The Mind of Tefft » Religion

Finding God

Michael Tefft — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:20:17 +0000

Subject: Father John Powell

Father John Powell, a professor at Loyola University in Chicago, writes about a student in his Theology of Faith class named Tommy.

Some twelve years ago, I stood watching my university students file into the classroom for our first session in the Theology of Faith. That was the day I first saw Tommy. My eyes and my mind both blinked. He was combing his long flaxen hair, which hung six inches below his shoulders. It was the first time I had ever seen a boy with hair that long. I guess it was just coming into fashion then. I know in my mind that it isn’t what’s on your head but what’s in it that counts; but on that day I was unprepared and my emotions flipped. I immediately filed Tommy under “S” for strange… very strange.

Tommy turned out to be the “atheist in residence” in my Theology of Faith course. He constantly objected to, smirked at, or whined about the possibility of an unconditionally loving Father/God. We lived with each other in relative peace for one semester, although I admit he was for me at times a serious pain in the back pew. When he came up at the end of the course to turn in his final exam, he asked in a cynical tone, “Do you think I’ll ever find God?”

I decided instantly on a little shock therapy. “No!” I said very emphatically.

“Why not,” he responded, “I thought that was the product you were pushing.” I let him get five steps from the classroom door and then called out, “Tommy! I don’t think you’ll ever find Him, but I am absolutely certain that He will find you!” He shrugged a little and left my class. I felt slightly disappointed at the thought that he had missed my clever line – He will find you! At least I thought it was clever.

Later, I heard that Tommy had graduated, and I was duly grateful. Then a sad report came. I heard that Tommy had terminal cancer. Before I could search him out, he came to see me. When he walked into my office, his body was very badly wasted and the long hair had all fallen out as a result of chemotherapy. But his eyes were bright and his voice was firm, for the first time, I believe.

“Tommy, I’ve thought about you so often; I hear you are sick,” I blurted out. “Oh, yes, very sick. I have cancer in both lungs. It’s a matter of weeks.” Tommy replied.

“Can you talk about it, Tom?” I asked. “Sure, what would you like to know?” he replied.

“What’s it like to be only twenty-four and dying?”

“Well, it could be worse.”

“Like what?”

“Well, like being fifty and having no values or ideals, like being fifty and thinking that booze, seducing women, and making money are the real biggies in life..”

I began to look through my mental file cabinet under “S” where I had filed Tommy as strange. It seems as though everybody I try to reject by classification, God sends back into my life to educate me.

“But what I really came to see you about,” Tommy said, “is something you said to me on the last day of class.” (He remembered!)

He continued, “I asked you if you thought I would ever find God and you said, ‘No!’ which surprised me. Then you said, ‘But He will find you.’ I thought about that a lot, even though my search for God was hardly intense at that time. (My clever line. He thought about that a lot!).

“But when the doctors removed a lump from my groin and told me that it was malignant, that’s when I got serious about locating God. And when the malignancy spread into my vital organs, I really began banging bloody fists against the bronze doors of heaven. But God did not come out. In fact, nothing happened. Did you ever try anything for a long time with great effort and with no success? You get psychologically glutted, fed up with trying. And then you quit….. Well, one day I woke up, and instead of throwing a few more futile appeals over that high brick wall to a God who may be or may not be there, I just quit. I decided that I didn’t really care about God, about an after life, or anything like that. I decided to spend what time I had left doing something more profitable.

I thought about you and your class and I remembered something else you had said: “The essential sadness is to go through life without loving. But it would be almost equally sad to go through life and leave this world without ever telling those you loved that you had loved them.”

So, I began with the hardest one, my Dad. He was reading the newspaper when I approached him. “Dad.” “Yes, what?” he asked without lowering the newspaper. “Dad, I would like to talk with you.”

“Well, talk.” “I mean. It’s really important.” The newspaper came down three slow inches. “What is it?”

“Dad, I love you, I just wanted you to know that.” Tommy smiled at me and said it with obvious satisfaction, as though he felt a warm and secret joy flowing inside of him. “The newspaper fluttered to the floor. Then my father did two things I could never remember him ever doing before. He cried and he hugged me. We talked all night, even though he had to go to work the next morning. It felt so good to be close to my father, to see his tears, to feel his hug, to hear him say that he loved me.”

