Today I read a quote by John Agresto about starting a democracy in Iraq. It speaks to the state of religion in the United States:

"We desperately kept looking for the supposed 'moderates' among the clergy in Iraq. Moderate as compared to what? Just because we believe that God wants everyone to enjoy equal rights, or that killing Jews or stoning apostates is wrong, doesn't mean that our beliefs are shared by other faiths. We have so tamed and, in a sense, marginalized religion in the West that we consistently underestimate its ferocity and strength."

What Agresto describes in the East is a worldview of extremes. For the muslims, you are either with them or not. If you are not with them, then you are either enslaved, subjugated, or killed.

More importantly is the apt reflection that religion has been marginalized in the West. There was once a time when the Christian worldview, held by authentic Christians, was held with a high level of commitment. Of course, Christians were never commanded to enslave, subjugate, or kill non-believers. Rather, we are commanded to love them and pray for them.

I believe it is time for religion to pass away, and for Christians to become more passionate about their relationship with Jesus Christ. The castration of the church must stop. We must be more vocal about Christ's love for the people of this world. We must be more active in loving the world.