There is currently, in New York City a powerful controversy that is taking place over whether a Muslim group should be able to build a Mosque…a Muslim house of worship…at a site that is very near to the ruins of the World Trade Center. The argument that has been posed is that it is an act of great insensitivity to allow a church…that is of a similar denomination to those people who planned and acted out the attack on the twin towers. It would be an insult and a veritable “slap in the face” to all of the survivors…is what is being said. Angry people are making this not only a personal issue, but a political issue as well and the ability of this landowner to build a church will likely be taken to the highest possible court.
It is interesting for us, of the angelic order, looking at this from a somewhat removed perspective…and by removed I mean away from the emotions of anger and pain on both sides. St. Paul’s Church stands almost directly across the street from the former towers and it miraculously enough was not damaged by the fall of the towers. This historical church was the place of worship for many of the founding fathers when New York was then the capitol of the new nation. George Washington worshiped there as did many others…and 9/11 rescue workers slept in the seats that are marked to remember their historical places.
St. Paul’s is a Christian church and as one, it hails from the roots of that religion, which was the Catholic Church…up until the time of the protestant revolt. The Catholic Church for many years was the religious support of the crusades…the holy wars that were intended to remove the world of the non-believing infidel’s that practiced the Muslim religions. Clearly, as with most wars, there were much more pressing economic concerns that actually fueled the wars…but the reason given to the people was that it was a religious war. Christians had essentially declared war on the Muslim religion and others…because it was not the one “true” faith. And good “god fearing” people were led to believe that the infidel was “evil” and meant them harm.
Clearly, there are already some similarities to the current situation…but I do not desire to fast forward yet to this time. I would ask you first to fast forward to the formation of this nation called the United States. It was originally born as colonies that were formed as an oasis from government control. A peace loving people who believed that government should not establish an “official” religion and that all religions should be allowed to be expressed. But even at the same time that Washington prayed at St. Paul’s Church…across from the place that the World Trade Center would one day stand…there were parts of the country that still enslaved people and others where, though not slaves, they shared no equal rights. But even amidst the imperfections of this government…it came to form one of the greatest nations in the world. If one were to look upon those who formed this government and blame the country for slavery, or the stealing of land from the Native Americans who lived on them…or the persecution of races of people for years…then I would think that there would be enormous protests on any lands on which the government wished to place a building. Or American’s, who practice the Muslim faith, would protest the existence of any Catholic churches…on the basis of their use as political locations to perpetrate planned death to other religions. One could even extend that illogic to say that since the Catholic Church and other Christian churches oppose abortion that the actions of the extremists who bomb these clinics and in turn take lives…then these people act on the part of the faith.
Clearly this is not the case and I say to you that the great, great, great majority of all of mankind wish the same things. They wish for love, passion, financial security, fulfilling work, family, a comfortable home and peace in the world. And they also seek a deeper spiritual meaning and understanding in their lives…which is why religions of the world have arisen. There is no true place in the concept of seeking a higher understanding that would speak to hate. The two greatest commandments that were placed forth by Jesus…the central focus of the formation of the Catholic and other Christian religions is to love your neighbor as you do yourself…and to love god with all your heart. Jesus spoke of loving your enemies and turning the other cheek because he was trying to teach mankind that all hatred and fear will do is breed more hatred and fear…but loving in the face of adversity…that will breed more love and will destroy fear and hatred.
Most of those who are calling for the Mosque to not be created are Christian and in their defense they are not doing what they are because they are bad people. Some are Jews, who already share a historical conflict with Muslims and who also have a much deeper connection to the fears and pain of being a persecuted people. They are trying to honor the dead and protect the living survivors. But what they are unknowingly doing is stopping the process of healing and further splintering everyone into “us” and “them” groups as has been done throughout time. We forget that us and them all came from the same creator…him…the I am. We are all particles of God expanded to the human form. It is us who decide how we will identify ourselves by a religious affiliation…but we all speak to the same creator…no matter what we call the building that we are speaking from.
