Earlier this month, a group drawing attention to freedom of speech sponsored a contest in Garland, Texas where artists were challenged to draw pictures of Muhammed. The group knew that this would be sensational and would precipitate discussion among a diversity of people including Muslims offended by the artwork, proponents of religious and speech freedoms, reporters and entertainers. They couldn’t be sure, but might have reasonably expected, that it would also precipitate violence surrounding the event, which it did.
Were these people wrong to point out that we have freedom of
speech and that one person’s beliefs should not dictate what another person can
say? No. Were they doing anything illegal? No. Did they do something that
deserved a violent response…or was the violent response justifiable? Absolutely
not!
Should we, as Christians, participate in similar events?
I’ve seen plenty of Christian friends post everything from sympathy for the
organizers... to praises for the heroic law enforcement that stopped what could
otherwise have been a tragedy...to jokes mocking the killings of the dead men who
were intent on violence. So where should
a Christian stand on these issues?
It is my personal belief that Christians have no business
either participating in or praising events like these. Other Christians may
disagree, and certainly the organizers of the competition disagreed. (I don’t
know if they are Christians or not.) That’s their prerogative. Here is why I
say that we, as Christians, should have no part in this sort of events or
behavior.
As Americans, we certainly have the right to draw pictures
of anything we wish, including Muhammed. We have the right to say anything we
want, with the small exception of the speech can’t violate any laws (such as
committing perjury or fraud would if we used our speech for that).
However,
just because we “have the right” does not make it “the right thing
to do". We have the right to do many
things as Americans that simply are not right as Christians. For example, we
have the right to get a divorce for any reason whatsoever. We have the right to
cheat on our spouse. We have the right to never set foot in a church and never
open our Bibles to read them. We have
the right to spread gossip. We have the right to drink to excess. We have the
RIGHT to do many things…but just because they are rights does not make them
right.
The Bible has a lot to say about rights. Jesus had all the
rights of God, but he gave those up to become a man and come to earth to
sacrifice Himself for us. If we are truly his followers, we don’t insist on our
rights at the expense of others.
I Corinthians 8:9 says, “Be careful, however, that the
exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” This
passage is specifically talking about those of us who are Christians and who
are setting an example to younger Christians of how to live in Christ, that we
are not so insistent on our “rights” that we confuse them. How much more can it
apply to those who are not Christian and who are watching us?
I Corinthians 6:12 emphasizes that just because we have the
right to do something does not make it beneficial. And in I Corinthians 9, Paul
points out that he had the right to expect the church to support him as he
taught among them, but that he worked for his living (as a tentmaker…not
exactly a glamorous career) while he was there so that no one would look at his
ministry and say that he was just in it for the money and to be taken care of
by others. Paul voluntarily gave up support which was his right because in so
doing, he was a better witness to other people.
Romans 12:18 says “If it is possible, as far as it depends
on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Does intentionally offending people for the sole purpose of offending
them sound like living at peace with everyone as far as it depends on you?
The last commandment that Jesus gave when he was on earth
was to go and teach all nations and make disciples of them. Does figuratively
poking a finger right in someone’s eye by doing something you know is going to
offend them sound like a good way to start off a teaching conversation?
Ask yourself, before you participate in an event like this
or praise the people who sponsor it: Will this event point the Muslim who hears
about it to Jesus? Will it make their heart more open to the sowing of God’s
word by the next Christian who has an opportunity to witness to them? Or will
it just harden their heart further when they see such a petty way that we use
our “rights”.
I’m not saying that we need to tiptoe around and never
offend someone of another culture or speak out about another religion. I won’t
hesitate to say that Islam is WRONG and that their extremists such as the two
gunmen in Texas are murderers (or would have been if they were not stopped by
law enforcement first). I’m not saying that papers should not run political
cartoons, even ones with Muhammed drawn in caricature, as a part of their
everyday course of business. What I’m saying is that going out of our way to be
offensive to other people is not Christian, and to praise or even give
attention to those who do so is not Christian. To make jokes about the death of
two men who were created by God - but who no longer have an opportunity for any
eternity other than separation from Him is not Christian. Though all those
things are permissible to us as Americans and are even seen by some to be
patriotic…that does not mean they are Christian.
We should not be mocking those who follow Islam. We should
be weeping for them and for how deceived they are. We should be taking any
opportunity we have to point them towards Christ and to the salvation He
offers. And we should be on our knees
before God begging Him to bring Muslims to him. When, if we were doing that,
would we have time to participate or endorse such foolishness as that cartoon
contest?
Our rights end where our duty to share Christ with others
begins. THAT’S the purpose to which we should turn our speech and all the
freedoms we have surrounding it.
