By: Gabriela Yareliz
There is an 11-year-old girl being held for possible blasphemy for potentially having burned pages of the Koran in Pakistan. An 11-year-old girl?Really? That is terrible. This is what happens when religion becomes part of a political system. It is disgusting, it always has been whether it was with Catholicism, Islam–whatever. Houses have been burned, and people have fled.
If someone makes views contrary to or desecrates Islam, it is punishable by death, so they say.
It bothers me that many are trying to take Christianity out of the U.S. and make it seem like if you are a Christian you are intolerant, but I can assure you, that no other world view, but the Judeo-Christian world view promises value of life, unalienable rights and equality among all human beings. No other religious worldview. This country could not have been founded on any other belief system and have been the same.
We have centers in this country for better understanding other religions, but do you think that in a Muslim country, it has a center to teach others about Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism or Judaism? I bet you I wouldn’t find one in Saudi Arabia. As Ravi Zacharias once said, a religion that is politiciized is in danger of extinction. When people are afraid to think and question, something is wrong. I am saying this for all religions. When this happens, there is grave danger.
Also, it is important to know that discrimination is wrong wherever it happens. By the U.S. striving for tolerance, which has stopped meaning respecting world views to now accepting world views (BIG difference), we forget that while people here raise issue over “small” things, if we were somewhere else in this world we would not be treated with the same kindness or effort. My point is, despite the injustices and degrees we assign to injustices on the small scale of pathetic human justice, discrimination is wrong no matter how “big” or “small” or where.
I hope this girl is found to be not guilty– I am not justifying what she did, but as someone who believes that the U.S. First Amendment should be an unalienable right to all, I cannot agree with this type of law and restriction of freedom.I know these are some provvocative statements, but I was appalled this morning by this news.
Where is love that grants freedom? God demonstrated the greatest risk and love by giving Himself to us and also giving us FREEDOM; freedom to choose or reject Him.
Freedom.
(Sorry for the typos! With Love–)
GABRIELA YARELIZ 