Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Caryn Riswold

Home
Progressive Christian
No Religious Test for Compassion

No Religious Test for Compassion

Last updated on: November 16, 2015 at 11:00 am by Caryn Riswold

No Religious Test for Compassion 2015-11-16T11:00:07-07:00 Caryn Riswold

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“And I think our focus ought to be on the Christians who have no place in Syria anymore.” (Jeb Bush on Sunday’s Meet the Press, with similar comments on CNN’s State of the Union.)

“We need to be working to provide a safe haven for those Christians who are being persecuted and facing genocide, and at the same time we shouldn’t be letting terrorists into America.” (Ted Cruz at a press conference on Sunday in South Carolina.)

Gentlemen, your Christian privilege is showing: Your assumption that Christians are good and that Christians cannot be terrorists. Your interest in only taking care of those who you identify as like you. Your insistence upon using the term “radical Islam” while never once having uttered the phrase “radical Christianity” to refer to Timothy McVeigh or Scott Roeder or Eric Rudolph. Refugees_from_Syria_to_Sweden_04

And the President is ready to call you out on it:

“And when I hear folks say that well maybe we should just admit the Christians but not the Muslims, when I hear political leaders suggesting that there would be a religious test for which person who’s fleeing from a war-torn country is admitted, when some of those folks themselves come from families who benefited from protection when they were fleeing political persecution, that’s shameful. That’s not American. That’s not who we are. We don’t have a religious test for our compassion.” (Barack Obama today during a news conference at the G-20 conference in Antalya, Turkey.)

Bush and Cruz are reflecting the more widespread Islamophobia infecting their party, as witnessed by recent actions at the state level:

“At least six governors say they will not accept Syrian refugees in their states in response to Friday’s attacks in Paris. The governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan and Texas say their top concern must be the safety of state residents, and there is a chance the refugees include people with terrorist ties.”

In response, this morning @pastordan tweeted out a series on hospitality as a biblical mandate, central to the Christian tradition, including these:

There is simply no way to be a Christian or a Jew and reject the value of hospitality.

— Daniel Schultz (@pastordan) November 16, 2015

Because “whoever welcomes me [Christ] welcomes the one who sent me.”

— Daniel Schultz (@pastordan) November 16, 2015

And “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”

— Daniel Schultz (@pastordan) November 16, 2015

If the bible is your thing, I’ll leave you with a few words:

“The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 10:34)

“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)

“Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” (Matthew 25:45)

Image via wikimedia commons.

Previous Post

November 5, 2015

Racial Justice & a Lutheran Roundtable

Next Post

November 20, 2015 Engaging & Navigating #AARSBL15

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion At the Intersections Atheism Christianity Contraception Education Feminism Gender Getting Theological Honorable Mention Islam LGBT News Our Voices Race Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did the Israelites eat in the wilderness?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Manna Fish Corn Bread