I MAKE MY STAND: A PERSONAL MANIFESTO AND CALL TO ACTION
Following are links to the earlier posts in this series:
- INTRODUCTION
- I MAKE MY STAND . . . WITH IMMIGRANTS
- I MAKE MY STAND . . . WITH MOTHER EARTH AND ALL HER CREATURES
- I MAKE MY STAND . . . WITH THE MARGINALIZED
I MAKE MY STAND WITH PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS
AND THOSE WHO CLAIM NO FAITH
I am a Christian. My
religious understanding and my sense of the Sacred are rooted in the
Christian scriptures and heritage, and framed by my personal upbringing, experience and
choice. Nevertheless, I do not believe
that Christianity holds exclusive claim to the divine and to the right and the
good.[1] In fact, I believe that history makes it
clear that many times Christians have gotten it wrong, that the
Christian church has actually been on the wrong side of history. At the same time, I affirm that many times Christians
have also gotten it right. This is
especially true, in my view, of the prophets and prophetic movements. One such movement that has been of particular
influence for me has been the Christian liberation movement in Latin
America. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Germany,
Martin Luther King here in the U.S., Monseigneur Oscar Romero of El Salvador (I recommend the movie "Romero") are just three modern day prophets I would point to, who I believe were on the
correct side of history.
However I do
not believe that a positive vision, Truth, and action are exclusive to
Christians. Rather, I believe that the
very best of all faith traditions call us as the human community to be sisters and brothers to each other and to lead in building a world in which justice,
equality and peace reign. My own spirituality
has been deepened through participation in Native American sweat ceremonies
with Sioux and Omaha brothers and sisters, and in Winnebago Native American
Church meetings.[2]
In our current
context, I want to be explicit: I make
my stand with Muslim sisters and brothers. There have been and still are
radical Christian extremists – here in the USA, I might add, as well as
elsewhere - just as there are radical Muslim extremists, and extremists within
other faith traditions as well. However, I do not consider
these to be expressions of true faith.
I also know and consider fellow travelers those who are committed to
creating a better world who claim no faith tradition, but live simply the good
that I believe is at the core of every human being. And so I make my stand in
community with all human beings who live the audacious belief that we can create a better
world, one where all people are truly respected, treated justly, and loved.
[1]
John Hick and Paul F. Knitter, editors, The
Myth of Christian Uniqueness: Toward a Pluralistic Theology of Religions
(Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1987).
[2]
Appreciation to my brother Darren Snake and his father Ruben Snake who invited
me and introduced me to the Native American Church way.
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