As pressure mounts in Egypt, and protests are not ceasing, we have to take a closer look at the role this political divide is playing in the lives of the Copts living through this.
As we know, 10% of the population is Christian, which means we are gravely outnumbered. Now this would be all fine if we weren’t the first to be targeted when hardships plague the country. Threats of burning churches, setting fire to people, and suicide bombing for maximum destruction are all examples of what Pro-Morsi protestors are preaching.
Instead of taking the typical approach and condemning these crazy, and I mean crazy, ideologies, I want to look at it from a more Christian perspective. To those Copts living in Egypt, perhaps it’s time to forget the fear of death and focus on the reality of spiritual death. Any sane Copt will tell you Egypt is an unsafe place for any Christian to live. In fact, one might even go as far as to say that us Christians will lose the battle against the Muslims through death.
I can’t help but wonder, is death is the worst thing that a Muslim could do to a Christian? As tensions deepen and safety becomes increasingly non-existent, I feel like we are picking the wrong battle to fight. I once heard that violence begets violence, and furthermore, I think we are already dead if we follow that self-fulfilling prophecy.
As Christians, being shot dead by a Muslim is actually a free pass into heaven, which is our goal in this life anyways. Did you ever consider that? The worst thing that a Muslim could do to a Christian is not killing them; it’s changing their heart. There are so many people that cannot help but feel hatred towards all Muslims because of the extremists and fanatics that stand out in Islam. The minute a Christian heart hardens and darkens with hatred is the minute that Christian dies spiritually. We are taught to love as Jesus loved. Hating a whole group of people based on a small number of wrongdoers is something unacceptable. Put aside patriotic strife and look at this idea purely religiously. Jesus taught us to love humanity; He came to die for all of us equally.
If I hate my Muslim brother, where has my love gone? Where has Jesus’ commandment gone? Take into consideration that hatred is a sin that prevents us from forming a relationship with Jesus. Jesus wants to walk hand-in-hand with us through our struggles, through our threats, through our pain, through our suffering. Where is the room for Jesus in our hearts, when there is hatred instead?
The next time you think about the insecurity and instability of Egypt, and your position as a Christian in Egypt, think about this: nobody can capture your spirit unless you allow them.
Death is an undeniably saddening topic, but unfortunately death is already upon us and we didn’t even realize it. That is saddening. Don’t let anyone fool you, spiritual death is worse than physical death. I would rather be dead and live with Jesus, than be killed by fire only to join fire forever.
