Local, supposedly "Christian" group spreads anti-Muslim slander

[Peace Seeker]

I also posted this information to the "Be counted for humane tolerance" Wacco Talk thread.

David Hoffman'
May 21, 2008

___________________


Santa Rosa 'Christian' group
distributesAnti-Muslim slander tract
in Sebastopol

As an Evangelical Christian I was repelled and embarassed (hardly the first time, however), to learn that a supposedly "Christian" anti-Muslim hate tract was left on someone's car seat in Sebastopol last week.

The group calls itself "Truth be Told" and lists a Santa Rosa post office box. The tract is obviously one of many -- probably created by some outside organization fomenting religious prejudice: It was numbered "Islam #11" and titled "The Truth about ISLAM -- Can a Good MUSLIM Be a Good AMERICAN?"

What followed was a long series of falsehoods and miststatements about Islam and Muslims, each one supposedly "proving" that a Muslim cannot be a "Good American."

The people sneaking around, dropping this material into strangers' cars, apparently imagines that prejudice-inciting behavior somehow qualifies as being both a "Good American" and a "Good Christian."

What do WE believe would constitute a "righteous American" response to this hate tract?

For those of us who follow Christian and other Faiths (including Islam): What response would be consistent with OUR values, teachings and scriptures?

I invite others' thoughts and suggestions, either on this thread, or directly at the following eMail address:

Al Salaam Alaykum, Shalom, Namaste, Peace

David L. Hoffman, Coordinator
Humanity Check
Interfaith Peace and Reconciliation Project
PMB 560, 122 Calistoga Road
Santa Rosa, CA 95409

[email protected]

[Lenny]

Sorry I missed the tract. How do you know it was "Christian" in origin?

But I believe you are right, as there are many that call on that name, but not as many walk the walk. Hell, even the devil calls out and says he believes, but does his own thing, as I understand it.
Such an answer can't even be started in tract form, but you might ask if they follow their leader and are willing to carry some Muslim's coat for an extra mile. Or if they are willing to REALLY follow their founders and are willing to lay down their life. As an American, they can fight prior to laying it down, but as as Christian they are "told" to lay it down willingly. All those leaders did, and sang WHILE being done in by lions and tigers and bears! Oh my! And fire, and sword and arrow, and spear, and cross, and....well, see what fun we have as pagans?
So if they are "righteous" then that is the only thing that may be "done".
What did you have in mind?
Or I suppose, we could refer to Ecclesiastes (a favorite of mine) and note there is a time for war and a time for killing.
What you ask is dang near impossible. I know some Christian fellow who is in Seattle and "ministering" to those in that faith. When asked he tells others not to do it as a lark. Those guys he deals with are fierce, and do not take lightly their issues. He tells me that with THEM (as you point out the WE) their "religion" is not "separated" from the state, nor is it different from their moment to moment daily life. They don't "kick it" around.
It is a concept that is utterly foreign to what goes on around here.
However if I ever meet one and discuss the issue, another beheading may occur (don't get your hopes up, Ed) when we discuss ontology. For me it is much more worth than the usual

[Peace Seeker]

Lenny wrote: Sorry I missed the tract. How do you know it was "Christian" in origin?

The tract uses a lot a very traditional conservative Evangelical Christian phrases and concepts. I don't know whether this is merely window-dressing, or cynically manipulative rehtorical packaging, or whether it reflects the author's actual sectarian position.

Many fomenters of anti-Muslim prejudice understand themselves to be devoutly Christian, but their notions of what that means is wildly different from my concept.

For example I read that during the 1930s, when the KKK was a VERY powerful, widespread movement throughout the American midwest, every local Klan chapter had to have a "chaplain" who was an ordained Christian minister. It's not up to me to judge the spiritual status of any other person -- no matter how objectionable they look to me. Only God can judge that. But I doubt any of those KKK chaplains would agree with me about what Jesus was teaching, or about how we should implement those teachings.

Lenny wrote (about professing Christians seeking a truly Christian response to the anti-Muslim tract): "If they are willing to REALLY follow their founders and are willing to lay down their life. ... [A]s a Christian they are 'told' to lay it down willingly. All those leaders did, and sang WHILE being done in[.]"

You are correct that most of us who claim to be Christians aren't running around laying our lives down, and that does raise challenging questions for us, about the discrepancy between the founders' martyrdom and our more self-preserving ways of living. It's pretty hard to find a Faith tradition whose adherants fully measure up to the example of its founders. I'm not available here for an extended online discussion of that question, beyond agreeing with you that it's a profound one, that understandably leads many skeptics to question the validity of religions. I have decided to stay focussed on constructive action in response to anti-Muslim prejudice mongering.