“It was easier with my mother and little brother. They cried with me, too, and we hugged each other, and started saying real nice things to each other. We shared the things we had been keeping secret for so many years.

I was only sorry about one thing – that I had waited so long. Here I was, just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually been close to.” Then, one day I turned around and God was there. He didn’t come to me when I pleaded with Him. I guess I was like an animal trainer holding out a hoop, “C’mon, jump through. C’mon, I’ll give you three days, three weeks.”

“Apparently God does things in His own way and at His own hour. But the important thing is that He was there. He found me! You were right…..He found me even after I stopped looking for Him.”

“Tommy,” I practically gasped, “I think you are saying something very important and much more universal than you realize. To me, at least, you are saying that the surest way to find God is not to make Him a private possession, a problem solver, or an instant consolation in time of need, but rather by opening to love. You know, the Apostle John said that. He said: “God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God and God is living in Him.”

“Tommy, could I ask you a favor? You know, when I had you in class you were a real pain. But (laughingly) you can make it all up to me now. Would you come into my present Theology of Faith course and tell them what you have just told me? If I told them the same thing it wouldn’t be half as effective as if you were to tell it.” “Oooh.. I was ready for you, but I don’t know if I’m ready for your class.” “Tommy, think about it. If and when you are ready, give me a call.”

In a few days Tommy called, said he was ready for the class, that he wanted to do that for God and for me. So we scheduled a date. However, he never made it. He had another appointment, far more important than the one with me and my class. Of course, his life was not really ended by his death, only changed. He made the great step from faith into vision. He found a life far more beautiful than the eye of man has ever seen or the ear of man has ever heard or the mind of man has ever imagined.

Before he died, we talked one last time.

“I’m not going to make it to your class,” he said. “I know, Tommy.” “Will you tell them for me? Will you tell the whole world for me?” “I will, Tommy. I’ll tell them. I’ll do my best.” So, to all of you who have been kind enough to read this simple story about God’s love, thank you for listening. And to you, Tommy, somewhere in the sunlit, verdant hills of heaven – I told them, Tommy, as best I could.

In New America Tupperware, Mary Kay are OK but Bible Studies are out.

Michael Tefft — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:49:34 +0000

San Diego County officials are threatening a local pastor and his wife with escalating fines if they continue to hold Bible studies in their home. According to a San Diego official the couple must secure a major permit, a process that could cost tens of thousands of dollars, or stop their “religious assembly.”

San Diego county officials somehow found out that the couple were holding Bible studies consisting of 10 to 15 people in their home every week. According to the officials this was a violation of County regulation. A County official visited the home and asked the couple questions like, ‘Do you have a regular meeting in your home?’ and ‘ Do you say amen?’

The couple understands that churches and religious assemblies have parking concerns and an environmental impact when hundreds or thousands of people gather. But this is a different situation and the application of the religious assembly principles to a small home Bible study is certainly misplaced.

The couple is fighting back, drafting a demand letter to the county stating that by enforcing this regulation the County is violating their First Amendment right to freely exercise their religion. I wonder if the County is cracking down on illegal Tupperware and Mary Kay meetings in San Diego? People who gather for poker parties or to watch a Chargers game on TV had better be scrambling to get their major use permits before the County pays them a visit. But of course they have nothing to fear for this is nothing more that a direct attack on Christianity. As far as I know there is no requirement to obtain a major use permit for those types of meetings, apparently it only applies to Bible study meetings.

I hope that if the County does not back down the couple will consider a lawsuit in federal court. The sad thing is that the couple should not have to spend their money defending themselves from such outrageous behavior by the County. This is just one more reason why people are leaving California faster than people are moving in.

Unfortunately this type of behavior is widespread. This is clearly a case of Christians being specifically targeted because of their faith and beliefs. To disguise it as simply enforcing County regulations is outrageous. The citizens of San Diego should flood city hall and express their outrage at this travesty of justice.

Christianity once again under attack on college campus.

Michael Tefft — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 22:03:09 +0000

Two students were threatened with suspension at the College of Alameda after one of them prayed with an ailing teacher in a faculty office. The students, Kandy Kyriacou and Ojoma Omaga said college officials threatened to suspend them for “disruptive behavior”, holding disciplinary hearings and sending them letters warning that they would be punished if they prayed in the teacher’s office again.

