A bomb crater in Gaza. Source.
"We should meet abuse by forbearance. Human nature is so constituted that if we take absolutely no notice of anger or abuse, the person indulging in it will soon weary of it and stop"
- Mahatma Gandhi
"Man is the cruelest animal"
- Friedrich Nietzsche
"Man's nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols"
- John Calvin
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction"
- Blaise Pascal
- i -
The Israel-Gaza/Hamas conflict is the latest flare-up in a long-running maelstrom of border wars, religio/political-tension, and the gaze of the world. More complex than any one person can manageable understand, the tiny area that contains Gaza and Israel and all the associate regions is similar in size to Wales, and these comparison maps give a sense of just how small it is. For various complex reasons, the Western media (particularly the US media) are fascinated by the conflict, with a damaging pattern of polarisation taking place. On the one hand, often fuelled by distorted theology from various Abrahamic religions (Christianity included, which is why a good understanding of what the Bible does and doesn't say about Israel is vital), there is a pro-Israel stance which is uncritical and bigoted, and on the other, there is a pro-Gaza contingent, exemplified by a constant blaming of Israel for the conflict.
The reality is more complicated, I believe. Every day, amidst the stream of polarised and warmongering statements, my social media and news feeds are interposed with articles like this which muddy the waters, and I could give numerous examples of both 'sides' and everyone interested having different things to say. One of the most powerful things I've clocked was this video by Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of a Hamas founder, who converted to Christianity. There is something chilling about his matter-of-fact way of sharing the brutality of the culture, religion and place that he has left behind. If this interests you, Yousef has written a book about his life. Yousef's story, the place he was, gives truth to the words of Blaise Pascal. You cannot understand the problems in Israel and Gaza/Palestine without and understanding of the religious convictions that underlie the whole region, interwoven and twisted around each other.
Let's be clear, though. Neither Israel nor Hamas has the moral high ground. In the messy, brutal, compact warzone, I don't think it is possible to have a moral high ground. The death toll - whoever you believe - is high. I would say too high. Yet the reason that there is not (perhaps cannot) be a peace there is not the fault of an over-powerful and belligerent Israel or even directly due to the vile views of Hamas regarding Israel and her people. The cause is deeper and more basic. The cause is fallen, broken, sinful human nature. It is rare for me to write, but for once on an issue of religion/politics I agree with Friedrich Nietzsche and believe that Gandhi was wrong on this. I don't think either Gazan or Israeli civilians feel that if they both ignored the conflict, it would go away. Human nature is not constituted or broken like that. Man is the cruelest animal - capable of great evil even as (like a broken glass reflecting light and hinting at what it once was) we are capable of feats of bravery, ingenuity, and goodness. The matter of the fact is this: the Jews (secular and religious) of Israel and the Arabs (Islamic and otherwise) of Hamas are composed of sinful human beings who are drawn to violent solutions for their own interests. In this, they do not differ from us in the West, with our veneer of peace, sustained and threaded-through with human trafficking, individualism, abortion and a thousand other catastrophic injustices and sins. The murder or abuse of a single human being is a great evil.
Satellite image from here.
- ii -
Genocide.
I do not use the word lightly.
One thing that resonated with me deeply in my time studying theology at Nottingham was reading the accounts of holocaust survivors, and thinking through the implications for the problem of evil and Christian belief. Yet, despite the powerful prose and the brutality in the text, the pillow of historical distance cushions us. It shouldn't, but on a daily basis, we just don't think about it.
