JoeClarke.Net

He has explained the faith of our American founding fathers like no other in the media. He has exhaustively investigated the current and historical problems with socialism in the U.S. and abroad. He has rallied hundreds of thousands for the 912 Project and the Restoring Honor mass meetings, all the while pointing people to their Creator through, specifically, Jesus Christ.

How amazed I was to watch a possibly ill or exhausted Glenn Beck say on his Monday TV program (after taking off from the radio) that, "I am not talking about a specific religion, just 'God'... whatever you define as God." All of a sudden, Jesus, it seems, has been superseded by Mahatma Gandhi, who Glenn, early in the show, pointed to as a guy who "I should talk to." After he admitted that he was very tired, Beck stared at a giant picture of Gandhi then remarked that "the answer is from this guy."

Glenn admitted that he was just starting to study Gandhi simultaneous to studying the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Christian martyr who rebelled, unlike so many Protestants and Catholics in Nazi Germany, against Adolph Hitler - and paid dearly for it. Bonhoeffer was thought to be involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler, so was summarily hung for his defiance, if not for plotting against Hitler, then for his Christian based resistance to the Third Reich.

Beck went on to explain that Bonhoeffer sought inspiration from Gandhi, which is doubtful. Gandhi derived his philosophy from the Buddhist/Hindu tenants which deny the use of violent force - for any reason. IOW Gandhi would not even violently resist Hitler, I guess.

Gandhi believed in Ahism - a term meaning to do no harm (literally: the avoidance of violence - himsa). It is an important tenet of the Indian Religions(Hinduism Buddhism and especially Jainism). Ahimsa is a rule of conduct that bars the killing or injuring of living beings. Hard to fight wars or enforce laws with such an ulta pacifistic code. Even the New Testament tells us in Romans 13 that "Rulers do not carry the sword in vain." Fortunately, in America every citizen is Constitutionally allowed to carry the sword.

"Gandhi teaches me the principles of love," Beck said during the end of the show. I really hope that he does not miss the point that, "God so loved the world . . . that he gave. . . " not a mere man like Gandhi, but He gave a Son of Man. Quite a different benchmark for showing love.

Glenn may be making the mistake of attempting to unite all religions under a generic godhead - "One God is as good as Another." IOW confusion.

Glenn Beck, as the rest of us, is on a spiritual journey and is looking for answers. He has been a Catholic as I have, and is now a Mormon. I hope he finds out that Jesus is the Answer and that Jesus is the Way, and neither Gandhi nor anyone else can be.