Cartoonist Misses the Point on Christians

To the editor:

The cartoon on the editorial page of the Jan. 22 edition of the Enterprise showed a preacher in the pulpit declaring to his congregation, “ and if you ignore Crusades, the Inquisition, witch burnings, Planned Parenthood bombings, and gay bashing, we Christians are appalled by religious extremism.”

The apparent intent of the author seems to be to paint all Christians as religious extremists. Admittedly, there have been some pretty horrible crimes down through the ages perpetrated by people who called themselves Christians, but I submit to you that a tree is known by its fruits.

To suggest that all Christians are prone to violence and hate and extremism is, in my humble opinion, way off the mark. The word “Christian” means Christ-like. What was Christ like? He was about as harmless an individual as ever walked the earth. He went about doing good, preaching and teaching and healing. He had a servant heart and ministered to the downtrodden, the poor, and the outcasts. The most violent thing he ever did was to overturn some tables. He taught people to love their neighbor as themselves; he taught people to treat others as they would like to be treated; he taught people that vengeance was reserved for God; he taught people to love their enemies and pray for those who are abusive, to turn the other cheek, and to be forgiving. His marching orders were to go into all the world and to preach the gospel.

The atrocities cited by the cartoonist may have been committed by religious people who wore the name of Christ, but surely people of discernment can recognize fakes from the real thing

Neal Essic