The women sued, citing the violation of their freedom of speech, and a federal judge ruled that the two can go ahead and sue the college, saying a college student has the right to pray in private outside a classroom.

While studying fashion design and merchandising at the two year college the two students took breaks from class to pray with each other and other students on a balcony. On two occasions the students prayed with teacher Sharon Bell at an office Bell shared with other teachers. The second time another teacher entered the office and told Kyriacou, “You can’t be doing that in here,” and the student stopped praying and left.

Ten days later Kyriacou and Omaga received suspension notices, being accused of praying disruptively in class, although the two never prayed in class or during class. In seeking dismissal of the suit, lawyers for the Peralta Community College District argued that the school was entitled to designate faculty offices as “places for teaching and learning and working,” and not for “protests, demonstrations, prayer or other activities” that would be disruptive.

The students countered that they were being punished for the content of their speech, not its disruptiveness. I do not see how you can lump prayer with demonstrations and protests. How is praying in a private office disruptive? Disruptive to who? The teacher who was praying did not complain and there were no other students in the office.

This is clearly a case of discrimination against Christians on campus. I will bet that Muslims are allowed to pray on campus where ever and whenever they want. Yet when two Christians get together to pray in a private office it is deemed “disruptive” by college officials. A two-faced spokesman for the college said its leaders “respect freedom of speech and the First Amendment.” But that respect obviously does not include Christians at the College of Alameda. I don’t think that one teacher bowing her head in prayer is an endorsement for a particular religion.

As Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute said,

It is alarming that a publicly funded college would seek to suspend and expel students for praying on campus, then dig in its heels to defend an untenable, unconstitutional position.

Amen to that.

British Multicultural society does not include Christians.

Michael Tefft — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:08:18 +0000

Under the guise of moving towards a secular state and a multicultural society, the Christian faith has come under increasing attack in Britain. Ordinary Christians are being discriminated against in the workplace and in public. Examples include a nurse who was suspended for offering to pray for a patient, a teen who was prohibited from wearing a chastity ring in school, a British Airways employee who was prohibited from wearing a cross and a university Christian group that was banned for requiring that members attest to their belief in God. Even former Prime Minister Tony Blair recently let slip that aides warned him to suppress any instinct to bring his faith into public view.

Christians are complaining that instead of a swing towards a secular and multicultural society other faiths are being treated more favorably, primarily Muslims. Some Christians have complained that it is a case of political correctness gone mad. While Muslims can wear a hijab, Christians cannot wear a cross. When Muslims are allowed to pray five times a day in the workplace, Christians cannot even have a simple cross in their prayer rooms. While foot baths for Muslims are being installed in public places, the government voices it’s concerns that the public domain should remain neutral. With Muslim taxi drivers being allowed to refuse fares with alcohol or seeing eye dogs and Muslim store clerks refusing to ring up pork and alcohol sales the government talks of multiculturalism and a secular state. I might add that must the same is taking place in the United States. It is not solely a problem in Britain.

If Britain truly wants a secular state, that is not achieved by bending over backwards for every Muslim demand while at the same time denying Christians the simple right to wear an expression of their faith in the workplace. Simon Barrow, co-director of the theological think tank Ekklesia said that Christians should also be mindful of how they would feel if roles were reversed. He asks, “How would a Christian feel if, for example, a nurse offered them an Islamic prayer?” As a Christian I can answer that by saying that I would be profoundly grateful to anyone who would offer me a prayer, whether it was Islamic or any other religion that believed in God.

I have nothing against Muslims being afforded rights in both the public and private sectors based on their religious beliefs. But Christians and other religious groups should be afforded those same rights. I do not favor a secular society. Religion has much to offer and should not be shunned and frowned upon. People should not have to hide their religion in fear of offending someone. Barrow goes on to state that, “People are nervous about overenthusiastic public expression of belief of any kind. There is a great desire for people not to tread on one another’s toes.” If desiring not to tread on one another’s toes results in suppression of peoples rights to express their religion, then I say it is not worth it. What ever happened to “live and let live?” I guess that has been replaced by “political correctness.”

UK Double Standard on Free Speech

Michael Tefft — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:28:09 +0000

The recent detention at London’s Heathrow airport of Dutch politician Geert Wilders points to an apparent double standard when it comes to the subject of free speech. Wilders, whose documentary “Fitna” portrays Islam as being a violent religion, was denied entry into the UK by the Secretary of State for the Home Department. In a letter from the UK Border Agency the Secretary of State stated that Wilders presence in the UK would (due to his statements about Muslims and their beliefs):

Pose a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to one of the fundamental interests of society.

