03.05.06
Shouldn’t We Be Offended?
Anyone who pays any degree at attention to world politics and news has heard about the recent outrage in the Middle East over cartoons published by a Danish newspaper depicting the prophet Muhammad in a number of poses including wearing a turban that resembles a bomb and a halo that looks like a devil’s horns. Many people have been murdered in protests by Muslims, Danish embassies have been bombed and burnt down, and Arab newspapers have retaliated by printing anti-Semitic cartoons.
While I am absolutely opposed to such action it has gotten me thinking recently, why do Christians not respond with outrage every time we see someone depicting the Lord of all creation, Jesus the Christ, in a blasphemous way? One possible answer is that we value free speech too much. In western countries where Christianity is most concentrated free speech is a value embraced above God by most and we seem all to willing to be quiet while someone blasphemes our God in respect of their free speech (I am not advocating abolishing free speech but civil disobedience is in order against such actions). Another possible reason is that maybe we have become all to numb to such a treatment of Jesus by our culture. I can name endless mediums just this past week where I have seen Jesus mocked and blasphemed: Saturday Night Live last night, the Simpsons earlier this week, on Facebook by a person pretending to be Jesus of Nazareth, and the list goes on. This is just in one week; imagine how much of this we are bombarded with throughout the year.
We should be outraged EVERY time we are confronted with this. We cannot claim to love the Lord only to stand aside patiently while He is mocked and falsely represented continuously. If Jesus called us to spread His name (Mark 16:15) we must not only be concerned about numbers reached but maintaining the truth regarding our Lord and Savior. Surely I am not advocating a response that includes death and destruction but, in times like these, in-activity is not an option.
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
1 Corinthians 1:18