DEAR ALIZARIN: Saving the Saviors

Headline:
Impoverished Afghanistan donates $100,000 to Katrina victims

Yet our born again Christian president and his staff spent the first days continuing their vacation.

Afghanistan, a non-Christian nation, a poor nation, gives to the country that came in, killed innocent civilians, and destroyed much of their cities.

Yet, in the U.S., people calling themselves Christians bomb abortion clinics, condemn unwed mothers, and work to keep honest sex education out of schools. Many Christians travel the world to save people living in poverty yet roll up their windows and point fingers when driving through parts of town like the ones that became an ocean tomb for many in New Orleans.

I hope this act of Afghanistan, this $100,000 (not even enough to by a shack in most of Los Angeles), is not lost in its exemplification of the true meaning of Christian giving, which, in essence, is not about Christianity or religion, but about humanity and compassion.

The 'Christian' charity of Afghanistan, this non-Christian country, stands in sharp contrast to the egotistical, bigoted, and self-serving policies of our self-proclaimed Christian leaders.

I consider myself a Christian. I often fall short of what that means, though lately, and more so, over the past week, I have questioned what it means even more. At my own church, there has been a divide over hiring a spiritual but not Christian person to lead our music ministry. In fact, the behavior of some has called into question exactly who is the ‘Christian’ in this situation.

I wonder if this is a title that fits me and really reflects what I believe. The Christian God no longer seems big enough to hold the power and mystery of the greater spirit that connects us and binds us to each other, to all living things, to the universe.

In deep contemplation and humbleness,
Lychee