Tag Archives: violence

We are so removed from violence

18 Tuesday Apr 2017

Posted by in Humanity, Society, Theology

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

So for Holy Thursday, last week, I made a last minute decision to add in a specific prayer of intercession for the victims of violence, terror, and war.  I came across a website (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents_in_April_2017) which lists terrorist incidents in the world.  It lists them by day, with the number of victims, and the location.  If you want, you can go to the bottom of the page and see incidents for a specific year or month.

During the prayers, I only read off the locations for incidents that happened between Palm Sunday and Holy Thursday.  There were 25 incidents in those 5 days.  25.  Let that sink in for a moment.

In the US we are so far removed from violence and terrorism.  Yes, there are incidents here and there, but they are pretty rare compared to places like Iraq, Somalia, and Afghanistan which seems to dominate the list.

25 incidents across the world.  And that’s just related to terrorism.  That’s not counting war or war-acts, like when we bombed “militants” in Syria and killed 36 militants.  Or other wars – either declared or happening anyway.

And that’s not counting other acts of violence that happen in the world each day.  Violence against women and children, violence in the form of crime, violence because of gangs.  Those are traditionally thought of as violence.  Some would throw in violence against nature in that mix along with violence against animals.  There’s plenty of that to go around as well.

Death and destruction seem to have a hold on the planet and humanity in particular.

Yet here we are post-Easter.  We are told that Jesus has conquered death.  But sometimes it’s hard to believe it when we see violent acts continuing.  Sometimes even in God’s name.

But Jesus never said there would be no more death or violence.  Just that death has been conquered.  That means that death does not have the final say.  Death is not the end of the story.  Ultimately, God has the final say.  And while we may not like the fact that violence continues to stubbornly exist along with death, we have been promised that these things will come to an end.  It’s just not on our time.  It’s a reminder that time didn’t start when we were born and it doesn’t end when we die.  God looks at time far different than we do.

For the month of April, 2017, there have been 78 incidents as of this writing.  There were too many dead and injured to count up.  Death keeps rearing it’s head – in the name of God, in the name of country, in the name of ideology, in the name of theology, in the name of whatever.  Yet, regardless of whose name it happens, or rather it is claimed in, we should remember this – just because something is claimed in the name of God or country, doesn’t mean God or the country agrees with it.  I imagine God is looking upon humanity and saying – “here we go again…When will they ever learn…I don’t desire conformity of belief, but rather love.”  And God will continue to live out that love in creation.

Jesus’ politics

23 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by in Humanity, Politics, Theology

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Yesterday I introduced you to The Shadow of the Galilean by Gerd Theissen.  Here’s another snippet from the book.  It’s actually from the author writing to a friend who is reviewing his book, chapter by chapter.

Jesus expected radically changed political circumstances but did not expect that they would be brought about through political change. His aim was “political,” but it was to come about without politics.  God would realize this aim. And that meant that people were not to achieve this aim by treating others violently. Nor, however, were they to be completely passive.

(pg. 92)

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time you know that this paragraph caught my attention like a crazy man.  This may be, in my opinion, one of the best summations I have ever read on Jesus being political.

This is the separation between being political and being partisan.  Jesus was here to unfold the Kingdom of God, to bring out a new reality – a reality that has a new governance too.  He wasn’t here to do this through violence.  He wasn’t here to exchange one empire for another. He isn’t involved in our world to shift power between two faulty and failing political partisan forces who only care about power.

Jesus has a different aim.  And we are a part of it.  We participate in Jesus’ aim when we live out his call for us – to be peacemakers, to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute, to offer mercy, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, the visit the sick and imprisoned, to care for the widow and the orphan.  That’s Jesus’ political platform in a nutshell.

Now is the time…

22 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by in Politics, Society, Theology

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

For one of my seminary classes, we are reading The Shadow of the Galilean, by Gerd Theissen.  It’s a fictional account of a man, Andreas, who lived during the same time as Jesus in Galilee.  Andreas has many things happen to him and in the course of his adventures, he comes across a range of people who all have various opinions about Jesus and his teachings.  In one such conversation, Andreas is talking with a friend of his who is a Zealot – someone committed to getting Rome out of Israel.  Here’s what Andreas’ friend had to say:

Without the pressure of force nothing will change in this land.  See how the Romans are more and more intent on incorporating our country into their empire. At first they still allowed us to be governed by our own rulers. Then they replaced our princes wiht the Herodians, who owed all their power to the Romans. Finally, in Judea and Samaria, they took over the government themselves.  They respected our religious traditions for twenty years.  But now they’re having pagan coins minted. They’re bringing effigies of the emperor to Jerusalem.  Step by step they’re blurring everything that separates us from other peoples.  Soon no one will be able to say, ‘Rulers are oppressing their peoples everywhere but mustn’t be like that among you.’ Rather, they’ll be saying, ‘The Romans rule everywhere as benefactors of the peoples. And it will be just the same for you.’ Then oppression will no longer be called oppression nor exploitation exploitation.  So now is the time for violent resistance. Now is not the time of Nehemiah.  Now is not the time for Jesus of Nazareth.”

