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Opinion

Easter brings forth talk of Jesus

Henry Darragh
Opinion Columnist

This weekend, you took time to color eggs and go hunt for a parking spot in that church you go to twice a year, right? I can recall growing up in the Catholic Church and seeing a big turn out around the big holidays. This isn't a column I was very sure about writing, but I will do my best.

I am a Christian. I have read the Bible a few times and think it is true for me. I have also read part of the Koran and was astonished to see that Christ's name is in that holy text more times than Muhammad's. There were references to the New Testament just as a student would reference a source in a research paper. What of this Christ fellow? Am I wrong to think I know the only way? Are all Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and atheists going to hell if they do not accept Christ as their savior? That, my fellow Cougars, is a tough pill to swallow.

So if I do believe the scripture and say that I am a Christian, I would say yes to that question. How sad is that. Those of the Jewish faith don't not believe in Christ, neither does the Muslim faith. They don't exclaim, "Jesus wasn't here, it is some right-wing media conspiracy theory!" No, they consider him to be a prophet.

That "prophet" hung out with those in humanity that no one else but criminals would want to associate with: prostitutes, thieves, and murderers. Those were his homeboys, his disciples. I can recall on the Luther Unit, when a boss, after strip-searching me, tried to give me a hard time about carrying the Bible with me. He told me that if I had read that before, that I wouldn't be here, to which I responded, "Paul, the author of most the New Testament was locked up a bunch."

You don't have to believe that Christ died for you. Actually, you don't have to believe in anything. That itself is a choice, to not believe. God gave us free will and my will doesn't push me to proselytize others. I share my faith with my friends, and the only strangers I talk to about God are usually those asking me for money, for food, or bus fare, or even for beer. I try and pray with them if I am in a good place. How does one help the homeless? How does one help anything in this world for that matter? I hope this doesn't come off as a ramble; it seems logical -- the progression, that is -- in my thinking. One of the greatest disservices to Christ, in my opinion, is the advent of televangelists and the religious right. In my opinion, they give Jesus a bad name.

Name me a politician that used Christ's name to get votes. I bet you could think of a few; and in my opinion, that's pretty good marketing. A reader might wonder: "How did that guy get hired … they just might print anything at The Daily Cougar, right?"

I was scared to write about Jesus. I don't know if any of this was worthwhile reading for you. Call me sentimental, but I love Jesus and think he is super cool. Make fun of me, laugh at me, send me an e-mail, whatever. I have lots of friends who practice other religions. I wasn't always the upstanding law-abiding citizen you see before you today. I only know from my experiences in seeing hell on earth and being protected and shown grace by a Power greater than myself. Happy Easter. Happy Friday. Happy Semester. Or as Kinky says, "May the God of your choice bless you."

Darragh, an opinion columnist for The Daily Cougar, 
can be reached at hadarragh@uh.edu.