Lenny wrote: What you ask is dang near impossible.

Not as I understand the matter. But I understand from your past comments why you would think so. I'm not going to debate this, or get immobilized by vexing contradictions which others bring up. That would displace my focus away from taking contsructive action in response to anti-Muslim prejudice mongering.

Lenny wrote: I know some Christian fellow who is in Seattle and "ministering" to those in that faith. When asked he tells others not to do it as a lark. Those guys he deals with are fierce, and do not take lightly their issues. He tells me that with THEM (as you point out the WE) their "religion" is not "separated" from the state, nor is it different from their moment to moment daily life. They don't "kick it" around.
It is a concept that is utterly foreign to what goes on around here.

Your report of your Seattle friend's description doesn't square with direct encounters I've had with many Muslims. I can assure you there are many kindly, intelligent, humanitarian Muslims right here in Sonoma County who will be delighted to work with neighbors, who offer support and friendship in the face of this prejudice. And they aren't fierce or scary to talk with or work with. (Of course, Lenny, you recently described me as your dangerous mortal enemy, so you might use simlar logic to reach similar judgments about the Muslims I'm describing. But you would be mistaken.)

We are looking at a scapegoating situation which has many dangerous parallels with the anti-Japanese hysteria which resulted in mass internment during WWII. I am interested in working with anyone on this List who undersands this, and who is serious about ensuring that we don't repeat that shameful and regrettable history.

I'm not planning to get involved in conceptual and foundational arguments about whether Muslims are or aren't being scapegoated, or whether people of concsience should stand up with them. I am asking who is available to help support our neighbors who are under a prejudicial attack.

People can post responses here about that, or eMail me directly at [email protected].

David Hoffman

[Lenny]

Your notion that it was Evangelical Christian is based only on your critical analysis of language in a single tract, and your implied castigation of THAT sect is a shadow of what you are trying to prevent with ANOTHER group of people. Yet your call to work on prejudice contains seeds of the same, relative to the source. It's kind of like "hate all the haters" or "kill all the violent". I am amazed!
Oh, and as for being my enemy; that will apply to my crazy perception only. Sorry. Sucks to be us, eh? When I see your Marxist standings applied to theistic issues, I will challenge you, as I will die knowing that the two are in opposition and contrast and cannot simultaneously exist in "the real world".
But I gather you are trying to do good works in this endeavor.
Sorry for off tracking your initiative to do what ever it is you are doing.
I hope you post your findings or actions as that would be interesting.
Good luck to you,
=

[Peace Seeker]

I meant to post this, but I sent it as a private reply by mistake:

Dear Lenny,

You're correct that a major stumbling point in anti-prejudice work is the impulse to demonize others as "the prejudiced ones", and then construct prejudicial, dehumanized stereotypes about them. My theory about why we do this is that it's an attempt to block out our own fear, and to numb the pain that accompanies a hard clear look at the nasty aspects of human nature.

I agree that this dehumanizing of others as "prejudiced defectives" is a pitfall we have to watch for in ourselves, as a necessary part of any effective effort to remedy prejudice. And it's a given that we'll always imagine we are more on top of this problem than we really are.

This point is definitely relevant to the endeavor I'm trying to pursue, so thanks for opening up discussion about such a significant, challenging dimension of prejudice.

Specifically, regarding the anti-Muslim tract having nominally "Christian" origins:

It's possible it wasn't authored by a Christian, but if not it would have to be someone consciously posing as a Christian, because it employs some very distinctively Christian terminology and rhetoric.

As an Evangelical Christian, one of my responsibilities is to study what hidden, potential setups for prejudice, oppression and cruelty might be latent within Christian scriptures, doctrines and perspectives, and in particular within those aspects of Christian faith and practice which I myself embrace and try to live out.

I believe we all have that same responsibility with regard to any ideology we embrace. So I have a simultaneous responsibility to scrutinize Marxism in the same way, including especially the particular portions and versions of Marxist theory I embrace.

I believe that if people who subscribe to differing Faiths and ideologies could be more open with one another, in acknowledging and discussing potentially harmful mis-applications of their own traditions and beliefs, we could establish a far safer, more trusting and more benevolent set of human relations, than what we are enduring now.

I have spent much time pondering such contradictions and difficulties as they arise within my Evangelical Christian Faith, which I have actively embraced for just short of 40 years.