(pg. 88)

The very end of the section is what caught my attention. “Now is the time for violent resistance. Now is not the time for Jesus of Nazareth.”

Sounds almost like it could have been said yesterday.  Then again, it is something that could have been said for most of human history.

We have this penchant towards violence to get our way.  Going the way of peace is never opportune.  There is never a good time to start walking the peaceful way.  We will always find a reason to fight.  Yet, hasn’t that path led to more violence in response?  Is that’s insane, yet we keep trying the path of violence. It’s crazy.

So, Christians, when is it the time of Jesus of Nazareth and his call to be peacemakers?   When is it time for us to love our enemies?  When is it time to pray for those who persecute others?  When is the time?

Now.  It starts with you and me.  Each one of us taking a step out in faith.  Will it be easy?  Nope.  It may even be extremely costly.  But that’s the call.  If the world is going to change, then it needs to start somewhere and with someone.  Why not you and I?

Now is the time.

Treating people with respect

01 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Society

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

I thought we learned how to treat people with respect in kindergarten.  Maybe I was wrong.  Either that or some people have selectively forgotten this life lesson.  How else to explain how some people interact with others.  There is a general lack of respect when it comes to many people concerning politics, religion, and pretty much any important issue we face these days.  I’m not sure if people fight like their lives depend on being right because they are insecure in their beliefs or what the deal is.

I know this much, if we continue down this road, the harsh language, judgement, condemnation, and dehumanizing of opponents will shift from verbal assaults to physical violence.  There really isn’t any other option when we head in that direction.  We’ve already seen previews of this during the 2016 presidential campaign.  I don’t see this getting better after the election unfortunately.  We can debate the reason why, but that’s not the point.  Blaming people, sides, and parties isn’t going to help the situation, just make it worse.

If we want to stop this then we have to start thinking and acting differently.  We can’t wait for someone else to start because that will never happen.

And this change needs to be more than just our individual interactions with each other – although that’s a good place to start.

I’m talking about changes in our culture.  I recognize that cultural change doesn’t happen over night.

One area that should change is our criminal justice system.  There are many opportunities for change here.  One way to do this is to see what works else where.  I recently read a story about a Norwegian prison where the inmates live in cottages, farm, and do other productive things.  The focus of the prison is on treating people with respect.  Not surprisingly, there is a 20% recidivism rate in Norway for prisoners who have gone through this prison versus a recidivism well above 50% in US prisons.

Now, I’m not interested in taking this and plucking it down somewhere in the US.  I would guess it would be a failure here because it would stand out by itself and not be supported by the larger system or the culture.  Norway is a different culture and history.  They have a different relationship between authorities and those governed, and with interactions between people.  Those things matter.

However, we can look at the foundation of why this system works in Norway.  We can look at why it wouldn’t here by itself.  The gap is where we have an opportunity to make changes in a positive direction.  But this requires leadership and an openness from people to build respect and to change the culture.  That won’t happen on its own.  However, the church has an opportunity to lead where our leaders seem to be failing.  And we don’t have to start from scratch either.  Remember all those bible stories you learned as a kid – they can make an impact on the culture.  Talking about universal human values in practical terms would help.  Not in condescending ways, but rather as addressing the needs that people have.  There is a great level of anxiety in the air, uncertainty, anger, and fear.  Our government officials don’t seem to want to lower those levels.  The church has an opportunities to be what it is really good at being – a place of refuge in a stormy sea of anxiety and uncertainty.  And we can start with respect for one another and build from there.  Not only is this good for society, but it’s part of who we are called to be as Christians.

 

Praying for our enemies

25 Monday Jul 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Theology

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , ,

prayer

More bombings, more terror, more shootings.  We hear candidates for office give speeches that focus on fear of others and how dangerous the world is.  We hear how we need a strong leader who can defend us, protect us, save us.  We are supposed to be united in our fear.  We are supposed to stand behind politicians who would like nothing better than for the masses to rely on them, hand over our freedoms to them, and to tell the public what to do, what to say, and what to think.

We Christians claim to have faith in God, yet we listen so intently and believe with unquestionable faith the words of these would-be “leaders.” Excuse me if I call that what it is – idolatry.

