Islamic Mosque at Ground Zero

There has been so much talk (and hollering) about this proposed mosque. Much of the outcry has come out against it.

There has been a discussion going on at my favorite Christian discussion forum and I have stayed out of it for the most part. Today, I felt led to post my opinion about it. To see it in context, you can find the discussion here. Following is my post on that thread:

As I’ve read through this thread, a couple of thoughts keep coming back to me.

It is clear that there is still much hurt and pain….and unforgiveness….left in the hearts of many Americans. I can understand that pain. I’ve lost people that are near and dear to me; I’ve been hurt by others actions.

I think what happened on 9/11 is horrible and heart-wrenching. As I was returning from a conference in New Jersey that fateful week, I could see the spiraling smoke coming from Manhattan. My heart ached for my fellow conference attendee who got a call during one of our meetings advising him that his office on the 78th floor had been hit by a plane and his coworkers all possibly dead. How he managed to walk out of that room still amazes me. I cried with my coworker who had close friends at the Pentagon and could not get any word on them. I panicked until I could get word on my sister’s whereabouts, who was supposed to be flying out of Bangor that morning, not sure whether she was going through LaGuardia or Boston.

It is something that we Americans will never forget.

But when do we, as Christians, stand up and say ENOUGH. Enough of the anger; enough of the hurting; enough of the “eye for an eye” thought process.

I think of the pastor down in Florida (I think it’s Florida) who is encouraging the burning of the Quran. What message does that give the world? Perhaps a message of hatred, a message of superiority over others? Does it spread the message of the Gospel?

And how do the fruits of the Spirit figure in here? Where is the peace, kindness, love, self-control, etc?

This is a matter of freedom here in America, as much as it is a matter of right or wrong. But it is mostly a matter of the heart and the motive of the heart…our heart as much as theirs.

So while we sit here questioning and imagining what the motive of their heart is, we should also question what the motive of our own heart is and be sure it lines up with what God has revealed it should be.

My not so humble, but honest opinion.

Sue