Dear editor,
My first thought when (Muhammad Ali) died was — now what?
Yes, initially I expected the day-after-day newscasts of the grandeur of his life. Then I expected the interviews with many of the people that he either affected or crossed paths with. His family’s reactions were bittersweet, and then the parade of accolades from Al Sharpton, Evander Holyfield, Jesse Jackson and others was expected and enjoyed.
Truly, Ali affected many of us over the years as both a hero and a “good man.” Ali was both an American hero and a national icon.
Then, some religious thoughts crossed my mind. As a Christian, I had a conflict of course, since Jesus Christ is my God and I expect to end up in Christian heaven after I’m dead and gone.
But does that mean Muhammad Ali, whose God is Allah, has ended up in Muslim heaven now that he’s dead and gone?
America is an interesting country. One of the principles America was founded on was religious freedom. Now in 2016, that means America is “many gods under one nation” instead of “one nation under one God.” So America must support the allowing of all religions, all gods, and all the heavens (or their equivalents) that go along with them.
America hopes that all religions will exist with each other’s different philosophies and beliefs and just leave each other alone. The separation of church and state basically assures that the state — America — is out of the religious preference business.
Said differently, America can’t stand for any religious unity. Said a little further differently, un-united we stand, un-divided we fall.
Finally, Christians would argue — as other religions might — that there is only one “correct religion” in the end. If you know Jesus, you get to “the” afterlife. If you don’t know Jesus, you don’t! The great commission is to tell you so. Then you choose and see what happens when you wake up after death and see where you are.
Christian love wants everybody, including Muhammad Ali to wake up in heaven.
JIM MOORE
Pace
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: LETTER: Pondering Muhammad Ali, separation of church and state, and heaven