And in covering the horrific events and by sharing posts about what is reported, do we think about what we are actually doing?   Are we assisting in distributing a message of fear – the message of those who commit the violence?  Have we become enablers of their false gospel message – that everyone should fear them.  Do we assist in spreading a message of those who seek attention and want to impose their narrative on the rest of the world?

I wonder what it would look like if we changed how we covered such violence.  What if we spent very little time focused on the perpetrator, on who is responsible, and spending endless hours trying to figure out the motivation.

Why do we give so much attention and publicity to those who spread fear, division, hatred, and commit violence?

What if instead we did something completely different?  What if we focused on the victims of these horrors instead?  What if we showed their faces, talked about the victims, their lives, who they were, what they believed?

What if we started calling the victims what they truly are – martyrs.  Is that a stretch?  They were killed for who they are, what they stand for, what belief system they were associated with.  They are martyrs.

We should be careful how we report the news.  Who do we give credibility to?  Whose narrative are we advancing?  Are we just reporting the facts, or by moving to speculation, are we just giving unneeded attention to those who would commit violence and terror and advance a message of fear?

Today is a day to mourn the martyrs – the martyrs of Kabal, the martyrs of Munich, the Martyrs of Nice, the martyrs of Orlando, the martyrs of San Bernidino, the martyrs of all shootings and attacks to come.  Focus on the martyrs – stop giving perpetrators attention and credibility.  Stop giving them credit and worrying about who takes the credit for spreading fear.  Stop analyzing and spinning.  Stop the madness in the name of being informed – as if we all need to know every single detail and all the theories.  We don’t.  What we need to do is be there for the victims and their families.

Here is something we can all do – focus on the martyrs and pray for those who would commit violence, terror, promote fear and division, and seek blood.

We pray for the victims, but what about the perpetrators?  What about those whose beliefs are so warped?  Can we bring ourselves to pray for those who want to kill us?  Can we be so bold?  Can we be so risky?  Can we test our faith in such a way?

Or would we rather pray a prayer that seeks revenge or, dare I say it, death to our enemies. Only we would call it defeat – that’s much a more sanitary use of language isn’t it?  It covers our real intent.

When we pray for peace, can we really then turn around and speak and post words of revenge, defeat of enemies, and justified violence?  Do we really believe the prayer?  Do we really take in and live out the words we pray when we speak this way?  Do we really believe that God can do this?  Or are we just mouthing the words with empty faith?

When we pray for forgiveness, can we really then turn around and speak and post words of judgement on our enemies, our political opponents, and anyone we disagree with?  Do we really believe the prayer?  Do we live it out?  We we honestly believe that God is capable of such a thing?  Or are we just saying the things we think we are supposed to say?

When we pray for our enemies, what we do pray for?  And do we honestly believe it?

I’m asking you to do something bold right now with me.  I’m asking you to put your faith where you mouth is.  I’m asking you to do something that may feel impossible.  I’m asking you to pray for the martyrs and the perpetrators of violence.  If you want to be really bold and take a risk, then copy the prayer and post it on social media and ask others to pray it with you and to share it.

Please pray with me:  Holy God, today we pray for the families of victims of violence and terror – they are modern day martyrs.  They died for who they were, what they stood for, and what they believed.  Many died not knowing why.  We ask that you be with the families and friends – be with them in this time of pain and sorrow.  We know you weep with them.  Help them to feel your presence.

God of peace, we also pray for those who condone violence, are committed to death and fear, and those who perpetuate these things in the world – maybe even in your name.  We ask for a change of heart.  Break down the walls around their hearts and minds.  Soften their hearts Lord.  Help them to see you, to see your face in the face of these martyrs.  Change them and their ways Lord.  Let them experience love, forgiveness, mercy, and peace so that they would start to live these things.

Help us to break the cycle of violence in not seeking revenge or retribution, but in offering peace and forgiveness – even to those who have wronged us and to those who hate us.  That’s a tall order Lord, but we know only you can make that happen in us and in those who are different from us.  We believe that this change can happen Lord – we truly believe it.  Help us to be peacemakers, as costly as it is, being the ones who take the first step.  We pray for the impossible Lord, knowing that you are in the business of making the impossible not just possible, but reality.  We pray this in the name of the one known as the Prince of Peace.  Amen.

Theology of the Neighbor

22 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Society, Theology

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

mr-rogers-hello-neighbor

The last several weeks I’ve done a great deal of thinking about what it means to be a neighbor.  The Gospel reading two Sundays ago was the parable of the Good Samaritan in which the lawyer asks: “Who is my neighbor?”  He wants to know who is with “us” and who is with “them.”

