I support the mosque because I believe in freedom of religion, and loving one's enemies, as your link argues. But I do so with mixed feelings. I can't help but think the tolerance we're expected to display to Muslims is so much greater than the tolerance shown to us. Where was the outrage from the people supporting the mosque during the last n times a Mormon temple was blocked because the neighbors didn't like the idea of a Mormon temple in their backyard? Opposition to Mormon temples is just the world we live in, and I feel this strong defense of religious liberty is being very inequitably distributed.
In fact, I would bet that many of the people currently opposing the Phoenix temple (which has turned out to be rather controversial) are also supporting the NY mosque - just because that's the natural way things fall along the conservative-liberal divide.
Additionally, I do believe it's important to show sensitivity and respect for one's neighbors. The church has canceled several temples and radically redesigned many temples because of neighborhood opposition, and that was without the building of Mormon temples touching on anything as sensitive as 9/11 and Jihad. I think the group building this mosque should be open to changing its plans in order to accommodate public sentiment (as the Berkeley Ward has done over the years, as we discussed during the 3rd hour today).
Although I believe the group has the right to build the mosque, and if done right, the mosque could be a powerful symbol of pluralism and the refusal to descend into hate, I still believe on the whole that it would be better for both sides to come to a compromise. In this I find myself in agreement with with Howard Dean: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/18/dean-stands-by-mosque-rem_n_687049.html
For more analysis of the connection between Mormons and the Mosque, Ann Althouse had some good things to say here: http://althouse.blogspot.com/2010/08/firedoglake-deploys-mockery-of-mormons.html
Thanks for the links. Here's one on how this became a big deal in the first place: http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/08/16/ground_zero_mosque_origins
I'm theoretically in favor of compromise, but I have a really hard time talking compromise with people who choose not to learn anything about what's going on, whether we're talking mosques or temples or Dunkin Donuts.
Unfortunately, the ignorant are pretty powerful politically. I suppose I should just be glad that they don't all ally themselves with one particular branch of political thought.
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I support the mosque because I believe in freedom of religion, and loving one's enemies, as your link argues. But I do so with mixed feelings. I can't help but think the tolerance we're expected to display to Muslims is so much greater than the tolerance shown to us. Where was the outrage from the people supporting the mosque during the last n times a Mormon temple was blocked because the neighbors didn't like the idea of a Mormon temple in their backyard? Opposition to Mormon temples is just the world we live in, and I feel this strong defense of religious liberty is being very inequitably distributed.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I would bet that many of the people currently opposing the Phoenix temple (which has turned out to be rather controversial) are also supporting the NY mosque - just because that's the natural way things fall along the conservative-liberal divide.
Additionally, I do believe it's important to show sensitivity and respect for one's neighbors. The church has canceled several temples and radically redesigned many temples because of neighborhood opposition, and that was without the building of Mormon temples touching on anything as sensitive as 9/11 and Jihad. I think the group building this mosque should be open to changing its plans in order to accommodate public sentiment (as the Berkeley Ward has done over the years, as we discussed during the 3rd hour today).
Although I believe the group has the right to build the mosque, and if done right, the mosque could be a powerful symbol of pluralism and the refusal to descend into hate, I still believe on the whole that it would be better for both sides to come to a compromise. In this I find myself in agreement with with Howard Dean:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/18/dean-stands-by-mosque-rem_n_687049.html
For more analysis of the connection between Mormons and the Mosque, Ann Althouse had some good things to say here:
http://althouse.blogspot.com/2010/08/firedoglake-deploys-mockery-of-mormons.html
.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links. Here's one on how this became a big deal in the first place: http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/08/16/ground_zero_mosque_origins
I'm theoretically in favor of compromise, but I have a really hard time talking compromise with people who choose not to learn anything about what's going on, whether we're talking mosques or temples or Dunkin Donuts.
Unfortunately, the ignorant are pretty powerful politically. I suppose I should just be glad that they don't all ally themselves with one particular branch of political thought.