The Pastor's Page - 10/31/08
THE INTOLERANCE OF RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY
The Pray in Jesus Name rally held in Richmond on November 1 highlights the ongoing confusion which seems to be growing in our culture about religious diversity. Governor Tim Kaine led a move to forbid Chaplains for Virginia’s State Troopers to pray in the Name of Jesus opting instead for a non-sectarian prayer. Six Chaplains decided to resign their posts rather than to yield to the cultural pressure.
The concern that the Governor himself or his advisors may not have thought out this decision seems well founded. In the first place another case like this has already occurred involving a Naval Chaplain who sought redress in the court system and won the right to exercise his religious freedom by praying in Jesus Name. Thus the Governor acted against already existing legal precedence.
Secondly, the idea is flawed from the start. Essentially you have the State Government promoting religious diversity by forbidding it. In other words in order to tolerate the religious views of others we will not tolerate the Christian practice of praying in Jesus Name. Yet Christians were instructed to pray in Jesus Name. Such rulings as the Governor’s in fact command Christians to disobey and ignore their religious principles. No matter what the politically correct call it, it is a denial of religious freedom.
It is also patently unfair. We are forced to ask what part of other prayers will be excised. Will Muslim’s cease mentioning Allah in their prayers? Will New Age believers not refer to the earth as our mother? Will Chaplains influenced by feminism stop referring to Mother God? Probably not.
The Bible is the only religious book in the world with abundant detailed predictions of coming events and conditions. One of those it that Christians would be persecuted for their efforts to spread the Gospel. The Governor’s action is but one more example of the reliability of God’s Word.
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