You are right by the way, we associate with folks every day who are of different backgrounds.  Let us not forget, was it in the Gospels?  Memory can’t recall, but isn’t it written in the New testament that he who withholds good knowingly is just as guilty of sin as he who breaks the law overtly?  That’s my main problem with what happened here, and I thank Shaun for posting it cause this is a trend I’ve been noticing in the last five years or so.

Veretax, I’m thinking of this as an example.  The Baptist mission guy was upset over the idea of working side-by-side with Mormons. (I’m guessing here.  Maybe he honestly thought they were all Mormons on the list who did not deserve help – as if that were better.) Do you (does he) contribute to, say, March of Dimes?  Or Salvation Army?  Or American Cancer Society?  Or just about any other public charity, for that matter?  If so, then you’ve partnered with Mormons, as well as atheists and a host of other “objectionable” people.  Maybe not as directly or publicly, but the end result is the same – helping people hand in hand with people whose ideologies we may vehemently disagree.  And how many people have not tossed a coin into the Salvation Army buckets at Christmas?  Not many.

It seems somewhat hypocritical to say that I won’t work with you in one place but do so in another, simply because it is done with less thought in one instance.  And in any case I can’t help but think of Paul’s advice in Philippians when addressing those who preach the truth, though with improper motives – let em’!  What matters is that Christ is preached, and I see the same application here.  What matters is that the people in need be treated as neighbors and not as pariahs.

(Not picking on you, Veretax.  Just trying to address some of your thoughts.

And I’m so sorry that there were people who needed help and instead of seeing them as hurting people, someone chose to let theology stand in the way.  Very sad for me.

Keep the posts coming.  I enjoy the way you see the world.  I understand it – well, most of the time.

Sheesh…thanks Shaun…now I’m all worked up!

Regarding your observation about shunning cooperation for empire building, I’ll simply note that this is true in the non-church/Church world as well…

Kent

However, the bible does caution us about false teachers.  I believe in one place it even tells us not to welcome such a person into our house.  I do think there is a difference between welcoming a mormon for example into my living room, and working as a community to better the community at large. 

For instance, I’m an eagle scout, and in my troop I know there were several Roman Catholics, Mormons, Baptist, and some who frankly weren’t very religious at all.  That didn’t stop us from performing community service in various ways.  I can’t help but feel that there is more to the story you have told us then what is there on the surface.  It almost to me seems like this particular Baptist church wanted some kind of glory, recognition or honor for helping these folks.  If that is the case, I think I would be hard pressed to agree with their motives because what we do should bring Glory to God, not to ourselves.  At least that’s how I see it.

I don’t understand how anyone could question that decision.  On what basis?

That being said, I’m not sure what to make about the refusal to use the “mormon list”.  When Jesus looked onto the crowd he was moved with compassion and told his disciples to pray for labors to be sent into the fields of harvest.

There really are two or three issues here, one is that as Christians we have a duty to reach out to those around us, especially the lost.  The question is whether we should do so as our own endeavor or be unified with groups whose beliefs we find contradictory to our own.  This really isn’t an issue anyone can decide except on their own though.  As my friend Wes used to say a lot, Major on the majors, and not the Minors.  However, in this situation you present is working with Mormons a Major or a minor?

A Muslim-led interfaith Thanksgiving service in Austin, Texas, was forced to move to another location at the last minute after a Baptist church objected to non-Christians worshipping on its property.

The Austin Area Interreligious Ministries, the largest interfaith organization in the city, was told last Wednesday that it wouldn’t be allowed to hold Sunday’s annual Thanksgiving celebration at a recreation center belonging to the Hyde Park Baptist Church because the parish has a policy of prohibiting non-Christians from praying on its grounds.

For 23 years, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Baha’is and others have been invited to worship together at the Thanksgiving service.

Click here to see photos.

Sunday’s event was the first to be co-hosted by members of the local Muslim community, though they have participated in the service for several years, according to Adeela Gill, president of the Central Texas Muslimaat, a Muslim women’s organization that takes part in the celebration.

Gill said she didn’t know whether the Baptist church’s abrupt about-face was because of the prominent Muslim presence this year.

