Folks I’m just not smart enough to have an opinion on this. Being raised a Southern Baptist with a fundamentalist majority in the family things were pretty cut & dry. But my father (deacon) & my uncle (preacher) often taught that we can not judge because no one knows who has a personal relationship with Christ and who doesn’t. In addition, God has many names.
I may have grown up in a unique situation, but I am grateful, but it has given me such opportunity to be a witness for the good, not the bad, as a Southern Baptist. For example, when I worked at my sister’s daycare part time after the kids were born, I hired a Muslim woman who came with outstanding cridentials. I took some grief for that from various people. She asked to wear her traditional sari and I said yes, we do not discriminate. She was the best teacher we had. I put her in the toughest class and she had the patience of a million American’s maybe one Job.
One thing I noticed was she never requested lunch at a specific time. Yet I knew that the Muslim religion required prayers at a specific time, kneeling in a certain direction. (Hey, I watch the Discovery Channel) So I asked her about it. She said she was supposed to, but didn’t because we always gave her lunch at a different time than what was accepted. So I made sure from that point on, she had lunch within her approved timeslot and had the privacy of the upstairs resorce room to use for prayer. When I told her of the arrangements I had made, she hugged me so tightly and said thank you over and over again with a tear in her eye. She asked me if I believed in God. I chuckled and said, “Of course I do, I’m a Christian. Southern Baptist actually.” You would have thought the woman was going to collapse. The fact that I was a Christian was surprising, but a Southern Baptist none-the-less was just too much to take. After the initial shock wore off, she said “I’ve never met a Christian like you before.” And my reply was, “I’ve never met a Muslim like you before. So we’re even!” LOL!
From that point on, we had quite a few good conversations. Like when someone gave her an angel at the Christmas party and then freaked out because it was an angel and that is what we believe to be a Christian thing. But I said, “Well, I’m no expert, but I would think Allah has angels too.” So I asked her the next day at work. So, does Allah have angels. She knew exactly what had happened after she left. She smiled the biggest smile and took my hands and said, “Yes, Allah has angels. I think they hang out with Jesus’ angels on the weekend.”
How cool is that? What a connection? In her mind I’m the coolest Christian that ever was. Not because I am, but because I let her pray at lunch. Because I respected her and her beliefs and listened to her.
So, here’s something I recieived in email. WARNING, WARNING, WARNING – Oprah doesn’t believe in God or Christ. She is leading people astray. This is the first I have heard of this scenario. And since Obama is tied to it, it should make the nightly news shortly if it hasnt already.
What do you all think??? Please respond. I know people read this thing. I’m getting hits everyday. Just put in your two cents. Obviously, I wont judge based on the story I just told you.
This is a post for Randy Elrod’s Watercooler Wednesday & Rocks In My Dryer WFMW
Beyond JEMS 