Yet now, in Iraq, at the hands of ISIS, thousands of Christians are being uprooted, exiled, killed and mistreated. It is sickening that the mainstream media, particularly in the West, has singularly failed to report. The first I heard of it was via Canon Andrew White, the Vicar of Baghdad, as he reported that hundreds of his congregation were being killed or exiled, simply for being Christians. This is not the place to debate the merits of truth of Islam (I have provided some resources below for you to make up your own mind) but it must be observed that this version, this ISIS, is an evil manifestation of the religion of Islam. The evils of what is being perpetuated here - reports of beheading children, rape and murder (kudos to Tim Stanley of the Telegraph for raising this), Christian and Yazidi families trapped on a mountain to starve to death - is a direct result of the idol of Islamic nationalism. John Calvin was right when he wrote about the human heart - we have an innate and amazing capacity to manufacture things, idols, that damage ourselves and the world around us. Pascal was right, too, to identify the unique power of religion, of belief in false idols (including the Crusades, where a false version of Christianity motivated bloodshed and torture), to drive evil in humans.
The terrifying reality of what is happening in Iraq is both the fact that Western leaders and media have been almost silent - for no clear reason - and the fact that it has barely been a generation since allegedly enlightened Westerners did something very similar. I remember history lessons telling us about the marking of Jewish property and people, ahead of the Holocaust which exterminated 6 million Jews. It is hard not to see an echo in what is happening in Iraq - Christian properties being marked with the arabic letter 'nun', and the atrocities which we are hearing of. The darkness at the heart of man does not learn from the past, we do not 'get better'; this is part of the lesson of the horrors that are unfolding in the Middle East.
- iii -
i. For my Christian friends who 'support' Israel or Gaza: how do you respond to Christ's call to be peacemakers, to God's heart for the poor, to the Spirit's liberation of people from all sorts of backgrounds from sin to life? How can you take a side when both sides have killed civilians? How can you justify, biblically and ethically in the light of Christ, what Israel/Hamas have done and are doing? What would it mean to be peacemakers in that troubled region?
ii. For my Muslim friends, I have two questions. Firstly, who would you rather resemble? The HAMAS terrorists and ISIS Militants, or these, who act out of solidarity? Secondly, would you consider the claims of Jesus, and the unique offer of grace found in him? I would encourage you to consider reading Chawkat Moucarry's book (details below).
iii. For my secular/humanist friends: religion is part of the cause of these crises - just as secularism is not perfect. How do you explain the difference between the Muslims who behead children and those who boldly stand with the Christians in Iraq? When secularisms' track record is not perfect, what do you point to for ultimate justice, on what grounds can you say what is happening in Israel/Palestine is wrong? How can you take a side when both sides have killed civilians?
iv. For my friends and readers who do not follow Jesus: the Israel/Palestine conflict, and the Iraq war and its aftermath, are failures of human judgement and abuse of power. There is one who knows the human heart, its darkness, and in knowing it, loves it. His name is Jesus, the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Lords. He is concerned with Justice for all of creation, and yet he is also concerned with you. What do you make of him?
Fundamentally, I believe we are called to go to our knees in prayer. And, continuing in prayer to the Almighty One who is also the Prince of Peace, we should educate ourselves, lobby our leaders for action and peace and reconciliation, and take every step possible to end these conflicts. This news, these stories, have moved me once again to consider questions of pacifism and reconciliation, of welcoming the stranger, of understanding those who we make 'other'. I recommend a few things for reading, and will blog again soon on some of these themes.
For further reading
> Simon Ponsonby, God is For Us - a devotional commentary on the book of Romans with a sane interpretation of what it says about the Jewish people and land
> " And The Lamb Wins - a great guide to biblical eschatology and the end of the world
> Anthony Thiselton, The Last Things: A New Approach - a more technical look at eschatology
> Ian Paul, Israel v Gaza: Taking Sides - a great blog post, with informative links and videos highlighting the complexity
> Simon Sebag Montefiore, Jerusalem: The Biography - an accessible, balanced look at the complex and multifaceted history of Jerusalem, the Holy City of Judaism, Islam and Christianity, which is at the heart of and a key element of this conflict
> Colin Chapman, Trying to make sense of Gaza - this is a very helpful article from an author and lecturer who really knows his stuff.
