The world walks a fine line between revenge and justice, discrimination and acceptance, fear and love. There will be no justice until we all stop acting out of fear.  Promoting Islamophobia is an act of fear – not faith. These are serious times for serious people. Clearly religious wackiness on both sides only serves to promote more wackiness.  I am not normally an outwardly religious person.  My spirituality is normally a private matter.  But we live in a time of the radically religious, not just radical Islam – but include radical Christianity. 

This is a time when we need the steady hand of a loving God to relieve our fear such that we may act out of love and kindness rather than out of revenge and fear. ……..We say things like “Let go and let God”.   What does that mean? Does this apply to terrorism or is terror one of those problems that we have to push God aside for – a task for us and not for God. Does any faith qualify which problems belong to God and which belong to us?

What does it mean to actually ‘let go’?  We hear this often in therapeutic groups.  People come to therapy strung out on anxiety and fear.  The seek to silence their demons.  The demons are fear, anger, resentment, revenge, hatred, insecurity…… the list goes on.  A common refrain among those recovering from these demons is “Let it go”.  It is the story about the Native American grandfather who tells his grandson there are two wolves living in each of us, good and evil.  The boy asks which wolf prevails.  The grandfather replies, “The one we feed”.  Letting go and letting God is designed to feed the good wolf.  Psychologically, radicalize religion is very sick.

We hear trite comments like “God can move mountains but we must bring our wheelbarrow and shovel”.  This comment leaves room for the fudge factor.  If I am too afraid to leave the problem to God then I can justify my actions by simply stating that this is a time for my wheelbarrow and shovel.  That is the problem with the radically religious – they always have an out – a means of justifying their position.

I have heard too many Christians claim that fear and faith cannot reside in the same heart.  This may be a true statement but there is very little evidence that American Christians actually live by this creed.   Religion aside – how about this – what do you prefer as a life philosophy, cruelty and hatred or kindness and forgiveness?

The following are facebook posts from the day after the Paris attacks.  Decide for yourself – which are based in fear and which are based in faith?