Posted on 08/22/2003 2:54:22 AM PDT by kattracks
Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - An interfaith group founded by Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon is spearheading an effort to have Christian ministers remove crosses from their churches, calling them a symbol of oppression and perceived superiority. Mainstream Christian leaders call the request "outrageously bigoted."
The American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC), an organization that began as a project of Moon's Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), believes the key to "true and lasting peace in the Middle East" is reconciliation between members of the world's three largest religions.
"Jews, Christians and Muslims must come together to heal divisions of the past, to stand together in a moment of repentance and reconciliation, and thus, tear down the walls that separate us as people of faith," said Archbishop George Augustus Stallings, Jr., of the independent Imani Temple African American Catholic congregation in Washington, D.C.
The ACLC held a symposium in New York Thursday on Jewish-Christian-Muslim reconciliation and Middle East peace entitled "Harmony Amongst the Children of Abraham." Stallings, who serves as national chairman of the executive committee of the ACLC, told CNSNews.com by telephone that part of that reconciliation involves assessing how Christian traditions are perceived by people of other faiths.
"We have realized that, as expressions of faith, there are certain symbols that have stood in the way," Stallings said. "The cross has served as a barrier in bringing about a true spirit of reconciliation between Jews and also between Muslims and Christians, and thus, we have sought to remove the cross from our Christian churches across America as a sign of our willingness to remove any barrier that stands in the way of us coming together as people of faith."
Michael Schwartz of Concerned Women for America - a biblically based, public policy women's organization - was shocked at Stallings' assessment.
"If a Christian objected to a Star of David or a Crescent, we would know that person is a bigot. When a Jew or Muslim objects to the display of the cross by Christians, we know the same thing about that person," Schwartz said. "To tear down our religious symbols, to uproot our traditions is not the way to reconciliation, but rather, to recognize with respect, our own and the traditions of others is the way to true reconciliation.
"Just imagine if some misguided Christian were to suggest that the Jews have to take away their symbol and the Muslims would have to take away their symbol, not display it in public any longer," Schwartz continued. "That would be identified instantly as a statement of intolerance. Reconciliation and peace do not grow out of intolerance."
Cross is symbol of 'religious intolerance, forced conversions...racism'
Stallings acknowledges that the cross is central to teaching people about the saving grace offered through Christ's death and resurrection but, he argued, Christians have also used the cross to send other messages.
"We have held up this cross in the face of Jews to say, 'If it had not been for your rejection of Jesus, our Messiah would never have been crucified," Stallings added. "We also know that the cross has stood as a barrier in Christian-Muslim relationships because we have held up our cross as a superior faith, that we - as Christians - are superior over the Muslims."
Stallings added that "a history of religious intolerance, forced conversions, inquisitions and even racism as used by white supremacists" also follows the cross through Christian history.
"The cross does not, by any means, symbolize a 'history of religious intolerance, forced conversions, inquisitions or racism,'" Schwartz responded tersely. "That is an outrageously bigoted statement."
Rev. Phillip Schanker, vice president of the FFWPU, said getting Christian pastors to remove the cross from their churches involves more than just taking down a symbol.
"There are divergent theological understandings centered around the cross," Schanker said. "So, it's not just the symbol we're dealing with."
While Christians may view the cross as the symbol of Christ's sacrificial death to pay for their sins, Schanker agreed with Stallings that Jews and Muslims have different perceptions. Jewish tradition does not recognize Christ as the savior, and Islamic teachings deny that it was Jesus who was crucified.
Christians, Schanker said, need to consider those disparate beliefs and ask themselves if the symbolism of the cross is worth maintaining the divisions it allegedly creates.
"It's a matter of overcoming the religious arrogance, the religious chauvinism, the narrow-mindedness, the judgmentalism that often comes from insecurity," Schanker said.
Schwartz agreed that a judgmental attitude is a problem, but he said it appears those opposed to the display of the cross are the ones suffering from it.
"To paraphrase the man who died on the cross for our sins and the sins of Mr. Schanker and all those Muslims and Jews," Schwartz said, "they ought to take care of the beam in their own eye before they look at the speck in their brother's eye."
Schanker accused those who disagree with the anti-cross movement of overreacting.
"I'm sure, for some narrow-minded Christians, it seems like we're undermining or denying the very foundations of Christian belief. Not at all; nobody is questioning the salvific role or Jesus' sacrificial position," Schanker said. "But we're recognizing from within New Testament understanding that Jesus transcended the cross. Let's not continue crucifying him. That's not where he is."
Schwartz laughed in response to Schanker's statement.
"Getting these lectures on Christology from somebody who's announced himself as an enemy of the cross is really amusing," Schwartz said, recalling a comment made by a little girl in Alexander Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago in reference to prayer in Stalin's Soviet Union.
"Everyone is allowed to pray, as long as no one hears but God," Schwartz quoted. "This is the degree of religious liberty that Mr. Schanker will allow to the one religion that he apparently thinks ought never to speak its name or show its face."
Schwartz found it telling that a group founded by the leader of the "Moonies" would call together Muslims and Jews to renounce "the universal symbol of Christianity as something hateful.
"In the interest of peace, the three who believe that Jesus Christ was not God want to stifle the one who believes that Jesus Christ was God," Schwartz observed. "Is that peace through conquest, peace through surrender, peace through requiring that Christians cease proclaiming their Christianity? That is not an offer of peace."
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Not surprised to find the ACLU mentioned in this article. I have come to believe the ACLU is no longer about civil liberties, but rather about destroying the Christian faith.
The ACLU is truly an enemy within, moving deftly to destroy Christianity with secularism.
Stuff happens.
In a way-I was even more sickened that clergy, who should understand the significance of the cross to all Christians, would move to have it removed from churches.
Tho I still consider the ACLU an enemy of mine, I now consider the ACLC corrupted and yet another PC organization set against the depth and meaning and wonder of Christ.
That's a special at a Chinese restaurant, right?
< Heavily troweled sarcasm off >
I protest the use of the Rolls-Royce logo as a symbol of perceived superiority.
You know, I was thinking the exact same thing!
"In a related issue, the same Church urges that Christianity give up the belief that Jesus is the Son of G-d. A spokesman said, 'Given the perceived superiority of a religion who's tennant is that if you believe, you will be saved is so unfair to non-believers that we suggest that this whole 'Jesus thing' be dropped!"
Mark
The mating call self-righteous liberal--the self-exclusive "we."When you hear it, you know you're about to be taken to the rape room.
Revelation 13
1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.
3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6 And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
The only reconciliation that can bring peace is people becoming reconciled with God through his Son Jesus.
Yes, totally unlike the millions of examples of human charity and respect for human rights that follows the Muslim crescent through history
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