Wilders was invited to show his documentary in the UK by a member of the British Parliament. Wilder is a member of the Freedom Party which holds nine of the 120 seats in the Dutch Parliament. His documentary and statement that Islam is a violent religion has stirred much controversy around the world. Britain’s Home Office said that it “opposes extremism in all its forms” and would work to “stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming into our country.”

Wilder’s response to the ban on his traveling to the UK is:

Threat to society? I’m an elected member of Parliament; I have done nothing wrong. I’m a normal, law-abiding democrat. You might agree or disagree with my political point of view, but I’m no threat to anyone.

Wilder defends his documentary by saying that the only hate speech in the movie comes from the preachers and texts it is documenting. Brooke Goldstein, a human rights attorney with the Legal Project said in Wilder’s defense:

I think it is ironic the majority of the film is composed of quotes from the Koran and scenes of radical imams preaching death to the Jews and death to infidels.

I find it ironic that while the British Home Office opposes extremism in all its forms and vows to stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages, apparently that opposition applies only non-Muslims. Radical Islam has grown in the UK at an alarming rate, infiltrating colleges and universities and society as a whole. Yet little is done to oppose that growth. Street protests are a common sight in the country, with extremists shouting death to Israel, death to the US and death to the infidels, all the while being protected by British bobbies. Apparently that speech is OK as long as it is coming from Muslims. But let a non-Muslim point out that type of behavior and suddenly the British Home Office swings into action.

I am opposed to all hate speech and it should not be allowed to go unpunished. But there is a difference between expressing your opinion that Islam is a violent religion and saying “butcher all those who mock Islam”. Saying “butcher all those who mock Islam” is not an opinion but a statement of hate and violence . If you are going to crack down on a Dutch politician for his documentary and his views on Islam, then you better crack down on the hate speech that is being uttered on the streets in your own cities. You also had better crack down of the ideas and beliefs of hatred and intolerance that are being spread among the youth of your colleges and universities. Until you do that, your condemnation of Wilder comes across as nothing more than a dangerous and unfair double standard.

Eight Ways to Ruin Christmas

Michael Tefft — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 22:30:39 +0000

CNN is running a story titled “Seven Ways to Ruin Christmas” that originally appeared on MyHomeIdeas.com. The story lists some of the things that can get in the way of enjoying Christmas. The list of seven things covers budgets, busy schedules, guests, shopping for gifts, who to give gifts to and other things that can sap the joy out of the Christmas season.

I have added an eighth way to ruin your Christmas and that is forgetting what Christmas is all about. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. While Christmas is also celebrated by many non-Christians as a secular, cultural festival oftentimes even Christians sometimes overlook the real significance of the holiday.

The best expression of the true meaning of Christmas comes from an unknown author. The story tells of Santa explaining to a parent how to teach the children the old meaning of Christmas. It goes like this.

Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, representing the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man’s thoughts turning toward heaven.

Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise.

Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of Jesus who fills our lives with light.

Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases, like Gods love which has no beginning or end.

Teach the children that I, Santa Clause, symbolize the generosity and kindness we feel during the month of December.

Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly represents the blood shed by Him.

Santa then pulled a gift out of his bag and said. Teach the children that God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son. We thank God for His very special gift.

Teach the children that the wise men bowed before the Holy Baby and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. We should always give gifts in the same spirit of the wise men.

Santa then reached into his bag and pulled out a sugar cane and hung it on the tree. Teach the children that the sugar cane represents the shepherd’s crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring back lost sheep to the flock.

He reached in again and pulled out an Angel. Teach the children that it was the angles that announced the glorious news of the Savior’s birth. The angels sang ‘Glory God in the highest, on earth peace and good will toward men.’

Santa then pulled a tinkling bell from his bag. Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring to guide us to God. The bell symbolizes guidance and return. It reminds us that we are all precious in the eyes of God.

Santa then said. Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship Him, our Lord, our God.