The political conventions this week and next will offer their own definitions of who is with “us” and who is with “them.”  And people will lap it up because it speaks to something very human – identity.  More specifically – tribal identity.

Who is part of my tribe?  By tribe I mean, who is part of the group I identify with.  The tribe can be based on nationality, political leanings, skin color variations, type of work I do, language I speak, dialect I speak, what sports team do I cheer for, religion, subgroup within a religion, etc.  We are told that our tribes are the ones we should care for – we should defend.  They are like family to us.  Anyone else is not our tribe – they are not to be trusted.  In fact, they have less worth and deserve less respect than members of our tribe.  Besides we have God on our side – we can point to some random verse taken out of context to support why we divide people the way we do.

Most of the time, this tribal mentality stays inside people’s heads.  It might come out in the words that are communicated to others not part of the tribe – making for heated exchanges.  It might come out in other ways too – some kind of physical representation that shows pride in a tribe – like a flag or other object that people can easily identify with.

But we also see physical violence as well.  This becomes a concern when trust in institutions break down.  We turn to violence when words will not solve our differences, when words become gasoline on a lit fire.  We turn to violence when we no longer trust – even if the trust we had was extremely small.

Resorting to physical violence is really only the outgrowth of what we think.  We have violent and dehumanizing beliefs about our neighbors, although we don’t call them neighbors – we have other labels for them instead.  And so we can speak in dehumanizing ways with violent labels.

It is just a small step to take, a small line to cross, to carry out violent actions against our neighbors.  Besides, if we have believe that they are less than human, less than equal in rights and respect, then when institutions start to brake down, we must act to uphold those beliefs we have held dear.  We can’t rely on institutions to maintain the status quo.  We can’t rely on them to provide us a safe space to hold our beliefs that there is an “us” and a “them.”  We can’t rely on the status quo to keep “us” separated from “them” – to keep us safe from the vermin. We must have war.  We must take the law into our own hands.  We must defend our honor.  We must avenge the offense.  We are justified!

When this happens we have to come face-to-face with “them” and that has become too much because something has to give when we interact with the “them.”  Most likely it would be our beliefs about “them.”  That is too painful for many people to even consider.  Especially in an age when we will only look for evidence of how vile “they” are rather than be open to seeing who they are – people just like us, but with some differences.  So we act out of the pain.  We act out out beliefs.  We become violent – forcing “them” to become the very people we hate and dehumanize.  It justifies our beliefs.  It makes it much easier to kill, hurt, or defile someone that you hate or you deem as a threat.

But the theology of the neighbor is far different.  Jesus presents a story to the lawyer.  He tells the story of a man who has been beaten and the hero of the story is the Samaritan – someone the lawyer has been taught is not part of his tribe, not to be trusted, someone who it’s ok to hate and revile.

This would have been very upsetting to hear.  We sense how upsetting it is at the end of the story when Jesus asks the lawyer: which of the people who came upon the man who was beaten was a neighbor?  The lawyer gives an answer – “The one who showed mercy.”  This is technically correct.  He’s a lawyer, so he knows how to give technically correct answers without having to say words he would rather not say. (in a way, aren’t we all like this?) In this case, he can’t bring himself to say Samaritan.  It’s just too painful for him.  It contradicts everything he believes about the Samaritan.  It’s too painful to even think about equating Samaritan with anything good and he can’t bring himself to say Samaritan.

The theology of the neighbor is this – the tribes we align ourselves with are human distinctions and separations.  God sees us differently.  God sees us as a part of creation – something that God loves and even said was good – all of it.  Thinking in terms of creation means taking a much larger view of everything. It goes beyond our little tribes, our little communities, our little language variations, our little nationalities, etc. Thinking in terms of creation is so much larger.  The differences are just so small in the grand scheme of things.

God sees variations in God’s creation, but these exemplify the beauty of creation – so diverse and unique, yet all part of God’s creation.  When we see the unity of it all, we can see others as neighbors, not as threats or as something so radically different from ourselves, because they aren’t – we are all part of God’s creation, God’s kingdom.

Yes, we might think, act, sound, move, and look different, but do we really think that God or creation is so small that these variations and differences create insurmountable divisions?  Really?  Maybe if we believe that God is just like us, or that we can control God.  Maybe if we make God into an idol – something that we create, rather than the other way around.

The theology of the neighbor comes down to this – which way do we go?  Do we believe that God aligns Godself with us, our beliefs about the world, stands on our side, carries our flag and rides into battle to defend us and our way of thinking?  Is God really that small?  Is God created in our image?