On martyrdom, suffering, and the global church
> various, Operation World - a great book, which equips us to pray for the global church
> Open Doors - a charity devoted to persecuted Christians
> Richard Wurmbrand, Tortured for Christ - a brutal book about one European's experience of persecution and unbelievable suffering for the sake of Jesus.
> D. C. Talk, Jesus Freaks - a series of books sharing stories of martyrs and persecuted Christians
> Martin Saunders, Crisis in Iraq: six things you can actually do to help - a brilliant article on responding to this crisis.
On Islam and its relation to Christianity
> The Koran - I would recommend reading this for yourself, in concert with the Bible and perhaps the Zwemer/Chapman books: to see for yourself what Islam really believes
> Malise Ruthven, Islam: A Very Short Introduction - I've recommended Oxford University Press's 'Very Short Introductions' before, this one is helpful
> Colin Chapman, Cross and Crescent: Responding to the challenges of Islam - this is (in my limited reading) probably the best book on the topic of Islamic/Christian relations
> Samuel Zwemer, The Moslem Doctrine of God - though a little dated, this excellent little book demonstrates firmly that the Islamic and Christian Gods are not the same. Recommended.
> Chawkat Moucarry, The Search for Forgiveness: Pardon and Punishment in Islam and Christianity - This fairly weighty book is a powerful examination of Islam's view of reconciliation and forgiveness, vital themes.
> Robert Scott, 'Dear Abdullah': Eight questions Muslim people ask about Christianity - a helpful introduction to equip Christians to reach out in love to Muslim friends.
> Rick Love, Christian-Muslim Relations - Rick is a member of the Society of Vineyard Scholars, and has a great ministry in peacemaking. This link collects a range of articles.
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asking "how can you justify taking...in the light of Christ" smacks of being a bad premise to me.
ReplyDeleteOur Elohim sent an angel to kill almost 200,000 enemies of His People in the middle of the night, set a flaming sword to stop mortals from entering the garden, slew the first borns of the Egyptians.
"Yahweh is a man of war, Yahweh is his name" is the song His People sang after He took his hand from the parted waters of the sea, letting how many Egyptian soldiers drown?.
The Messiah said "Before Abraham Was. I Am" so His unchanging nature is no different in the Brit Chadasha than it was in the Torah, the Writings, or the Prophets.
As for my stance, I tend to side with Israel because I'm convinced that National Israel still plays a tremendous part of the latter days. Maybe that's simplistic but that's how it is for me.
Hi, Ajay, thanks for commenting.
DeleteYou've raised a really valid point here - that of force and violence being justified. I don't think - at least, I didn't intend to - I argued for pacifism, though it is something I'm thinking through. I'm not rejecting the Biblical texts you refer too, either, but I don't think they are relevant to the present conflicts, or to the persecution of Christians and others in Iraz.
I'm intrigued by our position - how did you come to it? I'm fascinated by this area, and so am reading into it. Would you join me in looking deeper into its complexities? In terms of the latter days, I'd really encourage you to check out the Simon Ponsonby book I recommended, 'And The Lamb Wins'.
thanks again for commenting.
Hey Thomas,
DeleteI wasn't 100% sure you were arguing for pacifism, but I wasn't 100% sure you weren't so I went with how I read the question originally. If your intent wasn't to promote a pacifist mentality then I do apologize if it seems I came out swinging.
I don't think it is entirely possible to justify all the actions, but as I said, I am convinced that even though it is not the same as the actual Israel (Yahweh's people) it is a key feature in biblical events and I tend to stand on the side of National Israel as my general go-to.
For a long time I considered myself a "new testament believer", that is, until I was faced with some real doubts and questions that seemed to be impossible to answer with "new covenant" arguments.
