Equating Actions with Religion

An interesting and scary news story from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, where an alert store clerk saw some incriminating video footage, contacted the local police, who contacted the FBI, who brought down six men from Yugoslavia and the Middle East who were plotting to slaughter scores of American soldiers at Fort Dix and perhaps other military installments in the Northeast. Certainly this clerk is a hero, and thankfully his bravery has resulted in the arrest of these alleged conspirators, who have reportedly said that they were willing to die "in the name of Allah."

But of course there are objections now coming from New Jersey's Muslim community, who dislike the use of the phrase "Islamic militants" to describe these murderous terrorists. Sohail Mohammed, a Muslim lawyer, thinks that the use of this phrase sends the message to the public that Islam and militancy are synonymous. "Don't equate actions with religion," he told the writer of this Associated Press news story.

My first objection to Mr. Mohammed's objection to the phrase "Islamic militants" because it makes the two words synonymous comes from my own study and knowledge of the English language. "Islamic" is simply an adjective describing the noun "militants," and it certainly doesn't make the two words synonyms any more than the phrase "black cat" makes the words "black" and "cat" synonyms. In fact, the adjective functions to set the noun apart from other types of the same noun. If I tell you I'm going to take the black cat home from the animal shelter, you know that I'm not going to bring the tabby or the white cat home. So when we use the phrase "Islamic militants," we're setting these particular militants apart from other types of militants, whether they are Lutheran militants, United Reformed militants, or Amish militants (which would actually be an oxymoron--but more on that in another language lesson). Mr. Mohammed's objection here would simply suggest that he perhaps needs to review basic grammar or the definition of the word "synonym." What else would be an appropriate way to describe six men who, in their own words, said this: "In the end, when it comes to defending your religion [which is Islam], when someone . . . attacks your religion [Islam], your way of life, then you go jihad." "Islamic militants" would seem to be an accurate description here.

The other interesting piece here is Mr. Mohammed's advice to not "equate actions with religion." How different is that from our own Christian understanding of faith and action. And how typical of someone in this culture to separate what one believes from what one does, which is why in America we can have a married president who claims to believe in Christ while behaving sexually promiscuously with White House interns and then lying about it. But I digress.

Both the Scriptures and the Catechism teach us something different. For those who believe in God and confess this undoubted, catholic Christian faith, actions (what we do) most certainly flow from our religion (what we believe). James tells us, "I will show you my faith by my works . . . Faith without works is dead . . . Faith was working together with [Abraham's] works, and by works faith was made perfect" (2:17, 18, 22).

And our beloved Heidelberg Catechism's third part, "Our Thankfulness," teaches us this:

Q. Since we have been delivered from our misery by grace alone through Christ, without any merit of our own, why must we yet do good works?

A. Because Christ, having redeemed us by His blood, also renews us by His Holy Spirit to be His image, so that with our whole life we may show ourselves thankful to God for His benefits, and He may be praised by us. Further, that we ourselves may be assured of our faith by its fruits, and that by our godly walk of life we may win our neighbors for Christ (emphasis mine).

For the Christian, religion can't help but be equated with our works. So then, how do Muslims show their thankfulness if actions and religion are two different things?