Many people claim that their faith is a personal matter, not public. So it’s OK to tear down the symbols of our faith, like a cross on Mt. Soledad, or removing a small cross from the official seal of Los Angeles, while leaving a large image of the goddess Pomona intact — a pagan image of the Roman goddess of fruit trees and orchards is OK, but a small cross apparently violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment.
Faith is not personal. Faith requires an external outcome. The actions of Jesus are recorded in the Gospels, not his innermost personal thoughts on his faith. Jesus did not consider faith to be a personal matter. He expects action from us as a result of our faith. His parables describe people’s behavior, not their thoughts or quiet reflections.
Jesus went around healing the sick, feeding the hungry, reaching out to those who were suffering. He didn’t just go to the synagogue once a week and keep his religion to himself, did he? Of course not!