Diversity

It is difficult to believe that in this country we would have a problem with diversity, the melting pot that we are, but we do. Let’s take a look at some of the areas of concern to better establish why a diverse world is important in more than just regulatory aspects.

I am reminded of God’s final parable with Jesus, that is, the parable of the people choosing Barabbas over Jesus. The people wondered why Jesus chose not to save himself if he was whom he claimed. He, instead, watched innocently as the masses saved the symbol of greed and anguish over the symbol of love and hope.

It is that parable, the last parable of Jesus Christ that has unwittingly guided the masses for the past 2000 years. Through the teachings of Jesus, through the teachings of Muhammad, and still Christians and Moslems choose greed and anguish (Barabbas), over love and hope (God).

What is this Barabbas that Moslems and Christians choose? They choose to induce the pain of poverty upon their followers, while their leaders live lives of extravagance. Their religious leaders choose to thwart out those that do not believe as they in the name of their chosen one. They are the fool’s of the fool’s gold!

The act of thwarting out, of pushing away, is exactly what happened to Jesus, but it was accepted because Jesus chose not the way of the world (Barabbas) to save himself. Muhammad saw this, but again Barabbas was saved and the way to God thwarted out. Even amongst the people of Islam, greed and anguish (Barabbas) win over love and hope (Allah).

What once was a minor disillusionment of learning to live together in peace, the Israel/Palestine infringement, is now a renewed war of ideology—a war of Barabbas against the word of God—
Jesus and Muhammad. Is not that what the Middle East infringement amounts?

God has answered both of these groups of people, but as usual, they choose not to hear. We sit mesmerized by the news of natural disasters and all of the death wrought on such poor people. The Tsunami in Indonesia the day after Christmas in 2004, or the major hurricane that blew into “the richest country in the world”. Both “Acts of God” killing many and leaving thousands of poor people homeless.

We wonder why God would allow such a thing to happen. The barabbas’ contend that surely these people fell away from God’s favor, and further their own initiative of espousing their ownership of God.

Actually, we can see here the parable of Barabbas and Jesus. The poor people, meek, living in God’s great faith were meted out to expose the greed and the anguish that hold them in their life of meagerness: Barabbas. This was as true in Indonesia in 2004, as it was true in the United States in 2005, and it is still true today.

Look at the so-called holy war that we have in the Middle East today. Neither entity of this insufferable faction, or insuffaction, care about the pain or suffering of any people, Christian or Moslem. This war is about maintaining barabbas’ world only! It is only about keeping the people, all people, oppressed under the chosen regimes of barabbas.

Christians view Moslems as attempting to mete out Christianity, while Moslems accuse Christians of not knowing God or, God’s true word. Moslems fighting to their own death mainly because they are tired of living a life of oppression, their leaders using their anguish in a fight that is not theirs in the name of Allah.

Both Jesus and Muhammad teach it is wrong to put sword against sword. Allah and God, as one, will mete out the barabbas of the world. Through our profound strength and faith, we must understand that fact.

God and Allah, as one, will have his way with the barabbas’, and the people that choose the way of love and hope, that is, Jesus and Muhammad, will be saved. For the way of God and Allah is not putting sword against sword and this is not living by God’s word of love and hope.

Diversity. Let us not forget the need of diversity of religion. The need of people from different cultures and countries to worship God, as they so desire, the God of Love and Hope knows diversity because we all his children.