American cyclists wore smog masks into the Beijing airport to either protect their health, or to make a political statement about the poor quality of air (and subsequently of life) in China. I'm not one to question their motives, and I personally have no strong feelings either way about what they did. Personally, I feel like it's their prerogative, though I do believe they could've shown a little more tact, e.g. putting on the masks when they left the airport. But like I said, it's their prerogative.
The strong feelings I have are about the American comments to those actions. I do believe the Chinese government and its environmental agencies owe a responsibility to the world. They promised cleaner air, and everyone that has followed their actions knows they've put in a good faith effort. It may not be up to par with our American standards, but let's face it, how many countries in the world are? Therefore, people are right to voice their opinions in holding the Chinese government responsible. But that's not what many Americans are doing...they're taking this opportunity to rag on the Chinese people as a whole. Dog-eating jokes and calling the Chinese "animals" for forcing abortions. Since when has blatant racism and condescending ethnocentrism become acceptable, under the guise of patriotism? It is one thing to love your country. It is an entirely different thing to spit on another's country.
I'm about to spend the next 4 years of my life defending this country and the ideals upon which it stands. But I can't stand to think that the ideals I'll be defending are shields behind which Americans can lash out and mock the other cultures of the world. I want to believe that our country still stands on a solid foundation of respect and dignity. God hope I'm right...
I recognize that with the target audience of this blog, this sort of entry is like preaching to the choir...but it's just something that needs to come out.
It's so easy to become wrapped up in the Christian bubble, or as scholars today phrase it, the "Christian ghetto." Especially with amazing churches, powerful small groups and studies, and programs like the Blackstone Legal Fellowship, we can get so comfortable reveling in God's splendor because we're saved. With the hustle and bustle of life, how great would it be to just "be still and know" that He is God?
But all it takes is one Google search for "religion" or one conversation to knock some sense and perspective back into our lives. Even living in this "Christian" nation, the reaction to conservative Christianity is hostile. Religion is for the ignorant or uneducated, and you self-proclaimed righteous people should live your lives effecting world peace and justice rather than seeking the ethereal nature of an invisible God. (Note: I'm not taking stabs at the concept of social justice, which is arguably an inseparable tenet of the Christian faith.)
Either the Christian doctrine has become so warped by secular culture, or individuals are too unwilling to accept Christianity for what it may do to their priorities. Why is it that all Christians are either religious bigots, or hypocrites? Why can't they see us for what we claim to be...fallible human beings who recognize our own faults (sin) and have sought the redemptive power of Christ's sacrifice? Secularists often make the argument that they know some Christians who don't act according to their beliefs and ideals, which faults the entire faith as being hypocritical. My contention varies on one specific point. ALL Christians don't act according to their beliefs and ideals...if we did, we'd have 1 billion+ perfect "Christs" wandering the planet at any given moment. The idea is that we recognize our sins, have accepted Christ's gift, and are free to commune with God IN SPITE of those (all too often) times when we don't act according to our beliefs and ideals. Find me a Christian who claims to be better than you by his/her own doing, and I'll show you a heretic.
So, why are Christians faulted for being opinionated? Homosexual advocacy groups believe that they have the right to marry (in the traditional sense), adopt children, and receive tax breaks given to traditional couples (among other things). In a similar way, conservative Christians believe that traditional marriage is an institution ordained by God and cannot be redefined by the whims of man. (We'll put aside the flawed idea that religion has no place in government.) Albeit, too many conservative Christians lack tact and are unable to preach the truth in love, why is it that we can't be right on this (and other) issues? Does the fact that we see the issue from a religious perspective make our point any less valid? Or is it because we're overly opinionated? Maybe it's because you don't agree?
Do Christians (those who believe that Jesus Christ is God's only son and the only redemptive way to salvation) believe that they have the exclusive grasp of the truth? Yes. This is a pretty difficult concept to understand in an increasingly postmodern and relativist society. Does that mean that Christians believe that if I don't agree with them, I am wrong? Yes. If you've never been told that the drivel that comes out of your mouth can actually be "wrong" no matter how adamantly you can justify it, try going to law school. (This is true for both Christians and non-Christians, as law school professors are genuinely indiscriminate about who they make feel stupid.) So aren't Christians basically opinionated bigots with an us-against-the-world mentality? If the story ended there, I'd agree with you. But Christians aren't called to hold onto this truth for themselves; we are undeniably commanded to "go and make disciples of all nations." We are expressly called to make Him known through the world by reclaiming culture.