Or do we carry a different vision – it is us who are moved to be in alignment with God.  We are the small ones.  We are changed so that that our beliefs about the world and creation change.  We see the world differently.  We are changed by laying down our violent thoughts, beliefs, and actions to take up something far riskier – being a neighbor to all.

Being a neighbor means having our trust in God.  Being a neighbor means seeing past the divisions and labels.  Being a neighbor is costly.  Being a neighbor means doing things that go against common belief.  Being a neighbor means we are more concerned with living out what God calls us to be rather than with being right about God.  Being a neighbor means that we are not in control and that we acknowledge that we don’t know the answers.  Being a neighbor is what we are called to.  Being a neighbor means being vulnerable.  Being a neighbor means taking the first step to be a peacemaker, to show mercy, to offer hope, rather than just talking about it or waiting for someone else to start.  Being a neighbor means acting out of love and with love – a love that is unconditional.

The world offers us conditions, divisions, labels.  God offers creation and calls it good.  Let us see that we are a part of creation, not apart from it.

Reducing Gun Violence

13 Wednesday Jul 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Politics, Society

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

gunsummit

Someone on Quora asked a question about how we reduce gun violence.  Good question.  Most of the answers were predictable – pass this law or that law to make it harder to get guns.

As I wrote yesterday, I think gun violence is just a small piece of something much larger.  And only addressing who has guns and what guns they have and believing that will solve the problem is missing so much.

Here’s how the answer I gave to the question:

Change our culture.

I don’t care what laws you pass, if the the rest of the culture is oriented towards violence, then violence is the norm.

You could ban all guns. What about all the guns that remain on the streets?

What about the unhealthy focus we have on violence in our entertainment? We give legitimacy to violent reactions to a number of things going on in our society. We turn a blind eye when violence happens to others in society. We excuse away violence. We make excuses for it. Why on earth do we think passing a few laws would actually make a significant difference?

Want to reduce gun violence in the US – work on changing what we consider normal in the US – violence as acceptable.

How about we start by changing ourselves first – how often do we respond in a violent manner when something doesn’t go our way or someone disagrees with us or calls us out when we do something we shouldn’t? Maybe it’s not physical violence, but maybe verbal or emotional.

How about we start changing our entertainment – what we watch impacts what we think of as normal – violent movies that showcase guns and violence as the solution to problems. Sports that use violence to win.

How about we get serious about domestic violence?

How about we reform the prison system away from punishment to rehabilitation – changing people in prison instead of just seeking retribution which usually only reinforces violent behavior.

How about we seek peace internationally instead of always throwing our military around and destroying others.

How about we start calling fundamentalism (in all forms) out for what it is – angry, fearful, focused on being right as opposed to caring for the person right there.

How about we change our thoughts about politics – away from the loudest speaker who will pull the trigger to the ones who are calm, collected and full of wisdom.

How about we change policing. Why on earth do we have undercover cop cars out on the roads? To catch people breaking the laws, not to help people. It creates a habit of mistrust – the police expect people to be breaking the laws, the people expect to get screwed over.

How about we change how and what we post on social media. I have seen verbally violent posts on social media – people have come to expect this as normal.

I could go on, but I won’t.

Want to reduce gun violence – start by seeing gun violence different. It’s not an isolated thing where you can make a law and it goes away. Gun violence is part of a larger problem of a society that is addicted to violence. It’s one piece of the puzzle. And it involves people, therefore it’s going to be a messy situation. There isn’t a magic bullet solution (pardon the wording). Focusing on just gun laws is a mistake. They are only part, a small part of the solution. They need to work in conjunction with larger changes in society.

Violence

12 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Society

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

stop-the-violence

We live in a culture of violence.  This should not be news to anyone. Lately, this has become apparent to more people based on the shootings in various cities, shootings of police officers and now shootings at vigils for the victims of other shootings.

And we yell “enough!” out of exhaustion.  Yes, enough.

Most of the violence that we think of is gun related.  That’s what draws the headlines and gets our attention because it’s the most prominent right now.  It’s obvious.

We believe something should be done to reduce gun violence.  We think we can just pass a law here or there and change the situation.  Sometimes I think we believe changing gun violence is something like a product you buy at the store, put together and bam! it’s done.  Time to enjoy the fruit of our labor.  But violence isn’t a tangible thing.  We Americans are really good at dealing with material things.  We suck at dealing with the intangibles – the spiritual, the things inside of us that we can’t touch with our hands.  We think we can just throw money at problems or pass a law or build a wall or create an agency and the problem will go away.  But it doesn’t it because we’re dealing with people and people are messy and irrational and unpredictable.

