Had a great conversation with the big boy this morning. He was articulating why he felt that we (as Americans) shouldn’t have entered World War II. Understand that he understands he’s young; he’s still formulating thoughts and learning to fit all the things in his world view together. But he makes strong arguments for what he believes.
“If there were any precedent sent for violent behavior,” he says, “It would have been when Jesus was being dragged away to be crucified. I think that we as a church should take seriously the things we should do, and stop buying into the Empire’s idea that violence is the answer to everything.”
I asked him, “What about the fact that we helped stop the Holocaust?” He understood, but countered, “If the church would have been doing what it was suppose to, it could have stopped it. Peacefully.” Then he added, “But the thing is, people talk about doing things, but they won’t follow through with their lives.”
I consider myself a pacifist. I have often said, however, that if someone threatened my children, I would likely do whatever it took to protect them. What W’s saying is that he’s realizing we have to totally break free of thinking like the Empire, and begin thinking the way we were created to think.
We’ve so bought into the unholy marriage of church and state, thinking somehow we’re more holy and “like God,” when we really have no idea what that means. So, we buy into the easiest solution that makes the fewest waves. Or, we setting for the “slightly bigger box” that somehow makes us seem revolutionary, when in actuality, it’s just a little bigger box. That’s where I fall so often.
But when I hear things coming from my kid’s mouths that are actually revolutionary, I am stirred to keep searching. I told my husband after this conversation (of which he was also a part of), it’s these kinds of thoughts that help me know someone who “has all the answers” really is the most clueless of all. B. asked W., “What about the times God, in the Old Testament, told the people of Israel to go to war to win the Promise Land?” (his verbiage). I said, “But see? That very question is part of the problem.” “Church” as we know it picks and chooses what it wants from Jewish history (OT) to make it’s point; to condone or justify those things that keep it in power. When there’s something they don’t want to do or believe, they yell, “We’re not under law!” Crazy.
What I know of Christianity is that is it at best a schizophrenic attempt to put the Divine into a comprehensible box. There are good things that people do in it’s name. But overall, it’s a sad attempt to make God into our own image. The very thing the pagans were accused of. And I’m not talking about “God” or even Jesus. I’m talking about what we’ve done in their names.
I told W. today as we talked, “Isn’t it ironic that when Constantine claimed Christian conversion, he continued to conquer and rule as the emperors before him — only did it in Jesus name?” The very inception of “acceptable” Christianity brought with it an ironic twist. And we’ve continued to screw with it ever since. Now, we see the fallout of unacceptable “accepted belief” in every arena of the world’s life. Not only what we call Christianity — adherents of all “belief systems” have manipulated to their own end. I see it in the micro — in organizations I have been involved with, and the macro — genocide and coercions to gain power over others “in the name of God.” I have a friend who frequently says, “So much evil done in the name of belief.” She’s right.
I’m excited that the big boy has chose the path of pacifism. I hope that he will continue to spur me on to think, read, pray, and consider what I truly think and believe. I worry, because I know the path he has chosen (especially if he chooses to operate in organized religion) will beat and batter him. But it’s good to see him think on his own. I hope that he is never pacifistic in that pursuit.
