, in the least, that every single representative of these respective faiths would honor their brother of a different faith expression by lending them a hand, in the name and cause of God. Of course, we would also hope that if one of the religious fellows started beating on a member of the godless group who were minding their own business would come to their aid too.
The point is, people of genuine faith in the living God at least have some common ground. Like the various military expressions that share in the common cause of defending the United States of America, it seems to me that any and every person who chooses to walk by faith in their respective God would, even should, see all others as seeking and loving Him.
Yes, there are the religious radicals that step in with the loudest voices (and sometimes bombs) and in their religious zeal long to dominate the lives of anyone who differs with them. We all have them and they are really hard to stop from gathering. But from what I’ve seen, the most devout but loving devotees of every religion on earth are seasoned with love, grace, compassion and long-suffering. Sure, we will disagree with one another. We might even say that some expressions of faith are closer to the Truth than others – but that is not the point. The point is, people of faith that are genuine to the God they seek share something in common – or at least should – and that is a love for God, a love for others, and the belief that everyone should live by what is universally known as the Golden Rule.
In the face of this failing world, where God is denied and human wisdom runs amok, shouldn’t people of faith unite in love and respect for one another, allowing each person the right to pursue God in whatever way they see fit and to resist any and all attacks? If members of the various military expressions can do it when under attack, why can’t we?
As a non-religious, non-zealous devotee to the Living Christ who seeks God in spirit and truth, I choose to love all people, all the time, and without exception. This love is defined by Christ’s apostle Paul and nowhere in his definitions of such does he say,
“love is angry, love is condemnatory, love must ardently share the religious truths we each uphold with hate, threats or without considering the rights of others.”
Ironically, the above statement seems to be the credo of most zealous religious people from every expression around the world. All wanting to be right. All wanting to show God that they love Him best or most rightly.
Speaking directly to any and all followers of Yeshua of Nazareth, who see and seek Him in whatever way that they are led – Catholics, Protestants, Restorationists, Freevangelicals – should not we first, unite in His love and cause, and then be the ones who lead all others in the unconditional love of God . . . for the world, for sinners, and especially other people of faith?
We should.
And we could.
Let’s do it. Through Him, for Him and by the faith we hold dear.
