Religious intolerance usually is defined as the act of holding blind contempt for those who fall outside the precepts of organized religion. But I wonder if we couldn't extend that definition to those who hold blind contempt for anything religious.
On Monday a wooden plank with a biblical message proclaiming God's supreme identity and His infinite promise for those who choose to acknowledge it was posted against a wall with markers so those who agree could sign it.
The first exclamation to go up on the board, however, was "BULLSHIT" in enormous letters that almost filled the entire space.
My initial reaction was, of course, blind contempt for the individual who made the offensive inscription. But then I had to wonder, what is it that motivated this vigilante to express his or her message in such a way?
The biblical passage by its own nature could not be ignored because of its obvious demand for a philosophical decision. Perhaps the profanity is an indication that the individual at least understood the urgency of the message, and at some point felt pressured by the decisions such religious propositions demand.
Wasn't it the apostle Peter himself who vocally denied Jesus three times when faced with such pressure? He had an incredible moral decision to make - acknowledge his association with Christ and be persecuted, or curse his master and be comfortably safe from affliction.
This great leader of the church failed the test the first (and second and third) time around, and came to realize that while denying his faith made him comfortable with society, his conscience would not leave him so unafflicted.
Indeed, he was driven to bitter weeping at the realization that he'd betrayed his father, his brother, his master and his best friend all at the same time.
If you believed the contemporary secularist view of Christianity, you would have expected instant damnation to befall Peter's tormented soul. His denial, Judas' betrayal and the other apostles' cowardice, after all, led to their leader's capture and crucifixion.
Under normal circumstances their little movement would have crumbled and become the laughing stock of the century. But the story doesn't end there.
Now just because Easter weekend is coming up I don't feel obligated to preach the detailed history or try to prove the miracle on which the Christian faith is founded. Everyone knows the story, and everyone must decide for himself what he believes.
The point is that Peter was given a second chance. So were the other 10. Judas probably would have been had he not abandoned life on his own.
And in many cases the persecutors joined the persecuted, completely of their own will. Try to find the logic in that! Saul made a rewarding hobby out of killing Christians until he became one, was renamed Paul, and in the end was executed for making such a lousy career move.
Obviously there must have been a point to all this. There must have been a reason to risk one's very life stirring up Rome and all her power.
I would imagine that the individual who vandalized the sign at the Student Center fears what he perceives to be the Christian right's grip on this nation's power base.
I have no intention of trying to refute that perception - I'll save that for a political column. Instead I would encourage the mystery vandal and all like him to examine their rebellious spirit and see how closely they might identify with the early Christians, if only they could redirect their passions.
And I would encourage them to not judge the faith based on the zealous actions of a small few associated with it.
Look to the foundation, not to the fringe. Don't let modern politics muddle up the message. And when faced with a sign that demands attention and a great moral decision, don't react - reconsider.
One dark afternoon, 2000 years ago this Friday, a man hung from a wooden structure bleeding to death, and for the first time in his life doubted all he'd lived for, loudly vocalizing an all-too-human fear, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
To some this may have seemed an obscenity, coming from the mouth of the Son of God. To others, it was a necessary prelude to the Sunday morning wake-up call that would forever change human history.
Assistant Editorial Editor Matt Felice is a telecommunications sophomore.
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