I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of God’s holy people, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus. When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. – Revelation 17:6

Today’s Scripture Reading (March 31, 2015): Revelation 17

A Canadian Member of Parliament a couple of weeks ago insisted that any woman who wants to become a citizen of Canada, must take the oath with her face uncovered. The Prime Minister himself insists that face coverings are but part of a culture that has kept women as second class citizens in many areas of the world. Therefore, in his esteemed opinion, face coverings are incompatible with a nation who is solidly moving towards an egalitarian society – a society that is rooted in equal rights for both men and women. Not that Canada has already arrived at the egalitarian dream. They struggle with some of the same issues that their Southern neighbors in the United States struggle with. Yet in both countries, the dream is alive.

So, should a Muslim woman who desires to wear traditional Muslim dress as she is sworn in as a full citizen of her new country be forced to remove the face covering? In a nation that professes a high level of personal freedom, is there something incompatible with that particular requirement? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. There is something highly offensive about the request to remove the face covering in a nation that proclaims personal freedom, yet at the same time I totally understand the reason behind the request.

Today, we who live in the cultural West are scared. There is a fanaticism that has reached our shores that we have never seen before. The problem becomes that if the face is covered, how is it that we can know who it is that is joining our nations. But even more of a problem is that face coverings raise the potential of a terrorist being able to assume the identity of a worthy future citizen, and to do so with the intent of causing harm. I know that North American Muslims often feel like they are treated as if they were “spokespeople for the Islamic State,” but the other side of the coin is that any sincere Muslim who wishes to join our nations and become full citizens, to become our people, is in violation of the Islamic State. They have become the enemy. And violence against them is almost a forgone conclusion. And so, we who believe that we are free, do some very unfree things. We limit freedom for the common good. We become less than we espouse to be for no other reason than that we are scared.

John has a vision of the great harlot. And ever since John’s Revelation began making its rounds the identity of this harlot has been discussed and guesses have been made. Maybe the city of Rome was the great prostitute. The idea fit in some ways, but in others it failed. Maybe one of the telltale clues in John’s account of the prostitute is that he was surprised – or greatly astonished – at the identity of the prostitute. If John realized that Rome was the prostitute, why would he have been astonished? That Rome, who killed the apostles, was in league with the devil should have created a response of expectancy, not astonishment. Yet, John says that he was astonished at the identity of the prostitute.

For the reformers, there could be no doubt who the great harlot was – it was the Roman Catholic Church. It was this that astonished John. That an organization whose sole purpose was to advance the cause of Christ would find herself in league with the great opponent was an unexpected plot twist. And so early martyrs went to their deaths fighting the Roman Catholic Church. And they may have been right 600 years ago. There were a string of popes during the middle ages who seemed to care for nothing more than their own wealth and power, and who were willing to sacrifice the common and the poor to achieve it – not something we would expect from those who represent Christ. Today, there are still some who rage against Rome, but I am not sure that they are right. Even as a protestant, I am proud of a number of the Pope’s who have occupied the Holy See during my lifetime, and the current occupant, Pope Francis, is no exception. And I dream of the day when all those who serve Christ will do so under the same banner.

So, if I am letting that great Roman Church off of the hook, then who is the great harlot. For that answer I have to look a lot closer to home. Any time we proclaim Christ without acting in love, we are the great harlot. Any time we respond to our neighbor in self-interest, we are the great harlot. Any time we who bear the imprint of Christ hate, we are in league with the other side – and we are not becoming more like Christ.

To my Muslim friends, I apologize and I beg your patience. We are scared. And we do not mean to respond with such a lack of love toward you. When we do, we betray ourselves and we are less. But my hope is that courage is growing inside of us, and that we will learn to love again. Only then will we begin to reflect the Christ that we serve – and only then will the John’s that are still with us be able to look on the Christian Church and see exactly who it is that we were supposed to be – a people built on the principle of love and acceptance. After all, Christ died for all of us.      

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Revelation 18