This week’s images of hundreds of thousands of hysterical demonstrators violently protesting the disrespect of Mohammed vividly contrasts the spirit of Islam versus the spirit of Christianity and begs the question whether greater damage to the Muslim religion comes from the fingers of a few obscure artists or from the violent actions of its purported defenders.

    It appears to me that what really gives Islam a bad name is the seething caldron of hatred that instantly erupts at the slightest provocation. Open anti-Semitism and calls for the annihilation of Israel via a second Holocaust doesn’t paint a pretty picture, either. Perhaps the rape and slaughter of Christians in sub-Saharan Africa by machete-wielding Muslim mobs also impacts the reputation of the so-called religion of peace. The Muslim practice of forcible circumcision and genital mutilation of millions of pre-pubescent girls in order to keep them from experiencing lust (hauntingly described in the book, Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali) doesn’t exactly endear the culture to the developed world. Ditto chopping off arms for petty theft, stoning women who “dishonored” the male members of their families by being victimized by rape, and so forth. Compared to that disturbing list of accomplishments, a few disrespectful cartoons hardly seem significant.

    Hey, I understand how someone feels when his religion is disrespected. I’m one of those evangelical Christians that the every left-wing comedian, academic and politician holds in disdain. Every day when I hear the Lord’s name taken in vain on TV, the radio, or in person, it feels like a slap across the face.

    But when was the last time you saw Christian mobs slaughtering blasphemers and dragging their dead bodies through the streets, or calling for an end to free speech, press, and religion as is currently demanded throughout the Arab street?

    In the past, there have been acts of violence by evil men falsely invoking the name of Christianity. But the Inquisition, Protestant/ Catholic Wars, pogroms, and slaughter of the Moors were in direct violation of the commands of Christ, and in no way justified under any interpretation of the teachings of Christ. In sharp contrast to the stony silence of hundreds of millions of Muslims, true Christians everywhere publicly renounce violence as a means of advancing faith.

    Scripture teaches that one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But it’s not my place to go breaking kneecaps to make that happen. It’s not that Christians don’t feel strongly about our faith, it’s that we are commanded to behave differently.

    The Third Commandment not to take the Lord’s name in vain has serious consequences, but they are doled out by God, not man. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. There will be a day of reckoning, but not at the hands of Jesus’ followers. Unlike Mohammed, Jesus never led an army, never killed anyone and never set up an earthly kingdom. He commanded his disciples to love their enemies and laid down His own life to save the very ones who hated him.

    Remember, the most despicable blasphemy of all was the crowd mocking Jesus as He hung on the cross. Surely the Man who healed the sick and raised the dead could have called down lightning from heaven to smite the jeering mob. But instead, He responded by praying, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

    Craig Ziemba is a pilot who lives in Meridian.