So for everyone, Christian or non-Christian, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The Gift of a Bible

Michael Tefft — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 21:29:18 +0000

I came across a video on YouTube of Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller fame that moved me to reflect on the moral responsibilities that we have. In the video Penn tells of the meeting he had with someone who had been watching his show the previous night. The man complimented Penn on the show and said nice things about Penn as a person. Penn talked about how nice the man was, how sincere he seemed, and how he looked him in the eye as he talked.

Then the man handed Penn a pocket edition of the New Testament and told him that he was proselytizing. Penn said that he felt the man knew that Penn was an atheist and that he was trying to save his soul. Penn has always believed that if you are a Christian and you don’t proselytize that you are not to be respected. If you truly believe that there is a Heaven and Hell and that someone is going to go to Hell that it is your moral responsibility to try to save that person from Hell. He also has no respect for an atheist who felt that a Christian should not proselytize. It really hit me when he said.

How much do you have to hate someone to not proselytize. How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that.

As a Christian who believes in Heaven and Hell and everlasting life I was suddenly made aware that maybe I am not the kind of person that I should be. Am I doing all that I can to bring the message of salvation to those who have not heard it? Is being a church elder, going to church regularly, helping those who are less fortunate and trying to live my life as God would want me to enough? Am I being hateful by not actively seeking out those who are not Christians and telling them the story of Jesus Christ and his promise of salvation?

I have been approached by others from time to time who have asked me if I was a Christian and I was always impressed that they would approach a total stranger and talk about Christ. I always felt that that was something that I would be very uncomfortable doing. But what is social awkwardness when compared to someone’s very soul? If I could actually save someone from Hell by introducing him to God and Jesus that would truly be something that would make life worth living. So I ask myself why I have never done it before. That is a question for which I will have to search for an answer.

So no matter what your beliefs are if someone walks up to you some day and starts to proselytize to you about God and Jesus Christ, take a hint from Penn Jillette and listen to what they have to say and thank them. For that person is someone who truly cares about you. (I encourage you to watch the whole video, Penn is much more eloquent than me.)

The Spirit of Advent

Michael Tefft — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:42:20 +0000

The word advent means “coming” or “arrival.” The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ. Advent is the beginning of the church year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. Advent is marked by a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of preparation, of longing. There is a yearning for deliverance from the evils of the world, first expressed by Israelite slaves in Egypt as they cried out from their bitter oppression. It is the cry of those who have experienced the tyranny of injustice in a world under the curse of sin, and yet who have hope of deliverance by a God who has heard the cries of oppressed slaves and brought deliverance.

One of my favorite Advent scripture readings is Luke 1:67-80

The dawn from on high will break upon us,

to give light to those who sit in darkness

and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Edmund H. Sears, a Unitarian parish minister and author is best know for his composition of the quintessentially Unitarian Christmas carol, “It Came upon the Midnight Clear.” Some of the lyrics from that carol convey the essence of Advent and what it means to Christians.

For lo! the days are hastening on,

by prophet seen of old,

when with the ever-circling years

shall come the time foretold

when peace shall over all the earth

its ancient splendors fling,

and the whole world send back the song

which now the angles sing.

(Edmund H. Sears, 1849)

As a Christian, Advent and the birth of Jesus Christ are the most joyous occasions of the year. This is the time of the year when the spirit of the Lord is strongest in me. It is a time of great joy and rejoicing. It is the time when I am most optimistic about the world and mankind. Am I excited about the Christmas gifts that I will be opening Christmas Day? Yes. But that excitement is nothing compared to the joy and wonder that the birth of Jesus Christ fills me with. Now if we could just get a little snow on the ground before Christmas…..

Atheists Plan No God Campaign on British Buses

Michael Tefft — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:03:58 +0000

The British Humanist Association is administering a fund raising drive to raise funds for ads to be placed on British buses that promote their belief that there is no God. The original article about this was posted on Fox News. Fox News called the campaign an anti-God campaign but I do not agree with that label. There is a difference between not believing in a God and being anti-God. The organizers want to place ads on 30 buses carrying the slogan:

There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.

The purported reason for the campaign is to counter the preferential treatment given to religion in British society. To quote anti-God author Richard Dawkins, author of the book “The God Delusion”:

Religious organizations have an automatic tax-free charitable status. Bishops sit in the House of Lords automatically. Religious leaders get preferential treatment on all sorts of commissions.

Note that I label Dawkins anti-God instead of an atheist. The reason for that is that not only does he not believe in a God but he openly attacks and demeans anyone who does believe in a God. Another of his quotes highlights this difference.

