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A week ago this past Thursday, a Sunni Muslim suicide bomber attacked the Shiite Mosque in Hilla, Iraq. Twenty-five worshippers died in the bombing. Another 87 were wounded. The day marked the beginning of Ramadan, Islam’s holiest month.
Many of the nuances of the Muslim world are lost on me. I know that there are Sunni Muslims, and Shiite Muslims, and other varieties of Muslims as well. Why a Sunni Muslim would strap explosives to his body in order to kill Shiite Muslims, I do not know. Obviously, there is more to the story.
What sort of religion advocates or tolerates the killing of innocent people? Not many do, that I know of. However, there are some religions whose leaders will, at times, tolerate or even advocate violence toward infidels, heathens, or other really bad people. Yet, Shiites are Muslims. Why would Sunni Muslims want to kill them? More to the point — how does religion become an instrument of destruction, rather than a means for providing for the common good of all?
George Schiffler died on the street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, over 150 years ago. He was the first victim of what was known as the “Philadelphia Bible Riots”. There were two groups of Christians, Protestants and Catholics, involved in these riots. During the course of the riots, they beat each other, shot each other, and burned homes, churches, and at least one seminary.
The issue was a 1838 Pennsylvania law that mandated that the Bible be used as a public school textbook. No one had any doubt that the Bible recognized by the law was the King James version. Why did politicians think such a law was necessary in Pennsylvania in 1838? There were too many Irish coming into the United States. Something had to be done to put the newcomers in their place. What better way to do that than to make Irish school children read from the Protestant Bible. The law, like most laws that try to legislate religious matters, had more to do with gaining favor with a particular constituency than it did with genuine concern for religion.
Catholic families wanted their children to read from the Dovay version. That was the version in use by English-speaking Catholics at the time. They began to ask that their children be excused from daily Bible reading. Things escalated from there. Groups were formed. Meetings were held. Inflammatory speeches were given. The next thing you know, Christians were killing Christians.
How does Christianity become an instrument of destruction rather than a movement of God’s grace and mercy intended to reconcile God’s people with one another and with God?
1. It happens because elected leaders seek to use religion for something other than religious purposes.
2. It happens because religion matters deeply to people. When they feel their religious rights have been violated, they can react in ways that are not only shocking, but appalling as well.
3. It happens because, as history has repeatedly shown, state-sponsored religion divides people.
4. It happens because the majority tries to use religion to force the minority to conform.
5. It happens because the institution responsible for educating children of all religious backgrounds gives preference to one religious background.
The lesson of religious violence in Iraq and from our own history reminds us of the destructive capabilities of religion gone too far. A society that tolerates such violence, in either blatant or subtle forms, rather than tolerating the breadth and depth of its religious diversity, will eventually have nothing left to tolerate.
Jesus said, “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.”
Joy and peace,
Ed
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