Doghouse

Ghandi's Birthday

Born October 2, 1869.













Ghandi continues to be a teacher and also emblematic of the quest for peace, non-violence and tolerance.

Non-violence does not work in every place and in every time. It worked in India, it worked in Manila, it worked in Poland (perhaps for other reasons) and has in other times and places. Most often those places have some sense of Judeo-Christian values at the very least, and as such a moral conscience can be appealed to.

In Tienneman Square there was no such sub-text and the tanks just rolled over them. And elsewhere. Yet as tragic as that was it has been instilled in the global conscience.

Ghandi was a "uniter". He was able to bring Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus together in community.

There is nothing we need more at this time than a man like Ghandi. But we do not have such a man, though Os Guinness reminded me recently that in a given time quite often the right person "turns up". We can only hope.

In the meantime, we can hold to a commitment to peace, fairness, even love and grace, yet with a hard-edge of truth.

We do not need to pretend that there are not huge differences in our religions and beliefs. That would by lying. There is no way to reconcile the high-end world views of Hinduism with Christianity. There may be some cross-overs between practical Zen Buddhism and Christian practice, but the raising up of Jesus as Lord stands in stark contrast. Islam is another matter. We Christians can respect our common heritage, but not the call of coercion to enforce faith (even though we Christians historically have been guilty of the same).

No. What we see now is not a battle between Christianity and Islam...it is between Capitalism and radical Islam.

Lincoln was a uniter and it cost him his life (he was, in fact, the first Republican president by the way). Ghandi was the same. It cost him his life. The ultimate Uniter is Christ who was also killed.

So today we celibrate Ghandi and how he changed humanity for the better. He is what we could be, just as we can be disciples of Christ. We fall short out of fear, or anger, but mostly fear which fuels it.

Ghandi was not afraid. And Ghandi loved God.

posted by Obi-Mac BakDon @ 1:20 PM