“Shameless is a powerful word. Its the label we can put on an outrageous action that is open to others view and reaction and disdain. The act is shameless because the perpetrator does it in defiance of ethics, customs or laws. It is barefaced, flagrant and bold. And it is usually judged as wrong.People in power and authority, often with high profile, are prone to a lot of shameless acts, including reckless public policy and callous remarks. TV evangelist Pat Robertson especially comes to mind with his repeated offensive comments. The media, of course, are especially ready to practice gotcha and are quick to spot and report shameless actions.
I never failed to be amazed by how many clumsy, insensitive actions against religion are done by people who should know better.
It can be a fast-food restaurant chain demanding a Muslim female forgo her hijab, or head covering, or a boss telling his secretary to not wear a cross or a star of David around her neck. Its event planners failing to look at calendars and religious holidays before scheduling what will create a conflict for adherents to faiths.
How about the arrogance of condominium managers to bar condo owners from religious objects on their homes or outdoor spaces? Recently Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed into law a measure to ensure religious displays. It won’t allow what happened to a Jewish woman who came home from her husbands funeral and saw that the condominium management company had removed a mezuzah from her doorpost. The tiny case, typically posted sideways by a door, contains a scroll bearing a text of the Torah and is a very common, ancient fixture of Jewish life. It is a reminder that the Judaic laws and teachings guide life in the house.
On the world stage, governments shamelessly bar religious groups from evangelical work. With caprice and arrogance, they dictate what groups can be allowed or who must be registered and given strict rules on procedures to share their teachings. Governments sharply limit evangelical activities, thus protecting their people from being drawn into alien religions. “Illegal missionary activity will always go on in defiance of repressive governments hostile to free thought and self-realization.
Pressure, shame and economic actions should be leveled on nations unwilling to permit a free exchange of ideas or the free exercise of religion.
How encouraging to see the world outcry last month over the case in Afghanistan of Abdul Rahman, 41, who had converted to Christianity 14 years ago, had kept it secret, but got outed as a Christian. How unacceptable and revolting that a court could, or would, condemn a man to death for abandoning the state faith of Islam, especially in the face of American soldiers serving and dying in their nation for the their freedom and nascent democracy.
Its beyond shameless.
Theres no stopping those who feel compelled to spread their faith — be it Mormon, Islamic, Pentecostal, Jehovahs Witness or Methodist. Evangelism should be civil and orderly. If faith conversions break up monolithic faiths of individual families or communities, so be it. Ones daughter is not instantly dead or to be shunned because she now professes a different belief.
I will not accept the notion that her soul is now lost.
It comes down to freedom of conscience. Potential adherents have a duty to listen to their heads and hearts, be discriminating in the quest for truth, have the courage to challenge and even turn down the proselytizers. It can be messy and fearful.
And it can be shameful when people ultimately gets swept up into faith groups that they really didnt want and from which they feel they cannot escape.
So choose carefully and then live fully and authentically in what you believe.
