You Can't Force Faith

The struggle between Western Culture and Islam comes down to one undeniable difference: Freedom vs. Fascism.

The core values of our competing belief systems are diametrically opposed. They are polar opposites which can’t be resolved even by the most tolerant graduate of the Jimmy Carter Center for Peace. In our Western, Judeo-Christian tradition we value freedom of conscience in equal proportion to our claims of Revealed Truth. However, in the Islamic tradition, one finds religious virtue perverted into a dogmatically defined adherence to strict behavioral codes which are absent any consideration for individual choice.

As we contemplate the value of our culture in light of this global struggle we’re now confronting, we should remember: there is NO virtue without choice! If the element of decision is removedfrom the individual’s sovereign capabilities, then virtue cannot possibly exist as part of any integral thing he, or she, does. In the Muslim world, great power is imposed upon the followers of the Koran to model certain distinct forms of “worship.” The desire of the will is irrelevant to the task. To be found sufficient in their faith and acceptable to their culture, they simply must conform to such duties as: reciting a liturgy of prayers in Arabic five times a day; giving to the needy; fasting one month each year from food, drink, sex and smoking; and, making a pilgrimage, at least once in a lifetime, to worship in Mecca. There are additional dress
codes, social segregations and dietary laws which add to the burden of works that the good Muslim must follow, (or else). It is according to their subservience to this strict litany of rules that they find out, at the end of their life, whether they have earned the right to enter a sensual “paradise.” For the men, it is a reward of 77 virgins on 77 beds in 77 different mansions!

In the West, under the particular teachings of Christianity, a person’s individual choice remains paramount to the exercise of religious virtue and redeemable Grace. If one is coerced into making a statement of faith, or into keeping certain rituals, such coercion is regarded, by our orthodox tradition, as foolish and absent all integrity required which make such religious acts both authentic and meaningful. It matters not, that a person may be manipulated into performing more good deeds through coercion, because, we in the West agree, it is the sincerity of the heart along with the joyfulness and willingness of the spirit, that determine the true value, and virtue, of any good deed.

Sure, we have our legalistic tyrants in the West too! There are many fringe religious groups in our country which, to varying degrees, enforce fascist-like standards on their members, but they don’t bomb our buildings and crash our plains. When was the last time you saw an Amish suicide-bomber, or a Seventh-day Adventist hijacker? Conformity is a wonderful thing in the pursuit of a holier life, but in America, if you resort to violence we consider you a Cult that’s to be avoided at all costs.

In the Middle East, such behavior is honored as a great testament to the strength of one’s “virtuous” commitment to “the Faith.” They often reward such militant individuals with positions of national leadership. In the West, we indict you! The difference is in how we measure and value freedom.

The Muslims look at our decadent lifestyles in the West and criticize our departure from holy living. They are correct in their judgments regarding our many sinful failings. But, they are fundamentally wrong to believe that the answer lies in forcing compliance. We should never fall into the fallacy of making “the Perfect” the enemy of “the Good.”

The ends, no matter how desirable, never justify the means. The promise of Islam, which tempts so many to follow, is the desirability for a more perfect holiness when everything isfinally accomplished according to their strict formality of conduct. There is, in this idealistic process, an undeniable extinguishing of the Independent Will which will be replaced by the dominance of an autocratic sovereignty. In this condition, one is programmed to lose all originality and independent purpose for the greater “good” of the assimilated group. This is the way of all Fascist Societies, but such oppression of the individual spirit is anathema to both: Christianity and the American Way of Life. The Virtue, alas, is ours to uphold.
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