I am horrified by the Christmas bombings of Catholic Churches in Nigeria that have resulted in so much death and misery. I am angered that such a holy day was targeted and that such innocent people were destroyed. I am praying for the dead, the injured and the other survivors, but I am also praying for the perpetrators of this horror. I am praying that the pain of the victims is eased but I am also praying that the pain of the bombers is salved as well.
I find myself wondering what sort of pain and anger drives people to do commit such a heinous act in such a sacred place as a house of worship, all in the name of God. One does not just get up in the morning and decide to do something like this. There are many dynamics in play and all things are related. What caused this perfect storm of evil to happen in a people that are certainly no better or worse then anybody else all things being equal?
I am not a soldier or a policeman. I have the luxury of turning the other cheek. I do fervently hope that justice is done, whatever that may look like, but in my prayers I beg that that balance is restored and peace rules the hearts of all. I pray that justice comes in abundance to both sides of the conflict so that there ceases to be any "sides" at all. I pray for a time that everyone can worship as they please without fear of retribution or repression.
The Bible has many passages where Christ asks love and forgiveness of all especially when it isn't easy, and although my knowledge of the Qur'an is superficial at best, I would be willing to bet that similar messages are there too. How do people wander so far from scripture that it becomes an excuse for mayhem. Why are Christians and Muslims and others so quick to kill and terrorize in the name of God. We all pay lip service to the love of God yet when it comes to practical reality we pervert and bastardize the word to suit our own selfish ends. This is seen not only in the bombing of churches but in attacks on people for their race or sexual orientation and and even for differences of political opinion. Human beings have a habit of declaring that God is on their side whenever they use violence to achieve an earthly aim.
"Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;"
Micah 7:18-19
I am not ignorant of the ways of the world. I know that there are harsh realities. I know sometimes people must defend themselves if they are to live. It is only human nature. What I am saying is that although we may sometimes need to use force, we should always be looking for a Christlike solution, one that includes wisdom, love and compassion. Most of all. it must include understanding, We must respect the calling of God to a worship that may be different from our own even when those that hate us do not. We must understand that it is in Gods love that we forgive. When we act in self defense, we should do so not in anger or hatred and never ever in revenge. If God calls us to cast the sins of our fellows into the sea, shouldn't we at least try?
Mostly we must strive to eliminate the need for self defense. We must look at the causes of hatred and accept that all people, on a deep spiritual level, share the same wants and aspirations. We must realize that there is so much more that unites us as human beings then divides us as subscribers to one religious belief or another. It starts with respect and understanding and continues with compassion and love.
"Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow"
Isaiah 1:16
Fanatics have always been with us, but the root of their power is planted in the unfilled needs of the people. People become destitute and desperate in their earthly existence so they are duped into acts of carnage to gain favor in the afterlife. What if we sincerely worked to meet the basic needs of all? To "hear the orphan's plea and defend the widow". Maybe take a little less and give a little more? Where is it written that the we are entitled to such unneeded luxury and material excess while most of the planet starves? Perhaps if we lived simply so that others might live, the less fortunate among us would be less inclined to strap bombs on themselves, and their children, in a misguided belief that they will exchange an earthly Hell for a Heavenly paradise.
God knows our hearts. We have nothing to prove to her through acts of bloodshed. She knows when we love and when we hate. In Genesis 22, Abraham stood ready to sacrifice his only son, whom he loved, to the Lord. God seeing his devotion had compassion and stopped him.
God sees our devotion as well. God sees our every act of compassion as a sign of our love for her. Let us feel the hand of God upon our shoulders that stays our sword arm as we prepare to strike in vengeance for it is not Gods will that we do so but merely our own. Let us not shed blood and exalt ourselves as having done "Gods work" when we have done nothing more then satisfy our own base desires.
Gods work is mercy and compassion. Gods desire is forgiveness and healing. God loves all her children, all of them even the ones we brand "Terrorists". We should defend ourselves if necessary but let us never believe that the shedding of blood is a holy act. At best, it is a necessity brought about by the short sighted folly and uncaring greed of human kind.
"Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy"
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