Religion is a strange animal – it can do incredible good, heal people of their spiritual struggles, give us a place to call home. It can also become toxic, forming homicidal zealots who believe that what they are doing is God’s will, an argument that has no answer except “No”. We have a Constitutional Amendment that gives all of us the right to practice – or not – a religion of our choice; what do we do when that religious practice becomes a form of evil? We see it turn to violence, in words and actions, and we watch as it destroys lives. This happened this week in Minnesota, and the carnage could have been so much worse if this maniac had not been caught.
There’s often a progression; we saw it in a few mosques leading up to September 11th. We watched in horror as Jim Jones murdered most of the religious community that moved to Guyana with him. From suicide bombers to abortion clinic killers, religion can become a weapon of mass destruction, destroying lives and communities and legacies of faith. And while all religions have this fatal flaw, often embedded in their Scripture, it is rare that they promote violence. This happens, usually, when those we disagree with begin to be defined as evil, and the thinking is, destroying evil isn’t wrong, right? And it all goes to hell from there.
It is the responsibility of each one of us to report anyone we know who is moving towards religious views and actions that are intent on violence. We don’t know much about this situation yet, but it has been widely reported that the murder suspect texted his family the day after that “Dad has gone to war.” It is hard for me to believe that those who know him didn’t see this, or some aspect of it, coming; or, maybe they didn’t – he might be an excellent liar. If we see anyone heading towards violence, we need to tell the authorities. My role as a pastor is to listen without judgment; unless that person says they are going to commit violence against someone else. In all things, saving lives comes first. If you know someone who is on this path, dial 911 and tell someone. The life you save matters – and it might be yours or someone you love.
Prayer – Holy God, keep us from the temptation of believing that the evil we do is for You. And give us the courage to speak up when we see something terribly wrong. Amen.
Today’s art is “Violence and Religion” by Stanley Wilkin.