Let me quickly state that I am a Greek Orthodox Christian, currently fasting for Easter and going to church this Sunday to celebrate the resurrection. That is not to boast, but I feel I need to make some kind of disclaimer like that before I am attacked by fellow Christians for what I am about to say: The Jesus fish thing must end.
A few years ago, they began to pop up everywhere-on necklaces, automobiles, windshields. Little hollow fish, sometimes featuring the word "Jesus" printed over their hollow bodies. In my conservative Christian hometown, someone wearing their religion on their trunk quickly became commonplace. Everyone had the Jesus fish; you had to have the Jesus fish. If that was not enough, around the same time every kid in my school was wearing their brand new "W.W.J.D." bracelet.
One girl I knew wore two W.W.J.D. bracelets, had a Jesus fish sticker on her notebook and a bronze Jesus fish on her car. I think she was Jewish. I would have liked to have gotten to know her better, but the fish were intimidating.
A year later, both atheists in my high school began showing off their own form of spirituality-the "Darwin" fish. In a school district that describes evolution as "one guy's theory" these two students were anathema. I laughed when I first saw the "Darwin" fish-a clone of the Jesus fish with tiny feet and the word "Darwin" scrolled across its body. In a town with more churches than stop signs, the Darwin fish were a gill-full of oxygen-rich water.
I felt it was positive that the school of Jesus fish encountered the pair of Darwin fish, and vice versa. Both have something to learn from each other-the Jesus fish people could stand to learn about evolution and how there is no conflict between Darwin's theories and the Book of Genesis. The Darwin people could stand to see how stupid ideology looks as a fashion accessory, and also learn how fruitless it is to attack a spiritual ideology with scientific theory. Religion is not a science and science is no one's religion.
Of course this did not happen. And while the high school did not turn into a small town version of West Side Story, with Jesus fish people snapping fingers and Darwin fish people giving the finger, it became rather uncomfortable for us people in the middle wearing neither fish. The Jesus fish people wanted recruits and the Darwin fish people would point to us fishless people when they wanted to avoid attacks from the Jesus fish crowd. For a bunch of Christians who took the Bible literally, they sure were quick to judge without "lest ye be judged."
I thought I had escaped the fish wars when I came to Duke. I was wrong. Earlier this week I saw the most offensive fish yet-the Truth fish. It is a larger fish with the word "Truth" on it, devouring a Darwin fish.
Religion is not a sword that strikes down any belief that stands in its way. Catholics should not gobble up Methodists, and no one should gobble up Baptists. Jesus did not come down from heaven to chastise the wrong and crush all opposition. Also, religion is not an advertisement or calling card that gives you carte blanche to criticize and promote yourself as morally superior.
This Easter, this Passover, this weekend, this whatever-let us remember that despite ideological differences, every one of our faiths (or non-faiths) teaches tolerance of others, forgiveness of transgressions and the Golden Rule.
Do not wear your faith to the point that you have worn it out-or to the point where it is being used to intimidate.
To those with Truth fish, throw them away. Those with Darwin fish, for the love of God, do not design an "Evidence" fish.
Martin Barna is a Trinity junior and editorial page editor of The Chronicle.
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