Democrat – Page 2 – Postchristianity

An Open Letter to my Christian Friends. Your Silence is Getting Louder

“Your silence as a believer is tacit support.”

Friend,

I have a question for you. I hope our years together in the faith would bring you to honour me with considering this plain question… although it may make you uncomfortable. I am deeply troubled by the diseased state of Christianity right now, I’m hoping that you can illuminate how it got here.

Tell me if there is any validity to this perspective that I hold: radical religiosity is dangerous. It leads to all sorts of harmful events from the Crusades to 9/11. But extremism is only half-fueled by radical/violent belief… the other half comes from moderates standing by and feeding the flames with their silence.

The rise of Donald Trump is particularly on the shoulders of the Christians, and despite scandal after inept scandal, the unshakable support of the church allows him to cling to power. As the impeachment process grinds on via a mountain of evidence, I ask you: Why have you remained silent?

*Are you one of those in the room, quietly bowing your head? Or would you speak up against this heresy?*

30 Years Ago We Celebrated the Berlin Wall Coming Down. Today We Tolerate a Culture that Wants to Put One Up

I keep my piece of the Berlin Wall on my nightstand.

My partner was born on a British military base near Berlin and was there when the wall came down; she was just over 2 years old. She remembers being on her dad’s shoulders, striking the wall with a hammer. Her family honoured me by giving me the humble piece I have today.

I keep it close as a reminder that division, in the name of ideology, is overcome by enlightened minds and their conviction that united, we’re better off.

30 years ago we celebrated the wall coming down, today it is stunning that we tolerate a culture that thinks building new walls is the solution.

Image result for ronald reagan berlin wall — *The irony here that Ronny, a republican, is lauded for breaking down the wall is just so brutal…*

I stand with the Kurds. I stand for Peace.

When arriving in a new country whilst traveling alone, the most vulnerable moment is always between the airport and the hostel: you have all your gear, you don’t know the transportation system, and you don’t know the language. On the bus ride to Istanbul, Turkey from the airport, I was comforted to find another English speaker, a local, sitting next to me.

I struck up a conversation on the state of Turkey and Islam. He had some colourful things to say about the Salafis, among other topics pertinent to the Middle East… it wasn’t long before I found out my new friend is Kurdish.