Did you catch something important in the last paragraph?  We are only concerned with reducing gun violence.  It’s the popular thing right now.  As if it’s the only type of violence that offends us.  We do have plenty of other violence around us though.  Are we not interested in reducing those too?  We have a interest in some of these, but certainly not all.

We have domestic abuse and verbal abuse.  We have rape.  We have other acts of physical violence. There have been some efforts on this front, but usually this only gets some attention when a professional sports person does this to their significant other.

Violence takes on other forms as well, beyond the physical. We have name calling and labeling of groups and individuals different from ourselves.  The labeling can be mild or it can severely belittling or dehumanizing.  This is violence against person and what it means to be human.

We have violence associated with race.  Yes, we do violence to other human beings based on their skin color.  Yes, it’s as stupid as it sounds.  Yes, it’s mind-boggling how this even continues.

There are other types of violence too.  Some that we willingly accept and some that we even applaud and seek more of.

Our entertainment is rife with violence.  We kill zombies and aliens.  The good guys, the super heroes, use violence to crush the bad guys and call it justice all the while leaving a trail of destruction.  But hey, they got the bad guy!

We of course use violence in the name of defending our nation.  Just pick your favorite enemy.  We have to, we tell ourselves.  We have to kill them first, before they kill us.  Why don’t they like us?  Good question.

Our sports are pretty violent – American football is one of the most celebrated sports and it has been shown to be very violent.  Mixed Martial Arts is one on the rise in popularity.  Nothing like beating the snot out of someone else to get people excited huh?  Nothing like dividing people into rooting for our team and wanting to crush the other hated team right?  It’s just good clean fun after all.

Of course, as our professional sports become more violent, there is a need to make amateur sports and children’s sports rise up to the level of appropriate violence too.  Every year you can hear stories of parents who get into fights at their kid’s soccer or baseball games.

We do violence to our bodies by what drugs we ingest, what food we put in and the lack of movement that we choose to do.  We do violence by pushing the limits of our body too through the extreme sports that we do as well.  We do violence to our bodies when we don’t give them adequate rest and nutrition.

We do violence to the womb by rationalizing away the large number of abortions, or worse, just ignoring it altogether.  We do violence to the women and the children and the fathers by fighting over laws that tweak what’s legal or not, forgetting that this isn’t just an issue to fight over – this involves people’s lives and their future, not slogans condemning the other side.

We do violence to our planet by raping it of everything that is available in the name of progress or making a buck.  We consume so much ourselves that we feel justified in taking more without asking if we should be better stewards of creation and how we can change what we use.

We do violence to each other as we drive, dropping the F-bomb or giving the finger to someone who cuts us off in traffic or anyone who we think has offended us in some way believing that the world is all about us and where we are going.  We forget that everyone else believes the same thing and has a story as well.

We do violence to each other on social media – posting comments that rip another person for something they said or who they are or what they believe. So much easier to post a meme belittling others, rather than join in conversation to learn about someone else, how they came to their conclusion and what we can learn from each other.

We are surrounded by violence.  One law won’t change this situation.  It might shift how we conduct our violence, but it won’t remove the violence.

If we want to end “gun” violence, then we should look beyond guns.  They are only one small piece.  Passing a law about guns, and assuming that will change the violence in our society is similar to walking through life with blinders on and thinking that what we see is all there is.

When will we look at the broader picture instead of the easy target?  Should we pass gun control laws – I don’t know.  I do know that we shouldn’t delude ourselves into thinking that this will solve our violence problem.  You can’t legislate away violent tendencies. Especially when violence is reinforced to us as a way to solve our problems in so many areas of life.

There needs to be a change of heart.  Change people’s hearts and minds, what they find entertaining, what they do to each other.  Change how we interact with others, with other nations, how we drive.  Change what we post on social media.  Change who we are and these things will change.  Change this and it will reduce violence.  But changing actions isn’t the answer either.

This change starts with each person.  Yes, you reading this.  If you want to reduce gun violence then look in the mirror.  How are you being violent to someone else?  Ouch.  That’s a question that hurts – a bit too close to home.  “But I’m not a violent person” you say.  Go back through the list.  Is there anything that you can change about your life?  Maybe what you post?  Maybe what you say about people who support the other candidate?  Maybe about what you are entertained by?  Maybe about your reaction to other drivers?  Maybe about cheering for the death of our nation’s enemies?  Maybe about how you use your body?  Maybe about how you speak to someone else?

Violence starts by being violent.  Not in action, but in thought, in who we are.  The question isn’t what do I have to do.  Rather, who am I called to be.

