Thursday In the Third Week of Lent

Last night, I gained an insight into what it must feel like to be a devout Muslim in this country.

A little background. Suzy and I belong to a group of diverse individuals, diverse in age, background, sexual orientation, and occupation. We get together once a month to discuss local and state politics, and/or issues of the day, over a meal and of course nice wine. It is called simply “the Salon.” The members are mostly younger and smarter than me so I learn a lot more than most.

Last night’s discussion centered around a failed attempt by Charlotte’s city council to pass an anti-discrimination ordinance prohibiting discrimination in public facilities, government contracts, transportation, etc. Unlike years ago, the debate centered around LGBT discrimination not around race.

The LGBT community thought they had commitments from a majority of the city council, but at the hearing, opposition led by a local Baptist preacher turned the vote around and the proposed ordinance failed.

Many of our “salon” attended the hearing and were astonished and deeply hurt at the outpouring of hatred expressed by the opponents, many invoking the name of God. One of our most active and intelligent members, Rachel, made a comment that stuck with me overnight. She said, “Isn’t it interesting how so many people now are invoking God as an excuse to discriminate?” She was talking about more than the opponents to the city ordinance, but city, county and state officials saying they have a constitutional right to not perform their duties because of their religious beliefs, churches and schools saying that they have a right to withhold medical treatment because of their religious beliefs, etc.

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There is nothing new about invoking God as a reason for discrimination. One need only grow up in the South in the 50’s and 60’s to remember biblical rationalizations for racial discrimination. Only now it seems the focus of our discrimination is sexual orientation.

I was fairly quiet last night, soaking in everyone else’s emotions, and trying to understand the politics of Charlotte’s city council, but I woke up this morning feeling like I had let my friends down by not speaking to them as a Christian, and saying those who invoke God’s name to discriminate against any of God’s children is not worshipping any God I know and love. Now you know why I gained some insight into how devout muslims must feel when a member of ISIS commits some atrocity in the name of Allah.

I think one of the challenges of our times is for Christians to speak out when people invoke the name of God to justify something that is inconsistent with the loving, caring, compassionate God we worship. Discrimination is inconsistent with the God I know. I pray, during this week of prayer in my Lenten calendar, that God give me the words to speak out when someone else claims that the heart of God is one that discriminates.