Encouraging Others NOT to Share our Beliefs

I know it's hard to believe, but Ann Coulter is once again at the center of a controversy.

From WorldNetDaily:

In the Monday interview, Deutsch asked Coulter: "If you had your way ... and your dreams, which are genuine, came true ... what would this country look like?"

"It would look like New York City during the [2004] Republican National Convention.," Coulter said. "In fact, that's what I think heaven is going to look like."

In her recollection of the convention, she said: "People were happy. They're Christian. They're tolerant. They defend America."

"It would be better if we were all Christian?" Deutsch asked.

"Yes," she said.

Later, Deutsch returned to the subject, saying: "[Y]ou said we should throw Judaism away and we should all be Christians."

"Yes," she replied again.

First, you have to remember that Coulter is the queen of hyperbole. Hyperbole is a truth which is exaggerated to make a point. Countless people use hyperbole, even in everyday language, across all ideological and political lines. When Coulter uses hyperbole, it's not to say that she doesn't mean it, and it doesn't mean it's made up; what it means is she's making an exaggerated statement to get your attention and illustrate a point.

But if we can set our emotionalism aside for a moment, let's examine what she actually said and why it has liberals boiling: she had the audacity to prefer one religion over another--AND SAY SO!

But step back from a moment from the preachings of the politically correct Church of Tolerance and think about this.

Does ANY religion say, no, we don't want people to believe like we do. Do atheists for that matter say, no, we don't want people to believe like we do? Everyone wishes others saw things the way they do. The lack of logic here speaks for itself, so why is Coulter expected to take such a position?

Now let's examine theology for just a moment. Are Christians supposed to try to perpetuate their faith? They're not supposed to do so at the edge of a sword, as Islam, the "religion of peace," has historically done for centuries, but are Christians supposed to try and convince other of the truth of their beliefs?

Did Jesus say, when he issued the Great Commission, "Go forth but don't make any disciples, just encourage others to do their own thing?" Did Jesus say, "Don't be light and salt to a hurting world; just let them go on stumbling around in the dark and suffering from ignorance?" Silly, huh? So why is Coulter being hammered?

If someone has the answer to a problem, isn't it reasonable that they'd want to share that answer with others also plagued by the problem? Could you even make the case that they have an obligation to share the answers with others?

We would probably agree to this supposition if it were a cure for cancer, the discovery of a clean energy source, or something that would make us all supremely happy? So why is it so wrong to want everyone to embrace the solution you've found to spiritual separation from God, in this life and the next? As long as no one's being forced, where's the harm?

I may do more on this later, but consider a few quick thoughts on the Jewish angle of this controversy, and how Coulter's remarks were supposedly anti-Semitic. Was Jesus Jewish? Were his disciples Jewish? Did Jesus' disciples try to convince Jews to embrace Christianity? Were Jesus and his disciples anti-Semitic? Are there any Jews today who encourage other Jews to recognize Jesus (Y'Shua) as the Messiah, and if so, are these Jews anti-Semitic?