I’m not perfect in any of these.  No one is.  We Christians claim to have a faith that changes lives.  We are called to be different from what we were before.  We are called to be a neighbor.  We are called to love, even and especially the unlovable.  I wonder what it would look like if we took that claim seriously for our ourselves.  I wonder how the list above would change for us personally.  I wonder how we would interact with other people.  I wonder what would happen to violence in our society if even one person changed.  And then another.  And then another.

Want to reduce or even eliminate gun violence?  Stop waiting for someone else to start.  Stop waiting for someone else to solve the problem.  Stop waiting for someone else.

Start within.  Start with yourself.  Be the person who lives non-violently.  Be the person you are called to be.  Be the example.  Be the one who lives the claims of faith.

 

Nationality and Christianity

24 Friday Jun 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Politics, Society, Theology

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

In Europe and America people are divided.  Very divided.  The vote last night for Britain to leave the EU is the latest in a series of elections where people in Europe are trending towards nationalism.  The New York Times ran a good summary piece on what they are calling “right-wing” political parties rising to power in Europe.  I don’t agree with the label.  I think a more appropriate label would be nationalist.  But that’s for another debate.

Regardless, we’re talking about multiple nations that are experiencing an upsurge in nationalist tendencies.  We’re talking Austria, Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Hungary, Poland, and others.  That’s not just a little blip on the screen.  That’s a continental trend.

The commonality among these parties are the slogans and the fears.  “_______ first!” Fill in the blank with your country’s name.  All of these parties are nationalist – putting one’s country ahead of any larger organization or people or other country for that matter.  One’s tribe or nation becomes most important, and don’t you dare mess with it.  We want to keep it pure don’t you know.  You who are different than us because of your skin color, language, physical features, or religion – you know who you are – go back to your home!  That’s the line of reasoning.

Along with nationalism comes anti-immigration – the fear of people not like yourself coming to your country.  They will change the country.  We’ll need to take it back.  As the Times points out, many of these anti-immigrant stands in the nationalist parties started from white supremacy groups or with former Nazis.  That’s not an exaggeration or hyperbole or heated rhetoric, that’s actual history.

Here in the US, we see a similar trend with the rise of Trump and his campaign to “Make America Great Again.” It is fair to say that a good portion of his campaign is based on a platform that is anti-immigrant.  He has openly talked about building a wall between the US and Mexico, kicking out Muslims, etc.  And of course he and his supporters have no problem chanting “America first!”

Nationalism.  Tribalism.  These are ideas that have been around for a good long time.  They often lead to violence and war too.  I read a paper from 2012 that discussed the link between nationalism and violence and war.  There are several factors that make the possibility of violence and war increase with nationalism.  They are:

The first is the group’s statehood status – has the nationalist group concerned achieved statehood?

The second is a nationalist group’s stance towards the legitimacy and sovereignty of other states, particularly those bordering such a group’s territory or state borders;

If a nationalist group is influenced by a diaspora (the dispersion of an ethnic or national group outside of a state or national border), the efforts to reincorporate those of the same nationality back into what is perceived as the ancestral territory may make a nationalist group more inclined to use force to achieve such an aim.

Finally, if a state suppresses an internal minority nationalist group (be it an ethnic or cultural national group), the likelihood of internal violence, such as civil war, is increased due to the increased friction between such suppressed groups and the central state

These might seem pretty cut and dry, but really when you think about them, there’s a great deal more to it than a simple answer to any of these criteria.

In addition to this, I have read responses from people who supported Britain staying in the EU.  Many were labeling and scapegoating supporters of Britain’s exit.  That isn’t helpful either.

So, where does this leave us?  Good question.  I know this much.  We are in the midst of great change.  I don’t mean great as in good.  I mean great as in a whole crap load of change.  We are very divided.  We are scapegoating and labeling our opponents.  We use fear and are fearful.  There is anger.  These are not the signs of a healthy community or world.  These are symptoms of a disease eating away at the life of people.

I wonder if people turning away from established religion in Europe has had an impact.  People need to believe in something.  When they shift away from God, do they shift towards politics and national or tribal identity?  I have no idea.

Or is it something like here in the US where certain Christians of a particular bent so closely wrap their religious beliefs with the flag that the two are inseparable?  Again, I have no idea.

Or maybe it’s something else.  Or most likely, it’s a combination of things.

I know this much, if we continue on the path we are heading, there will be violence.  There’s a good chance there will be war.  The question will be who will fire the first shot or shoot the first missle.  Where will the war happen?  And how many countries will get involved?  And how many will die all for the sake of politics and tribal and national identities?  War is good for economies after all – you have to produce lots of stuff so you can kill your enemies and destroy their stuff.  To do that, you need lots of labor.  And as military people are killed, you need more people to go and fight.  Wars blind people.  Wars unite people in a constant struggle of us vs. them.  They are evil, that is why we can kill them.

