Identifying the Moral

Okay let us get one thing out of the way. Going to church, being saved, giving your heart to Jesus, or just believing yourself a Christian does not mean that you are necessarily moral.

I know, I know, you find that statement patently rediculous. Yet it is the truth.

It does not take much digging to find numerous people of faith who have done terrible or immoral things. The "B.K. Killer" was a church deacon. Andrea yates, who drowned her five children, was under the tutelage of Michael Woroniecki, a traveling minister. Dr. David Hager, a devout christian, anally raped his wife. Representative Tom Delay, outspoken opponent of liberal judges and pro-choice advocates, has been accused of ethics violations. Jimmy Swaggert, fiery pentecostal televangelist, hired a prostitute for sex. Jim Baker, preacher and founder of the 700 club, cheated on his wife with his secretary.

Now what makes all of this seem so much worse is that many of these people portray themselves as better then people who do not share their belief. They claim that God is on their side and they are assured that they are on the fast track to salvation. And people trust them. Sometimes the people who share their religious faith are unable to accept that they have done these terrrible things. And that is the crux of the problem.

Gandhi said "I am prepared to die, but there is no cause for which I am prepared to kill."

I am here to tell you that Gandhi is my moral superior. I am not so ready to die and under the right circumstances I could definitely take a life. I would not do so lightly and it would be an extreme situation, but I could imagine doing it. Yet he is not a Christian.

It seems that too many Christians go through the motions and surround themselves with people who reinforce their feeling of rightousness and are confident that they are being moral. Yet I keep seeing the spokespeople from their religion showing no tolerance toward other religions, advocating violence toward people who are Pro-choice, threatening judges who dare to show independence, and advocating watering down science so as to protect their beliefs from scrutiny.

Where is the Morality?

When I was a boy I met the man who exemplified morality to me. He was not white. He was not Christian. He was not American. He was the most powerful martial artist I have ever seen yet he walked away from every argument. He could crush cinder blocks into powder with his hands yet he refused to squash a bug feeding on his blood. He attracted much attention from the ladies yet he shyly avoided them and stayed chaste. He observed my hedonistic lifestyle and did not seem to pass judgement. He never told me what to think or who to be. He was just my friend. The lessons I learned from him have lasted a lifetime.

Morality is not found inside a building. It is not in a book. It is not worn around your neck. It is not on a bumper sticker attached to your car. It is not defined by how loudly you shout it to the world. It is not in the color of your skin or where you happen to have been born. It is in the heart of some Hindus. It is in the heart of some Buddhists. It is in the heart of some Christians. It is in the heart of some Muslims. And it is in the heart of anybody who thinks of others first, or sacrifices without considering a reward, or cries at the suffering of any of his fellow humans.

I strive to be a moral person and you will know it by my actions not by my words. So go ahead and judge me. I forgive you.