I hesitate to wade into the fraught world of politics, where anything I say will likely offend someone, but we seem to be living through one of those moments in human history which invite reflection. We may, as some fervently believe, be witnessing the “Endtimes” – or maybe it’s just another season of perpetual human strife.
It is a strange thing to witness: we humans, images of God, the crown of creation, continuously, willfully murdering each other, in fact on the verge of annihilating ourselves, perhaps not realizing that God will absolutely permit us to do this, even though it’s absolutely not what God would have preferred.
Our very nature ensures that we humans will disagree about things, but there’s a right and a wrong way to disagree. And of course we’ll disagree about that too. From my sheltered experience, having never been imprisoned or shot at or bombed, I draw a hard line at physical violence. There’s almost always an alternative to physical conflict, so I’m continually amazed at how often we choose it. Do people actually think war is fun?
Even with all our advances of civilization, it seems that tendencies towards physical oppression and violence are barely decreasing, each new technology benefiting war and peace almost equally. And we citizens of the world play along, somehow accepting the idea that violence is a natural and unavoidable part of human existence. But I did some simple math, and concluded this: if God loves the Christian Russians and the Christian Ukrainians, and if God loves the Sunni and the Shiʿite Muslims, and the Hindus and Buddhists, and the sinners and saints, and everyone else, then there’s no one that God doesn’t love, and God couldn’t possibly want anyone to hurt anyone, ever. Are my calculations correct?
So one would think that religion would be a driving force of peacemaking in the world; yet it’s quite the opposite: religion seems to factor largely in almost every major conflict – whether over ideas or territory. So is God at war with herself? I find that hard to believe.
If someone simply chooses to be a “mightiest”, that’s their God-given freedom – we godlets having the power to defy God’s will. One can choose to ignore one’s conscience and follow the law of the jungle, as if a human being were a mere beast, but we should at least be clear-eyed about our choice: wrapping our animalistic behaviors in the guise of religion only muddies the water. My anger or fear is not God’s anger or fear. My covetousness is mine alone.
For many people, it seems that religion serves little more purpose than a soccer team’s colors – a way to highlight tribal identity, to separate the “us” from the “them”. How else can we explain the oxymoron of the Buddhist warrior – or the Christian soldier?
Reading about a Supreme Court execution spree got me thinking about “Christian killing”, which I have to put quotes, because there is no such thing: at the moment you’re killing someone, you’re anything but a Christian. There’s been a lot of “Christian killing” going on lately, and of course it’s been going on for 2000 years; but, however normalized, it never was and will never be “what Jesus would do”.
I’m no bible scholar, but even a cursory reading of the New Testament affirms what I know in my heart to be true: God doesn’t want his kids killing each other, ever. There are a few passages in the Gospels that could be construed as endorsing violence, but these passages are thoroughly nullified by multiple crystal clear statements by Jesus to the contrary. An honest student of the Bible would have to conclude that these few suggestions of violence either shouldn’t be taken literally, or are not authentic.
Yes, Jesus spoke of a metaphorical sword, and a metaphorical millstone around someone’s neck; but then, in a situation of actual violence, he said with devastating clarity: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” Do these Supreme Court justices actually believe that they, or anyone in the United States, or anyone in the world, are without sin?
I could delve into fine points of Christian history to explain why Jesus’ apparent endorsements of violence can be disregarded, but there are already entire books on the subject. In short, it should be remembered that everything in the New Testament was written, edited, and compiled years or decades or centuries after the fact, by people who had their own opinions and agendas. Those who proclaim that the entire Bible is “God breathed” are giving voice to a wish. This, of course, opens the door to endless debate, but that’s healthy. Our fantasies and assumptions about God have led us to the most godless places.
To any reverent student of any sacred text, I’ll suggest this: God is more alive in the tree outside your window than he is in the pages of your books. Ultimately, God’s “Word” is written in our hearts, and, as the Bible itself tells us, we each must seek and discover that Word for ourselves.
