I am a Christian. Now, read that simple phrase again, but this time read it out loud. Look around at the environment you are in and tell me how people react? Do they stop, do they agree, do they repeat what you said, or do they persecute you? Chances are that if you live in the United States proclaiming that you are a Christian does nothing really profound as the majority of US citizens are fellow believers. However, if you uttered the phrase, “I am a Christian” in about sixty other countries your life would be changed in a profound way. If you were in Pakistan and made that statement you could be killed or imprisoned under the 295c Blasphemy laws for ‘blaspheming Mohammed.’ In Saudi Arabia under Sharia Law you cannot convert to another religion or claim to be Christian if you do you face the death penalty. In Nepal proclaiming that you are a Christian will leave you subject to violence from paramilitary groups without any support from the government. Scary, right? Being a Christian really isn’t that easy when almost half the world has laws established to persecute you and what you stand for.
However, since the beginning of Christianity the disciples of Christ knew that following in his path and being fishers of men would not be easy. From when the first church was created in Antioch by Paul to the formation of current churches persecution has persisted. Through this persecution we come to find “glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans NIV).
In regards to this, I want to mention what happened to me last Friday evening. I went to a worship service that my university allowed to take place in our outdoor amphitheater. It was awesome, and it was my first Christian concert since my freshman year. A feeling of communal connection overwhelmed us, or at least it did for me, because we were among fellow believers and there was no judgment, persecution, or hate present. It was pure passion for something greater than us as individuals. As I stood there it hit me how important this singular event was.
You see, in the U.S., we have religious freedom guaranteed to us by the first amendment of the Constitution. It allows us to believe in whatever we want, build any type of churches or places of worship for what we believe in, and we have no government intervention. It is really nice. But, as I stood amongst my college aged peers I realized this experience should be treasured because there are Christians around the world that cannot do what I am doing, that there are Christians who cannot gather in fellowship because they are imprisoned or in death camps. I was overwhelmed by the notion that I could do these things without a second glance. You know the thought of death, imprisonment, or physical torture never really crossed my mine when I began to pray or when I began to sing. But to others those are real things that can happen to them. So, amongst that crowd as we swayed and bopped to each song that sang I stood there quietly. Partly because of the combination of me not being a good singer and not knowing the words, but mostly because I couldn’t stop thinking about those who couldn’t do what I was doing.
That feeling sucked. I do not think that states should adopt a national religion or write religion into law. That is because I see religion as the expression of the individual and if religion became law it wouldn’t be fair to those who didn’t practice that specific state religion. With that being said I feel like that all religions should be given equal treatment before society. I do no agree with the other religions, but just because I do not believe in them does not mean that I should inherently have the right to demonize them. In Luke 6:31 the Bible reads, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” This is a rule that I see a lot of people claim to live by, but not necessarily practice. I get it. It's hard to do sometimes. But, I think it is totally worth it to give someone’s beliefs the same merits that they may give yours. When you are able to discuss openly your separate religions dialogue is formed, and bridges are forged. It is a beautiful thing, but something I rarely see. So many people are rooted in one place that they don’t care enough or maybe are afraid to look or understand what others are going through.
As Christians we have had a long history of enslavement and persecution, but so do other believers in other religions. The beauty of Friday night was twofold. First, I was able to be a part of a community that shared everything I believed in, and it was amazing. There was such a relaxing ambiance to the whole place that I felt like I was at home, a feeling that college students often look for during their four years. Secondly, I realized how lucky I was to live in a country where I can shout at the top of my lungs that I am Christian, where I can openly discuss God, and where I can openly read the Bible without persecution. At the same time, it drew my eyes and heart to those cannot do what I so easily can. It made me cherish my freedom, and reinforces my drive to help those be able to enjoy the natural rights of freedom of religion, speech, and expression. God does great things, and sometimes when you are in the middle of a small Christian concert on a muggy Friday night in Louisiana He can open your eyes to things, to struggles, to sudden truths that you never thought of before. Then He can reinvigorate you to go and be an agent of change, a fisher of man.
God bless America, and God bless the world.