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Interfaith Thanksgiving Service “I hope that they would have made the same decision for any other organization that is different in belief, but I don’t know,” she said. “I’m hoping that this decision does not have to do with the fact that it was Muslims.”

Planning had been in the works since July, according to AAIM Interim Executive Director Simone Talma Flowers, but it crumbled in the 11th hour when the Baptist church told the group to find another venue.

“They notified us four days before to say that we could not have the Thanksgiving service on their property,” said Flowers. “They said they did not realize that we’d have non-Christians at the service.” Church officials told her they thought “interfaith” meant different sects of Christianity.

Hyde Park Baptist Church defended its decision and asked for understanding in a statement it released about the dispute.

“The event was cancelled when Hyde Park Baptist Church became aware via a postcard on Monday afternoon, November 12th, that the event was not a Christian oriented event,” the statement said. “The postcard promised space for Muslim Maghrib prayer and revealed that the event was co-hosted by the Central Texas Muslimaat, the Forum of Muslims for Unity, and the Institute of Interfaith Dialog … The church cannot provide space for the practice of these non-Christian religions on church property.”

Associate Pastor of Administration R. Kent Jennings declined to elaborate further on the matter when reached by telephone.

Gill said she found the church’s statement “shocking” and “blatant” in its repeated references to the Muslim groups in attendance, and believes the explanation implied that Hyde Park’s sudden cancellation was linked to the Muslim community’s involvement.

Hyde Park Baptist Church is not a member of AAIM and has never sent an official church representative to the annual Thanksgiving service in the past, according to Gill.

It was unclear why the church didn’t realize that it would be an interfaith event before last week, or whether its decision was, in fact, related specifically to the Muslim community’s leading role in the service.

Gill said much of Hyde Park’s concern was over some of the actual prayers that would take place on the premises.

“The fact that there was going to be a prayer service caused them concern,” she said. “The space for our prayer afterward, that’s what caused the most amount of alarm. That was influential in making their decision.”

Flowers also couldn’t say whether the church canceled the event on its property because of the prominent Muslim presence.

“It might have just been a really honest error — they just didn’t realize it was non-Christians also,” she said. “I believe that. We respect their decision. If we had known that, we would not have rented the facility.”

Flowers, who is Christian, said she originally tried to convince the church to let the celebration go on as scheduled, since there was little time to find an alternate venue.

But Hyde Park didn’t budge, so the AAIM instead found a Jewish synagogue willing to open its doors for the event, which drew between 1,000 and 1,200 participants.

“I was a little disheartened,” Flowers said. “But the synagogue was very gracious. They accommodated us on every level. This has been a blessing in disguise.”

Members of Hyde Park were invited to the Sunday service at Congregation Beth Israel, she added, but no official representatives attended. Gill said there has been talk that some Hyde Park congregants were disappointed that their church decided not to provide its facilities for the event.

“What I’ve heard is that the congregation was disappointed, especially because many of them do not feel this way,” she said. “There’s a whole community that goes to this church — it’s not their fault.”

The Interreligious Ministries service blended traditions from the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Baha’i, Sikh and Buddhist faiths, among others. It began with a procession of leaders of a variety of religions, followed by customary Muslim and Jewish calls to prayer, and a Christian bell choir signaling the start of worship. There were offers of gratitude to God in the Christian, Muslim and Hindu traditions. A Buddhist ritual closed the hour-and-15-minute celebration.

“It was filled with love, it was filled with gratitude and it was filled with hope — hope that we can live and work together,” said Flowers. “It was just beautiful.”

Though the group has had some complaints about its mixing of religious traditions in the past, this year’s last-minute location shuffle was unprecedented.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a situation where the service has been canceled,” Flowers said. “We are all about bringing people together to have dialogue.”

That dialogue is far from over, as the fallout from the flap continues.

Letters to the church have already been drafted by people who want to express their concerns and opinions, Gill said. Central Texas Muslimaat plans to invite Hyde Park leaders to its center in the hopes of sharing ideas.

“Hopefully they’ll come, learn,” she said. “We’re not trying to change their minds. We’re trying

I think your last sentence is the answer to the whole issue.