Faith in Action

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,' but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed, someone might say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Issac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." (The Letter of James, Chapter Two, Verses 14-26.)

I've always liked this passage from the New Testament. It is the biblical version of "Put up or shut up". Now, there is a very contentious history surrounding this passage between Catholics and Protestants, the latter of whom believe that it is faith alone and not our actions that "save" us. I honestly don't want to get into that discussion here, today, but I will just say that (a) I don't think it is even the author's contention that our actions alone will save us, and (b) the author's actual point still holds true: money talks, BS walks, so to speak. You can publicly proclaim your faith all day long, but do your actions support your claims? If, as you profess, you are a person of faith, how does that translate into any measurable increase in love, mercy and compassion in your community?

I ask these questions because of the many people in cultures around the world who represent all various faiths and religions who make public proclamations of faith and piety on the one hand, and then use their very faith to justify acts of hatred, violence and division on the other. I've asked it before, and I'll ask it again here: how can anyone believe that this is truly what God wants? Are we called to go to worship, recite prayers and sing hymns all to justify the advancement of a limited, personal agenda? Or do we do these things to openly acknowledge and respond to God's call to freely and gladly serve each other with love and compassion, regardless of creed, gender or race?

What if?... What if we have it backwards? What if devout adherence to any one faith or religion becomes an obstacle to the very peace and justice the religion espouses? What if our fixation on the merits and righteousness of our own faith traditions disables us from practicing the compassion and mercy that our faith traditions teach? What if, instead of imparting full and complete truth to any one people and religion, God has imparted partial versions of the Whole Truth to people across cultures and history? What if God's purpose for doing this is to challenge us to communicate across the divisions of race, culture and creed and to share the partial version of truth we have been given so that ultimately the Whole Truth might be revealed? What if the point isn't that One True Faith be established, but that God calls us all in unique and wonderful ways to know God and to reflect the light of God's presence in this world through our thoughts and actions? What then?

- Doug L.

FOR FURTHER REFERENCE:

Interfaith Youth Core.org

Faith In Action Volunteers.org

"Losing My Jihadism." Washington Post, July 22, 2007.

"Want to Understand Islam? Start Here." Washington Post, July 22, 2007.

"Honoring Many Paths." (Religious News Blog.com, December 21, 2005.)

Reacting to Religious Diversity: Religious Exclusivism, Pluralism and Inclusivism. (Religious Tolerance.org, May 20, 2001.)