From the perspective of my heart, Jesus’ actual teachings against violence couldn’t have been any clearer. Did he actually want people to gouge out their eye or cut off their hand? No; if he said these things at all, they were figures of speech, lost in translation. Did he actually say “Blessed are the peacemakers”? Yes, and he meant exactly that.
I’m speaking especially to the Christians, because I’m here in the US where Christianity is a big thing, and I’m kind of a Christian myself, so can deeply appreciate the absurdity of “Christian killing”. But in every religious tradition we find the same simple admonition: treat others as you’d wish to be treated. This statement of basic moral truth is self-evident, and doesn’t contain any wiggle room. Life might be full of moral dilemma, but the golden rule is a universal constant.
To followers of other religious traditions, I can speak in general terms, but it’s not for me to clean another’s house. But here’s the basic idea: if it disagrees with the golden rule, it’s not true. To the nonreligious who possess a moral compass, I would only encourage them to consult it. And to those who think moral compasses are for fools, I’ll point out that following the golden rule can actually be fun and profitable.
For all who believe that “Thou shalt not kill” is a decent and sensible commandment, the pressing question is why people don’t keep it – and why religious leaders don’t preach it. In the Christian world, the answers are varied and complex, but at their root they reveal a deeply distorted conception of Jesus and his teachings. I’ve long thought that those who idealize a “Rambo Jesus” are simply unschooled, but am coming to realize that they’re very well-schooled – in a tradition that views God and His son as warriors, and believes that, in warfare, the commandment against killing doesn’t apply. If one regards the entire Old Testament as literal truth, I suppose this makes some kind of sense; but such a reading of the Bible requires us to conclude that Jesus was, at best, inconsistent, and, at worst, deluded. How could a Rambo Jesus, filled with Old Testament wrath, possibly ask us to “turn the other cheek”?
And so, after impressive mental gymnastics, and following centuries of precedent, we find ourselves with Christian soldiers, generals… and executioners. This student of the Bible, meanwhile, shakes his head and ponders the glaring incongruence between this “war god” Jesus and the person portrayed in the Bible.
From the January 6 mob invasion of the US Capitol, one of the most telling images is of the “warriors” praying from the Senate dais, thanking God for their victory. The man leading the prayer is dressed like a fervent fan at a football game – and his team just scored! His God is a tiny god, only big enough to love a few people – the home team – and all the lofty words of praise can’t disguise this smallness.
It seems this “Christian warrior” mentality is at the heart of the struggle presently roiling this nation. The entire antidemocratic movement we’re witnessing is infused with a sense of moral superiority – a sense that God’s outrage is being expressed through them. Considerations of decency and legality are suspended because this is holy warfare, directed by their great and tiny God.
I’m sure there are countless Christians who see through all this, who’ve maybe studied the Bible a little more closely, maybe read a few books about the history of Christianity. Now would be a really good time for them to speak up, and call attention to a much larger God – one big enough to love every soul on the planet, every second of the day.
This country’s founders seemed united in their desire to keep church and state separate. It’s not that they weren’t religious themselves, but that they clearly understood the toxic result of combining the two. Religion becomes a football game, dirty politics cloaks itself in piety, and the lowest common denominator triumphs. It would be helpful if more Christians in America could acknowledge the spiritual wisdom that inspired our secular government, and stop misunderstanding it as some “communist plot”.
As the founders hoped, religions and religiousness are flourishing in the United States – there are many churches in every town, and no one is prevented from attending any of them. Yes, many are leaving the churches, as is their God-given right. Perhaps the churches should honestly ask themselves why. It has little to do with communism.
To those who consider themselves “Christian warriors”, I’ll agree that Jesus was indeed a very brave man, who exhorted us also to be brave. But Jesus was more than just brave: he was smart, insightful, compassionate, even patient. And his entire life story was a testament to the profound heroism of nonviolence.
Surely Jesus was a “spiritual warrior”, but there’s a reason he’s known as the Prince of Peace. The warfare he advocated was that which occurs inside each of us – the struggle between our higher and lower selves, our better and worse angels. This is a much tougher sort of battle than the ones involving guns and bombs; and as that battle is slowly won, we’ll each, hopefully, come to know, and manifest, the peace of which he spoke.
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