Nationalism demands faith in a country and it’s nationalist leaders as the saviors of the nation. Only this salvation comes through military might and national purity and universal belief in the nation and the propaganda the leaders spout out – it’s religious doctrine at it’s worst.  It’s a deadly mix that saves no one in the end. Instead of making a nation great, it destroys the nation.  But the destruction doesn’t start with war.  It starts long before that.  It starts with the belief in supremacy.  It starts with the belief in exceptionalism.  It starts with the belief in us vs. them.  It starts with scapegoating.  It starts with the belief that a political leader is a savior.  It starts when the nation and its leaders are seen as a religion or god – and all those who won’t worship these things are considered heretics who have to be dealt with.

Here are some closing questions for those of you that are Christian and nationalist in belief – where do you place your faith primarily?  Is it in nation and party and a leader?  If you are Christian, how do you rationalize this belief with a faith in Christianity which says our loyalty is to Christ first?  How do you define greatness for a nation?  Does it include military greatness?  Is that the primary means to greatness?  How does that fit into a Christian belief system?  Should we believe that a political leader can save a nation?  Or does that conflict with Christ being the savior of the world?  How do you match nationalism with Galations 3:28 – “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Ultimately, where does your loyalty lie?

 

 

 

 

Reflections on Orlando

20 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Society, Theology

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , ,

I was away last week at a confirmation camp and purposefully did not take my computer.  It was a time to be away from the routines of life.  But even there, you can’t avoid all news.  News of tragedy finds its way to you.  I’ve had a week to think about and to hear reactions of others regarding the news of the attack on the nightclub at Orlando.

There’s a great deal of sadness.  I’m one of those people who is sad because of what happened.  The slaughter of so many people is senseless.  I’m sad for the victims.  I’m sad for the families and friends of the victims.  I’m sad for the people who will do the funerals.  I’m sad for the community.  I’m sad for the loss of humanity in general.  I’m sad that fear has just advanced.

There’s fear.  I refuse to be a person who lives in fear.  But I can understand why there would be fear.  Fear is the weapon of choice of those who would commit violence.  Fear is the weapon of choice for those who decide to use tragedy to further their own ambitions and political policies and agendas.

There’s confusion.  Because of the fear, people are confused.  They aren’t sure of what to do.  Should they even go where there will be a large gathering of people anymore?  Will they be next?

There’s statements – lots of statements.  Every politician and leader out there has a statement.  Some of them are rhetoric, or worse.  One presidential candidate made the events all about himself.  That’s shameless and narcissistic.  That combination is dangerous.

Our culture gives these types of statements attention and credibility – which is really unfortunate (although that’s not a strong enough word).

There have been hateful statements by so called “Christian” pastors, politicians and churches.  These people and churches ought to be ashamed of their statements, but apparently shame is beyond them.  They believe in the worst form of idolatry – they believe they are God.  They believe they get to decide who gets to live and who is worthy of death.

But there have been plenty of statements that service a good purpose – to express sorrow, to offer peace in the midst of fear, to envision a way forward.

There have been plenty of actions that service a good purpose.  My own denomination, the ELCA, has had three pastor chaplains at the local hospitals serving those who need it.  The ELCA funds a program where therapy dogs go to be with victims and those traumatized by such events.  Pastors in the ELCA have spoken out in pulpits about the violence that targeted the LGBTQ+ community.

I point this out because the media won’t.  They are too busy covering the extreme rhetoric.  It’s time we put such rhetoric in it’s place.  Hear it, then dismiss it and move on.  Stop giving it attention and credibility. It’s time to start paying attention to statements and actions that build up people and community.  It’s time we act like Christians as Christ calls us to – to be peacemakers, to care for the hospitalized and those suffering.

It’s time we acknowledge that we live in a culture of violence that goes far beyond just having a gun problem. We have a spiritual violence problem.  It’s time we acknowledge that this can’t be changes through a few quick fixes or by throwing money at the problem, or by ignoring it, or by just changing a law here or there.  No, this requires a great deal more.  Churches have a unique opportunity to be a starting place.  To be a place that starts living out the call to be peacemakers.  That is one place a change in our culture can start.

What it complaining, we started living as Christ calls us to live.  We are called to have a vision and live it out.  To believe in the kingdom of God and through believing we will see it come about.  It’s time to get serious about this whole faith thing.  It’s time.