As I went back and began to study the Torah, the Histories, the Writings and the Prophets I came to the conclusion that Yahweh might not always give His reasons, but He has never done anything that didn't have a specific purpose. One of those things (for me after the more study I did) seemed to be the placement of the Hebrews into the promised land. Sure, it was a foreshadow of things to come, but that doesn't mean it didn't have specific significance as well. We see nations line up to exterminate Jerusalem in Revelations and in other parts of Scripture, prophets warn of enemies of Israel (and while there is definitely a spiritual part to that, there is also a physical).
I would be happy to talk more about it and I will check out that book as soon as I can.
Thanks for coming back to me, Ajay,
DeleteI look forward to your thoughts on that book, as well as anything else. We need to be careful to give unconditional support to states and governments - even as we are called to be committed them.
I love that you have re-examined yoru presuppositions, and thought about what the Old Testament says. Would that more Christians, and people generally, would! I wonder what you make of te notion that in Revelation and other passages, the Israel is the people of God, now comprising/including the Church?
thanks for reading, commenting, and engaging!
Well done. I have found myself weary of war. I lost no one personally over the last 20+ years of fighting in the Middle East (and yes it has been over 20 years since we first went into Iraq). But I have found myself weary non-the-less. The constant death of our soldiers and their civilians/soldiers has began to weigh heavy on my heart. I am convinced that while there may have been SOME reasoning behind it we are WAY beyond that now.
ReplyDeleteI, too, have started to believe that we have missed the mark in dealing with Islam. Islam, by its own teachings, is not a religion of peace toward Christianity and Judaism. To be a good Muslim would mean to be opposed to both of these religions. Careful now, I did not say all Muslim peoples are evil. I said Islam is supportive of doing away with Christianity and Judaism.
As an American who believes that "freedom of religion" is a basic human right, I have started questioning the West's involvement in sovereign nations and their personal decisions. And, as a harsh as it may sound, I think we need to deal with Islam with this prayer in mind, "In wrath remember mercy". And what is the most merciful way to deal with Islam? In my opinion (and it is strictly that) we MUST treat Islam from a distance with a message of clear boundaries. Let them know that we will no longer commit troops to maintaining their peace. That we will no longer tolerate aggressive behavior from them toward our allies. That we will use the advanced technology that we have to bomb them to the dark ages.
But, don't respond to quickly emotionally to my last statement. I also think we need to apologize for invading their countries and occupying them for 20+ years. We need to apologize for the hypocritical attitudes we have demonstrated by telling them to leave us alone while we marched across their land. If the tables were turned we would not "tolerate" these types of invasions either. We have trampled their sovereignty under our feet.
The only think left to do is agree to disagree. Allow them to rule and reign their own nations and peoples ever how they see fit to do so. Quit trying to police a people who are not under our Western laws nor are even close to our Worldview.
And who are we to tell a Sovereign people that our way is the RIGHT way? We can believe that and we may even know for a fact that it is true. But it is simply wrong, no crazy, to force feed them Western worldviews and not understand why we are get emotionally vomited on when they can't stomach the pork we are serving them.
Perhaps it is past time to "live and let live". And, we cannot have a false sense of reason to believe that now that we have stirred the hornets nest and killed a lot of hornets that we can avoid getting stung simply by crying "Peace, Peace". I am afraid we will fill the sting of angered Islam for the next 100 year (on the conservative side).
Great article, Thomas. Thanks for sharing.
HI, Pastor John, thanks for commenting.
DeleteI'm totally with you regarding a weariness of war. I think, though, that your broadly accurate point about Islam as potentially incompatible with world/regional peace is one that demands reflection and action. I'm not convinced that bombing people back to the dark ages is the solution, but I would be open to the use of force to effect a peace, or effective ceasefire (Such as, perhaps, we see in Korea).
I think you are absolutely right on the hypocrisy of the West - that raises questions. I'm less convinced about the notion of 'agree to disagree'. I believe we can live in peace, let them be, whilst remaining vigilant, engaging in dialogue, and educating our people about the differences and the flashpoints.
Thanks for reading and commenting!