As a Christian, I sometimes wonder if we’re all (Christians) reading the same book. It seems to me that Jesus was pretty clear about compassion, love, and consideration even with those who don’t share our perspectives. Unfortunately, this belief is not always shared by my fellow Christians. And as much as I’d like to say that I have compassion for those Christians who don’t share it, I am sometimes quick to anger and slow to forgive – which is not what the Good Book recommends.
Recently, it was reported that the folks at Westboro Baptist Church declared that Steve Jobs was going to hell. I’m not sure how they knew this information, since it was not reported in the NY Times as far as I could tell. But they seemed pretty certain of it. Further, they posted an invitation on their website inviting people to protest his funeral.
This seems wrong on so many levels. First of all, they don’t need to protest his funeral because at this point, regrettably, they can’t influence him or his actions. If they really want to protest, go protest someone who’s still alive. And second, they aren’t really following the whole love and compassion dictate. Whether they agree with Steve Jobs or not, they are not treating his memory or his loved ones with compassion. Finally, if they have this much time on their hands couldn’t they feed the hungry or love their neighbors instead? Seems like there’s a big need for that type of Christian behavior in the world today.
The most ironic aspect of this news report, however, is that at the bottom of their website, where the call to protest appeared, it said, “via Twitter for iPhone.”
OK, so, I’m seeing a bit of a disconnect here and their case is starting to unravel. He is going to hell but his technology is apparently heavenly. Luckily, the Westboro officials addressed the disconnect by clarifying that God created the iPhone, not Steve Jobs.
I hate to admit it but I just had a very un-Christian thought.