EQUAL OPPORTUNITY BASHING

I was talking to a friend about the movie “Hairspray.” Actually, I was listening, since I didn’t have much to say fit for public consumption. My friend told me that the movie had a valuable lesson about tolerance, how we should accept people for who they are regardless of gender, race or dimension. Oh, and we should reach for our dreams, too. I thought, what a unique and novel idea, Hollywood preaching about tolerance and becoming SOMEBODY! Except it’s neither unique nor novel. Tolerance is the first and greatest commandment in Tinsel Town. The second is, fame is all.

All right, so I’m not really commenting on the movie. I haven’t seen it. It’s probably swell. And the lessons of the movie are not wrong or bad in themselves, either. What I’m amazed by is the notion that yesterday’s fish seems to sell like fresh every day. Hairspray has one of Hollywood’s two perennial plots. The other is: The only way Jack Pott can beat the odds, rescue the girl and save the world is by breaking all the rules! I mean, c’mon, I can see it, and I’m not all that bright.

So here’s what really bugs me. The very people who beat the dead horse of tolerance are rather selective in their own practice of it. That is, we should be tolerant of all people, cultures and viewpoints, except religious people who believe in right and wrong. Those people are BAD and must be castigated for their hate filled, deviant thoughts.

If they could just say, “I disagree with you. You should not believe foolish, unattainable ideals like truth, or right and wrong.” I would have no problem. But they can’t seem to help themselves. They want to appear open and affirming to the world at large, but they can’t quite practice what they preach.

Which brings me to the currently popular sport of Christian Bashing.

It’s easy to find moronic, petty, even evil people or events parading under the banner of Christianity. As if other worldviews were somehow immune from human nature. Greed, cruelty and self-interest are all part of the human condition, guiding philosophy notwithstanding.

A chain may be judged by its weakest link, but a worldview is judged by what it produces. Every worldview produces something. And despite our culture of subjectivism, it’s obvious that some of those products are better than others. I’ve heard the rallying cry, “But religion produces wars and exclusivism.” Really? Show me a worldview that hasn’t been used to justify those things. What are the positive things that have improved life on this planet? Historically, the proliferation of hospitals, universities and charities are gifts of the Christian worldview.

“But there have been horrid, jingoistic culture changes because of Christianity.” Duh. “But Christians are responsible for stealing land from the native Americans.” Who lives anywhere that somebody else didn’t get shoved out of? Oh and while your tossing out straw man arguments, don’t forget Galileo and all those poor burnt witches.

All I know is those things aren’t happening today. I believe that before I can share my faith I need to build a relationship first. I even ask permission before I get all spiritual and stuff. But many of today’s inclusive worldviews have no problem cramming their ideas down my throat. Like it or not.

Maybe unbelievers are not getting the point. Christians do not claim to be perfect and sin free. We claim to be imperfectly following a savior who has called us to emulate him. I know I haven’t made it yet.