I recently came across a Facebook post which said that most of the trouble in the world was because of religion. The person who wrote the piece was advocating for the banning of all religion because religion was a public health issue. What bothered me most about the article was that it was very accurate in many ways. Many wars are fought in the name of religion, not because the religious issues are really the basis for the war but because people use religion to justify killing others. People might not be willing to risk death for a piece of land, but give that land religious significance and people are ready to die for it. All that is needed is for someone to convince people who wouldn’t otherwise fight that the land has religious importance and that whoever has the land is an enemy of one’s religion.
Religion has been used as an excuse for going to war. The Crusades were supposedly about getting rid of the infidels in the Holy Land. But if one reads carefully, it becomes clear that the Crusades were really about power. Those wars were a means of establishing the power of the church at home (in Europe) more than anything else.
In addition to political power, another major driving force is resources (oil, food, etc.). Sometimes that is clearly stated, but more often than not, it is hidden behind a religious motive. Missionaries are blamed for the subjugation of native populations because the gospel was used to make the native people compliant. However, it was usually the political power behind the scenes which saw the advantage of making indigenous people Christian. Political systems used the church.
That doesn’t mean the church is without responsibility. Christians, like most people and animals, are often overcome by fear and they react in ways they think will protect them, even to the point of killing others. The admonition to turn the other cheek is lost in the midst of drums and bugles calling a people to war. What is lost is the voice of Jesus (as well as other religious scriptures) saying, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If someone does remind people of the idea of loving one’s neighbor, the easiest response is to deny the person is their neighbor.
There are cases where I cannot see what alternative there might have been to war. Off hand, I don’t see how else Hitler could have been dealt with once he had consolidated his power. There were Christians who advocated against Hitler. Dietrich Bonhoeffer comes to mind. His actions resulted in his execution just before the concentration camp he was held in was liberated.
However, a large portion of the church supported Hitler for a number of reasons. They began to believe that salvation lay in secular governments. Hitler was heralded as the savior of the nation, even as God’s appointed messenger. If that is one’s starting point, obviously, anyone who spoke out against Hitler was the enemy of not only Germany, but of God.
How can Christians keep from being swept up in the excitement of war? How can they decide whether something is indeed of God or just someone trying to use God to accomplish their own purpose? I think there are some principles to keep in mind that will help.
- The reality is that the kingdoms of this world will never be fully aligned with the kingdom of heaven. That doesn’t mean that all earthly kingdoms are evil. It means that they have clearly different goals and purposes than does the kingdom of heaven.
- When confronted with a difficult situation, ask yourself what Jesus did. Note that I didn’t say ‘ask what Jesus would do.’ Thinking we have a handle on what Jesus would do risks being misled. What did Jesus actually do? A secondary source of information would be what the apostles actually did.
- If there is a conflict between the will of God and the will of a government, any government, think about who Jesus was and what he did. Many things are supported as “God’s will.” In effect, many are guesses (if not outright distortions) of what Jesus said and did. This principle reminds us to never be too sure of ourselves. We don’t have all the answers any more than a government does.
- Keep going back to the scriptures. Study to see how God was revealed in Jesus. (At the risk of my being labeled a heretic: If you aren’t a Christian, study the scriptures and writings of your own religious group carefully.)
- Once you have figured out what the scriptures say and are perfectly clear about what you believe, go back to the scriptures looking for where you might have been mistaken. Many people go to the scripture looking to justify their beliefs and prove themselves right. That approach will ensure a person remains in darkness. (I know this sounds harsh, but I think we need to pay attention to it.)
- I don’t believe God expects us to be “right.” God does expect me to be faithful to my Lord Jesus Christ. If I have all the right beliefs and am not living out the gospel by loving my neighbor as myself, then I’m missing the boat. We all need grace. We will be wrong, but grace is always giving us another chance.
I have great concern for the church in the United States. In many cases, I believe the church has become idolatrous, worshiping things rather than God. We worship money, prestige, reputation, fun and good times. Of course, there are always ways to justify doing what we want rather than what God wants.
To paraphrase a politician, the price of faith is eternal vigilance.1
- Attributed to Thomas Jefferson and others. ↩︎
Ross T Lucas 