It's time to get serious about faith

Let's get serious about faith and the troubling issues of the day:
April 29 provides an interesting contrast between one current and one historic event.
In New York today, a March for Peace, Justice and Democracy will call for an end to the war in Iraq. Supporters are demanding an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.
April 29 commemorates another significant event: the liberation of the concentration camp in Dachau in 1945. Remembering what happened April 29, 1945, underscores why violence (to end genocide) is sometimes necessary in order to stop a greater evil.
Now I'm not suggesting that the war in Iraq can be compared to the war for the liberation of Europe 60 years ago. Nor do I believe that every war is justified. Polls show that support for the war in Iraq continues to decline.
Rather, today should give each of us pause to weigh the human cost of war and the need of sacrifice to save others. Clearly, the scales are precarious -- and it's not always easy to judge which is the weightier one.
Like I said, I'm not promoting a political agenda, just calling for reflection and -- if faith or conscience moves you -- appropriate action.
Save Darfur rally
While we're on the subject of weekend events, a Save Darfur rally will be held Sunday in Washington, D.C. Participants will urge an end to the killing of hundreds of thousands of people in the Darfur region of Sudan.
The death toll from the Sudanese government's three-year campaign of ethnic cleansing is almost 400,000.
In addition, international reports say that 3.5 million people are hungry, and 2.5 million have been displaced because of violence.
Rally organizers are urging people of faith to contact their political leaders to intercede for victims of violence and persecution.
Sunday's rally, organized by the Save Darfur Coalition, is an alliance of more than 155 faith-based, humanitarian and human rights organizations. If you check the Web site -- www.savedarfur.org -- there's a good chance your faith group is supportive of the effort.
No one should ignore this tragedy. Learn what you can do. "If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want to go far, walk together with others" (African saying).
Making the separation
Where do you draw the line separating church and state? And what is religion's role in today's multicultural mix?
That was the focus of a conference last fall titled "Future of Religious Freedom in America," sponsored by the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum and the First Amendment Center. The conference report was released this week and can be downloaded at www.firstamendmentcenter.org.
Participants represented a broad range of opinions (American Civil Liberties Union and American Center for Law and Justice) and faiths (Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Native American and humanist).
After two days of discussion, they reached some common understandings and offered guidelines on religion in schools, workplaces and the public square.
Their efforts, however, will have little effect if others -- translation: you and me -- don't mull over the suggestions and decide whether the guidelines are worth implementing.
After all, religious freedom is too important to be left to the few when the many have such a huge stake in its preservation and advancement.
Giving money over time
Time or money? Most Americans say they choose money when it comes to supporting charitable causes.
According to a national survey by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, half of all American adults said it was easier to give money than time to a charitable cause.
Only about 1 in 3 Americans said it was easier for them to volunteer their time, a decrease of 10 percentage points from the previous year.
The December survey of 1,000 adults has a plus-or-minus 3 percent margin of error.
Whether the poll reflects the outpouring of financial aid after the South Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast and a one-time dip in volunteering time is unclear.
Truth be told, Americans still tend to be generous people when presented with a neighbor's need, here or abroad.
The ultimate question that each of us should ask is: Do I care enough to get involved?
Knight Ridder Newspapers