Building Great Nations

  We live in a curious time.  People attacking Muslims has all of a sudden become an issue in this world.  There was a driver in London who plowed into a group of Muslims who came out of their mosque after prayer.  This was denounced, but not by all.  There is a strange willingness to allow this kind of thing to happen in this world.  It is probably because of the horror of 9/11 that many Americans have come to see Muslims as an enemy, and we have been conducting several wars in the Middle East in nations where Muslims are the primary population.  It is no wonder that some people think of these people as our enemy. 

            I am impressed with the lesson from Genesis that speaks of the birth of Ishmael to Hagar, who had been Abraham’s servant woman.  Abraham is the father of Ishmael as he is also the father to Isaac by Sarah.  The interesting thing about this lesson is that after Abraham casts Hagar out at Sarah’s insistence, she and Ishmael go into the desert to live.  When the water supply gives out, Hagar puts Ishmael under a bush and cries out to God for help.  Without much of a pause, God answers Hagar and assures her that a great nation will be raised up around Ishmael just as another nation will be raised up around Isaac.  I have always looked at this lesson as God’s blessing on the nation of Islam which grew up after the Hebrew people grew up in Israel and Judah and after the birth, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.

            Obviously, there were more people in this world that God wanted to save, to have conversation with and to send out to inform the world about God’s love.  It is no wonder that there are so many religions in this world.  We have Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, and many others; all of them talking about the great love that God rains upon this world and the people in it.  We are foolish when we think that we are the only ones who believe in God.  Our religious prejudices denounce us whenever they boil to the surface.

                       

            Yes, there are problems with our belief systems.  We make the worst mistake when we think that ours is the best or the only one that really speaks of God and God’s perfect love.  Within denominations, there are great arguments over liturgy and even the substance of some of the beliefs.  When we changed prayer books in the Episcopal church, there were lots of people who were angry at the changes.  We still have rumblings about this. 

              I have been fortunate to be a part of discussions with groups including many different religious persuasions and I have seen the wonder that these people can do when they cooperate.  We hurt, not help when we allow our religious preferences to dominate our lives and prevent us from understanding how God can be understood in other ways by other people.