The Deacon's Bench
From The Anchoress:
Fear is always what demands silence of others. In our neighborhood the carillons of Catholic parishes have been effectively “silenced” — their calls to prayer literally cannot be heard beyond the church grounds — because a neighbor found the lovely bells of the Angelus to be an “arrogant” intrusion upon his own awareness. He doesn’t worship anything, and doesn’t want to know from people who do, doesn’t want his conscious certitude to be intruded upon by any reminders that others think differently.
The fear is a common one to secularists: that someone might try to convince them of something they don’t believe; that someone might try to force their beliefs on them; that they might be compelled to behave a certain way, if those bell-ringing Christians, chanting Muslims, shofar-blowing Jews, gong-banging Buddhists, celebrating Hindus — and all their stupid ideas — are not forced to pipe down in the name of the duel godlings of “tolerance” and “diversity.”
Such a profound misunderstanding of religion. No true believer would want to force a conversion on anyone: a true lover of God does not want to insult the Creator by compelling fake, insincere worship.
Duke University can’t be charged with intolerance toward its Muslim students — they’ve been using the basement of the schools chapel for their prayer gatherings — but I was really saddened to see the way so many prominent Christians, including the son of the Reverend Billy Graham mobilizing to bravely insure that the adhan would not be broadcasted once a week from the same bell tower whose carillon rings out with Christian hymns on Fridays and Sundays.
I don’t think the Christians were brave to seek suppression, and I can’t help but wonder what so frightens Christians about another religion putting out a call to prayer that they must actively prevent it? What are they afraid of?
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