This is where it gets touchy. You have a right to believe anything you want, just don't impose it on me. "Imposing" is like the government's right to tax under the federal constitution...it has an absolute right to make you comply, and you don't have the right to say no. I'd hardly say that offering a tidbit of eternal truth in love is "imposing" anything on you. Well, by lobbying for things like anti-abortion laws and marriage amendments, you're imposing your religious beliefs on me. I think this is a very valid point, and one that deserves tact and thought. The ultimate answer is yes. But, I would argue that laws and amendments are accomplished through the proper political venues, not unilateral involuntary imposition. It's not as if conservatives have some key to the legislature that liberals don't have access to. And in the same way, when a liberal lobbies for abortion laws and civil unions, he/she is "imposing" his/her secular viewpoint on me. The political arena is a marketplace of ideas, protected by the First Amendment. And when any law (judicial or legislative) is promulgated, it is the imposition of someone's moral perspective on a certain issue. I don't think that a religious perspective makes an argument any less valid. Whether you believe that murder is wrong because so stated in the 10 Commandments or by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, or whether you believe murder is wrong because the state has issued a moral-regulating law declaring such conduct to be criminal (Note: remember that individuals can't violate the Constitution, so it's not criminally wrong to murder because you are unconstitutionally depriving someone of life, which is an argument many people try to make), you still believe murder is wrong.
So all of this came out as a result of reading blogs and forum posts while researching "religious freedom." In short, I do think that religious people can be educated. I do believe that Christ loved (enough to die), and I am called to love in the same way. I do believe that more often than not, I prove myself unworthy of that love, and fall short of that calling. But for those who believe, God is good, and for those who don't, I hope that someday you come to believe and accept that.
It's kinda cool when different areas of your life meet up one day and decide to teach you a lesson all at once. Here's a law + spirituality + relational example.
In Texas, bank accounts are owned in proportion to deposits. If you've deposited 40% of the money in an account, you own 40% of it, regardless of whose name the account is in (we'll overlook the concept of commingling). Well, between 2 people, there are relational bank accounts. Every time you affirm the other party or do something selfless, you've made a deposit. Every time you do something selfish or hurt the other party, you've made a withdrawal. I won't say that I'm the kind of person who constantly makes relational withdrawals, but I rarely make relational deposits. In college, I attributed this lack of investment in others as the desire to avoid "neediness." I couldn't stand people that needed to be around others and constantly needed affirmation to build self-worth. Now, I realize how unfair this arrangement is, and perhaps it really stems more from a lack of care. So many people around me invest in my life, and I do nothing to reciprocate their love and support. But, there are no tallies kept in solid relationships...no unspoken rule that says I have to do something for you since you did something for me. It should come from a natural desire to cherish and appreciate the relationship. This isn't the first post I've written about needing to invest more in my friends, and it won't be the last. I just hope I'm learning something in the meantime.
God has a funny way of letting you know when you're not grateful. A speaker came today to talk about the changes on the Supreme Court and their potential impact on future cases that will come up through the appellate process. Being a resume whore, I found out that he clerked for the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, then clerked for the late Chief Justice Rehnquist, and currently is an appellate procedure associate at one of the largest firms in Houston. Since he's family friends with one of my closest friends in law school, I got to talk personally with him for a bit. It was funny because I went into the conversation intending to grab every tidbit of inside information I could about nabbing a federal judicial clerkship. But when he found out I was doing the Blackstone Fellowship over the summer, he seemed much more interested and excited about that. He went on about how great an opportunity it was, and how he wished he'd done it during his 3yrs at UT Law. Needless to say, I felt humbled. God's put a lot of awesome things in my life, including quality relationships and a chance at a great education. I hope I'll remember to be thankful in the future, and it won't take a complete stranger to remind me of something so fundamental.