Because of that long effort, I do feel very qualified to recognize and discuss instances where Christian concepts and precepts are being misapplied in harmful ways.

You and I don't know each other personally, so it would not be reasonable for me to expect you to accept this as true, just because I claim it. But for what it's worth, I'm putting it out there, to clarify a little more fully who I am and where I'm coming from.

I appreciate your encouragement about anti-prejudice work -- especially since you're offering it in spite of having serious questions about my understanding of the problem.

I will try to post further news of prejudice-remedying efforts.

I would value reading any examples you can post about efforts (yours or others') to remedy prejudice, whether you saw them as effective, and why or why not.

I see that as directly relevant to my purpose in opening this thread.

David

[Lenny]

PS wrote:
As an Evangelical Christian, one of my responsibilities is to study what hidden, potential setups for prejudice, oppression and cruelty might be latent within Christian scriptures, doctrines and perspectives, and in particular within those aspects of Christian faith and practice which I myself embrace and try to live out.

From what I've read the Christian Evangelicals state that only the Bible supports you perfectly in your endeavors, and that all and any other books are mere commentary by fellow human beings, which by their definition, contains errors that will lead you down the very path you abhor. So I trust you will be as careful as you may. IOW, Christian scriptures only will do you right, not anything from Athanatius to Jean Luc Marion.

I believe we all have that same responsibility with regard to any ideology we embrace. So I have a simultaneous responsibility to scrutinize Marxism in the same way, including especially the particular portions and versions of Marxist theory I embrace.

As Marx and his followers have written thousands of works, good luck on that scrutiny thing. And as to which portion you "embrace", I am sure you may rationalize it, as that is what we do as human beings. In my extremely limited readings of Marx and fiends, there is a great deal of prejudice against those of faith. That is faith outside of Marxism. So good luck and be careful on that as well.
The only consolation I may give you on all this is that it is an IDEOLOGY but you already know that. For me that means that the practical application will always have an outcome that cannot satisfy. We are mere mortals and not angels.

I believe that if people who subscribe to differing Faiths and ideologies could be more open with one another, in acknowledging and discussing potentially harmful mis-applications of their own traditions and beliefs, we could establish a far safer, more trusting and more benevolent set of human relations, than what we are enduring now.

I find we are "enduring" rather well, no? I mean one freak tract by some moron does not a panic make. I also agree that inter-faith dialogue would possibly do all well, or at least all that may attend.
I realize that a serious misapplication of faith are those Muslim fellows that send us public messages stating they will kill us. I can only surmise that their read on the Quaran produces something other than what their fellow Muslim believers tell us. And it is most difficult to discern IF living in fear, as when I get "terrified" or fearful, then I can easily believe that they may wish only to kill or convert us. In that endeavor you are doing a very brave thing. And as a stand up guy, you are telling them, as they do exist, to "come kill me". Something a true and real Christian would do. Just admiring your stance. Sorry, for diverging.

I have spent much time pondering such contradictions and difficulties as they arise within my Evangelical Christian Faith, which I have actively embraced for just short of 40 years. Because of that long effort, I do feel very qualified to recognize and discuss instances where Christian concepts and precepts are being misapplied in harmful ways.

I would imagine that applications of the Christian walk by folks is as replete with errors as history can count. I am sure you will utilize that knowledge of yours to be able to apply the positive aspects of where and how Christianity can work in your desires to eliminate prejudice in this area, day, and time.

You and I don't know each other personally, so it would not be reasonable for me to expect you to accept this as true, just because I claim it. But for what it's worth, I'm putting it out there, to clarify a little more fully who I am and where I'm coming from. I appreciate your encouragement about anti-prejudice work -- especially since you're offering it in spite of having serious questions about my understanding of the problem.

Miscommunication here.
You probably have a very firm grasp of prejudice as you witnessed it in your family as well as yourself. Now you wish to wipe it out in the world.
I feel rather clear on your mission.

I will try to post further news of prejudice-remedying efforts.
I would value reading any examples you can post about efforts (yours or others') to remedy prejudice, whether you saw them as effective, and why or why not. I see that as directly relevant to my purpose in opening this thread.

I'm sorry, here is where I fall far short of actually giving you something. :(

If I could, I would. If I knew of something that I could tell, show, or demonstrate to others that would cure the heart of hatred it would be my joy to give it away. But as it stands, there is nothing more I may do.
As for your social stance and mis beliefs, I am not very progressive, which allows me to quote Ronald Regan regarding this, "Marxism works only in heaven were they don't need it, and it hell where they already have it".