This campaign to put alternative slogans on London buses will make people think – and thinking is anathema to religion.”

Dawkins even took exception to the use of the phrase “ probably no God.” Apparently Dawkins has irrefutable evidence that no God exists. I wish he would share that evidence with everyone. As for the stereotype the ads promote that Christians have no fun and worry all the time, I find that lamentable. Does following the religious and moral imperatives of the 10 commandments prevent a Christian from having any fun in his life? Does honoring your father and your mother, not murdering, not committing adultery, not stealing, not coveting your neighbor’s wife prevent you from having fun? If anything, having faith in a God and the belief in an afterlife lightens the burden of fear and worry that afflict believer and atheist alike.

As for the purpose of the ad campaign I don’t see how the stated objective of fighting the preferential treatment given to religion in British society is being advanced. I don’t see this campaign changing the views of Christians or Muslims. It will certainly have no effect on the current laws regarding tax status or the societal status that religious leaders currently have. Religious leaders actually welcome the ad campaign. A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain said.

I think people will ask themselves, On what basis can they make that statement? So it will get people thinking, so in that sense it can only be good.

The Rev. Jenny Ellis, spirituality and discipleship officer for the Methodist Church, welcomed the ads.

This campaign will be a good thing if it gets people to engage with the deepest questions of life.

As for me, I am a Christian who enjoys life immensely, worries no more than anyone else, and questions and thinks about my religion daily. Christians are nothing like the stereotypes that some atheists and especially anti-God proponents like to promote. I cannot speak for Muslims but I like to think that they enjoy life as much as anyone else. Life is not only about having fun, as I am sure even atheists believe. I think that one of the main purposes of life is to help each other and try to reduce the misery and suffering of the world. Mohandas Gandhi says it well .

The main purpose of life is to live rightly, think rightly, act rightly. The soul must languish when we give all our thought to the body.

You can do all that and still have fun, Christian, Muslim or atheist.

Muslim intolerance tests the UK.

Michael Tefft — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:47:13 +0000

Having survived the blitz and Nazi Germany during World War II, the UK faces a new and insidious challenge. Muslim intolerance of many of the customs and beliefs of the citizens of the United Kingdom along with demands that these customs and beliefs be changed or abandoned to accommodate Muslim beliefs is challenging the very fabric of life for UK citizens. In the latest example of a long list of Muslim intolerance towards these customs and beliefs, Scottish Muslims are expressing outrage over the use of an image of a six week old puppy on a police advertisement for a new telephone number for non-emergency calls. The ad has upset Muslims because dogs are considered “ritually unclean” and has sparked such anger that some shopkeepers in Dundee have refused to display the ad.

Apparently the police did not seek the advise of their “diversity advisor” prior to publishing and distributing the postcards with the photo of the puppy on it. A Muslim spokesman was quoted as saying.

They (the police) should have understood. Since then, the police have explained that it was an oversight on their part, and that if they’d seen it was going to cause upset they wouldn’t have done it.

Now I am all for accommodation and avoiding upsetting people but accommodation should be a two way street. Puppies are loved by almost every person in every country in the world. The way to handle this situation would be to reprint some of the advertisements without the image of the puppy and distribute those ads to Muslim communities. But I feel that what will happen instead is that the Scottish police will be forced to destroy all the ads and reprint all of them without the image of the puppy. This will happen because of Muslim intolerance and their total lack of respect for the customs and beliefs of the vast majority of the citizens of the UK. This clash of ideologies has the citizens of the UK constantly apologizing for perceived slights and making accommodations to Muslim demands, with no sign of Muslim understanding or acceptance of the customs and beliefs of the non-Muslim citizens of the UK.

Ask any non-Muslim living in a Muslim country if any accommodations are made for their customs and beliefs. Are non-Muslim women allowed to dress in Western fashion? Can non-Muslim women meet in public with men who are not family members or their husband? Are there any accommodations made whatsoever to address the customs and beliefs of non-Muslims living in a Muslim country? I think you will find that the answer is no. I would suggest that Muslims living in non-Muslims countries be a little more tolerant of the customs and beliefs of the other citizens of that country. There is an old saying that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Good advise for everyone to heed.

For another example of the problem in the UK.
Evening, infidels! Here is the news from the BBC…