For those of you who stay up to date with the happenings of Murfreesboro, Tennessee or watch The Daily Show with John Stewart, you are abreast of the current issue of the Islamic Mosque that has broken ground here. It's almost outside the city limits, but with the way everyone is bickering about it, you would think they were trying to knock down the County Courthouse and build it right there in the middle of everything. So here's my take of the whole situation:
I'm a Christian that was raised and still lives in the Bible Belt of America. You cannot drive anywhere without passing at least a few Baptist, Church of Christ, Church of God, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and even a few Non-Denominational Christian churches. There are two Catholic churches in this whole county. There's one Buddhist Temple on a road going towards Smyrna. The closest Jewish Synagogue is in Nashville. Up until a few months ago, most Murfreesboroans didn't notice the Islamic Mosque that had been on Middle Tennessee Boulevard (one of the city's main roads.) So what's the big deal that the followers of the 2nd largest religion in the world (Christianity being number one) want a bigger church? Fear.
Fear of the unknown. Fear of something that people have never researched. Fear of people that do not waver in their beliefs (and by the way, I'm not referring to terrorists here.) People see Islam and Muslims as the people who tore our country to shreds 9 years ago, and 1.5 billion people in the world are going to pay for the actions of a small group of radicals. People believe that knocking down signs, destroying construction equipment, and spray painting words of hate will deter them from building here. I see these acts as childish and ignorant. It says, hey, we fear what you're doing but won't take the time to learn about why you want to be here and what you're religion is about.
If you take this to mean that I am Pro-Mosque, then you might be right. If you take this to mean that I am indecisive based on the fact that I'm not Muslim, you would would DEFINITELY be correct.
I have said it more than once and will always stand by this: Sometimes the worst thing that can happen to a spiritual person is religion.
World English Dictionary
spirituality
1. the state or quality of being dedicated to God, religion, or spiritual things or values, esp as contrasted with material or temporal ones
2. the condition or quality of being spiritual
3. a distinctive approach to religion or prayer: the spirituality of the desert Fathers
4. ( often plural ) Church property or revenue or a Church benefice
World English Dictionary
religious
— adj
1. of, relating to, or concerned with religion
2. a. pious; devout; godly
b. ( as collective noun ; preceded by the ): the religious
3. appropriate to or in accordance with the principles of a religion
4. scrupulous, exact, or conscientious
5. Christianity of or relating to a way of life dedicated to religion by the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and defined by a monastic rule
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