Monasticism and the Wilderness

“There is a very interesting relationship between wilderness and sacredness. All the great monastic traditions, whether that’s Christianity, Buddhism, or Taoist, all find their roots in an experience of their founders going into the desert, into the wilderness, onto the mountains, and finding there something that civilization cannot give them, a realization about themselves, about nature, about the divine. …It’s that sense that you are in front of something greater than yourself.”

~Martin Palmer, Chief Executive, Alliance of Religions and Conservation

Violence begets violence: Fort Hood

The tragedy at Fort Hood should absolutely be condemned. It was absolutely wrong.

According to the system of morality adopted by the military-industrial complex–and perhaps our culture at large–the actions of Major Nidal Malik Hasan were morally acceptable.

I realize that this statement sounds preposterous. Allow me to explain.

The system of morality embraced by the military-industrial complex upholds that when one cannot imagine any other way to resolve a conflict, it is appropriate to respond by asserting one’s way forcibly and violently over others.

When Saddam Hussein refused to cooperate with our demands, we responded in violence. When Osama bin Laden orchestrated attacks on innocent civilians, we responded in violence. When Timonthy McVeigh bombed a government building in Oklahoma City, we responded in violence. When we are attacked, threatened, or simply challenged, we respond in violence. Our culture does not condemn violence. In fact, our culture glorifies violence. Examples of the glorification of “moral violence” can be seen in action movies, yellow ribbons on car bumpers and capital punishment in our ‘justice” system.

Leviticus 24 states, “If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.”

“An eye for an eye.” In the case of our culture, an eye for a potential eye–or perhaps even a dirty glance.

If we believe that violence may be justified, glorious, even moral–as it is with the military–then we cannot condemn Major Hasan. He was acting according to the moral code espoused by the armed forces.

In 2006 in Pennsylvania Carl Roberts killed six people including himself in an Amish school shooting. The Amish response to this tragedy was strikingly beautiful. They reached out to Roberts’ family, offering forgiveness and comfort. Amish families visited Roberts’ family, comforted them and even set up a charitable fund for his family.

It’s a bold statement, but one that I believe our culture desperately needs to hear. As long as violence is permitted as a solution to problems, events like the tragedy at Fort Hood will persist. Reconciliation, not retaliation, must be our ultimate goal.

“The Origin of Satan” conclusion

Today, I finished The Origin of Satan by Elaine Pagels. Here’s an excerpt from the conclusion.

To pray for one’s enemies suggests that one believes that whatever harm they may have done, they are capable of being reconciled to God and to oneself. Paul, writing about twenty years before the evangelists, holds a still more traditionally Jewish perception that Satan acts as God’s agent not to corrupt people but to test them; at one point he suggests that a Christian group “deliver to Satan” one of its errant members, not in order to consign him to hell, but in the hope that he will repent and change. Paul also hopes and longs for reconciliation between his “brothers,” “fellow Israelites,” and Gentile believers.

Many Christians, then, from the first century through Francis of Assisi in the fifteenth century and Martin Luther King, Jr., in the twentieth, have believed that they stood on God’s side without demonizing their opponents. Their religious vision inspired them to oppose policies and powers they regarded as evil, often risking their well-being and their lives, while praying for the reconciliation–not the damnation–of those who opposed them.

Pagels suggests that the traditional Jewish view, prevalent throughout most of the OT and much of the NT, holds that Satan is not the arch-rival nemesis of YHWH, engaged in an epic, dualistic battle. Rather, Satan is an agent or servant of God, an antagonist sent to test God’s subjects, as in the case of Job.

Today’s popular views of Satan as the ultimate rival of God, embodiment of evil, became popularized in the couple centuries before the life of Christ with the Essenes. In the face of persecution during the early centuries of the Christian movement, many Christians adopted this perspective. Married to such beliefs is the systematic identification of one’s enemies as agents of or embodiment of Satan and his foes.

Jesus’ teaching of nonviolence and love for neighbor radically challenges the Christian dualistic beliefs. Our foe should not be one whom we demonize and seek to eradicate. We should not accept or permit violence and oppression. We should not under any circumstances, wish damnation on our enemies. Rather, we should, above all else, seek reconciliation.

Christian dualism and the environment

A core component of conservative Christian theology is that of dualism. Dualism dictates a divide exists between the physical world and the supernatural realm. These dual realities overlap impermanently and abstractly. For example, according to Christian dualism, a divide exists between the physical world and the spiritual world. Many Christians believe that a spiritual battle rages between the angelic forces of Heaven and the demonic forces of Hell. However, physical evidence of this conflict remains almost exclusively circumstantial. On a personal level, most Christians also believe in a body/soul dualism. One may die, but the soul lives on in eternity. This dichotomy gives rise to the belief that this temporal existence is but an insignificant “blip” on the time line of eternity. Equipped with such beliefs, many Christians permit a disregard for the physical well-being of others and themselves in favor of what they regard as the more important spiritual reality.

I believe that this notion of physical/supernatural dualism often leads to a lack of stewardship for the environment. Ultimately, caring for the environment is of secondary importance to securing the eternal well-being of other human souls. This world may be pass away, but Heaven and Hell are eternal, permanent destinations. Plus, with the promise of a spiritual “new Heaven and new earth,” Christian dualism gives little incentive to care for this physical, and ultimately damned, world. In fact, due to their eternal impermanence, little motivation exists for Christians to be concerned about the environment. Were it not for God’s command in Genesis to subdue the earth and rule over it, Christian dualism may not have removed environmental stewardship from the conversation altogether.

Conservapedia: Rewrite the Bible so that you’re the main character

A friend of mine posted an article on Facebook about how a conservative group is rewriting the Bible to better fit their conservative perspective.

Candidates for deletion include such passages like, “Father forgive them,” “Turn the other cheek,” and “Love thy neighbor.” Usage of commie words like “comrade,” “labor” and “fellow” will be greatly reduced in this new version. Words like, “peace” and “word” will be updated in favor of words with stronger connotations of power. Finally, parables which endorse a free market economy will be embellished and emphasized.

Furthermore, their logo. I rest my case.

From their website: “The ensuing debate would flesh out–and stop–the infiltration of churches by liberals pretending to be Christian.”

I’ll be honest. I’ve infiltrated a number of churches in my day. The ol’ wolf in sheep’s clothing thing… works every time. I walk in the door, giving homage to the almighty white, blue-eyed, blond-haired, American, capitalist Jesus and talking about how he saved me from the horrible fires of Hell. Soon enough I have gained everyone’s trust and can begin infecting them with evil, of-the-devil, abhorred principles like: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness and Self-control. Pretty soon, they’ve all been infected by my venom. They no longer solely pursue their own selfish good at the costs of others; they start thinking about their neighbors and how to be kind and considerate. Oh, it works so devilishly well. I make Satan proud.

Essentially, this project is an exercise in self-idolatry. Those working on the project are rewriting the Bible with themselves as the main character. They are God. They are Jesus. They are the Holy Spirit. The god of the bible they produce will be themselves, as every line of scripture will reinforce their own personal biases. They are making themselves into a golden calf, that their singular worldview will become the authoritative truth. This bible is not their source of truth. They are the source of truth for this bible.

Well, if they are going to rewrite the Bible, I feel obligated to respond. I’m officially writing my own Bible. I’m changing the part where Jesus said, “Love your enemies” to read, “Love your enemies.” The passage that reads, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” will now read, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The part that goes, “Do good to those who hurt you,” will be updated to, “Do good to those who hurt you.”

Edgy. I know. Thank goodness he didn’t actually say that stuff. Otherwise, I’d be obligated to give a damn about anyone besides myself.