If you are new to this blog, I suggest you check out Oneway's post on the recent controversy surrounding the controversial Danish cartoon. The most recent riots in Europe and the Middle East are due to the collective middle finger that Europe gave to those offended by these cartoons by publishing them in all the major newspapers around Europe. I have quite a few thoughts on this matter, and I thought I might share some of them with you.
How do we as Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others, respond to a world that violates the laws of our religion. How do Jews respond to non-Jews that don't stay Kosher. How do Christians respond to non-Christians that take the Lord's name in vain? How do Muslims respond to non-Muslims that graphically depict Mohammed?
I am not a relativist. I would never tell someone that they are arrogant for claiming they know what is righteous. I may think that they are wrong, but I do not think they are wrong for thinking they are right. I believe that there is an eternal law. I also believe that one day we will all be submitted to this eternal law by God himself. We, as mere mortals, can do nothing to harshen or hinder the wrath of God. If someone violates the eternal law, they make themselves an object of wrath, and God does not need me to do His work for Him.
If I can bring a sinner to repentance, I bring another faithful follower into the fold, and I bring more Glory to God. If I judge a sinner, I am only doing what God would have done anyway. This is not productive. It does nothing for the cause of Christ, the cause of YHWH, or the cause of Allah.
As a Christian I believe it is my responsibility to convince others to accept God's law (and Christ's sacrifice) so that they do not make themselves objects of God's wrath. It is not my responsibility to forcibly submit anyone to God's law.
As a society we have come to accept many universal laws (such as murder, rape, and theft) because they protect us all and afford us the opportunity to practice our own beliefs in peace. We do not have laws that protect God because a) this infringes on the beliefs and freedoms of the non-religious, and b) God doesn't need us to protect Him. If God is "offended" the offender will not go unpunished.
We have an obligation to God AND to each other to protect the innocent, and it is in these matters that it may be appropriate to meet violence with violence. But it is pride on our part to try to usurp the mantle of eternal judge from the only One that is Eternal.
REMIX: It turns out that Islam does NOT forbid images of Muhammad. (Big Ups: Wretchard) I accepted the deceit as truth, as did the General, but fortunately we didn't burn any buildings over it. --Oneway
REMIX: Although not all sects of Islam forbid any depiction of the prophet Mohammed, the issue is still widely debated amongst Muslims. Linked here is an article affirming this debate as it relates to an otherwise non-offensive depiction of the prophet. By "otherwise non-offensive" I mean that non-muslims would have no reason to find the depiction offensive unless they knew before hand that depicting Mohammed at all could be considered offensive.
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3 comments:
>>God doesn't need us to protect Him.<<
I never thought of this, and I like it. But because you brought it up, I tried to think of examples of godly people using violence to counter blasphemy. 1 Samuel 17, beyond its thrilling plot, reveals David's motivations for killing Goliath is, at the very least, partly due to Goliath's blasphemy of God.
Under Jesus' instruction, our roles have changed since then, as Jesus lived the new rubric: sacrifice for the Father's glory.
But it seems to me the reason to execute murderers today is their blasphemy of the image of God by killing man. If we root our laws on "man's right to exist", then this gives way to overvaluing life, such as pacifism.
This is getting complicated...am I off here?
>>If I judge a sinner, I am only doing what God would have done anyway. This is not productive. It does nothing for the cause of Christ, the cause of YHWH, or the cause of Allah.<<
Having a cohesive worldview is hard work.
The major prophets also condemned neighboring countries for eating pork.
I'm not sure where this leaves us, though. We are not a theocracy, and we have not received an edict from God to be His judge, as the Israeli people did.
Of course, if someone wants to be God's wrath, they must realize that no one is going to be a willing object of that wrath. Translation: if you try to kill someone for being a sinner, they may kill you defending themselves.
I prefer to make absolutely certain that I am doing what is right AND necessary.
Deitrich Bonhoeffer, for example, knew that there were times to turn the other cheek, and there were times to meet violence with violence. Of course, he was arrested for trying to kill Hitler, and it's easy to condemn Hitler because a) he was a monster, and b) killing him could be called self defense, or the defense of others.
Another good question is this:
How do we apply some of these ideas to those that kill abortion doctors?
>>Having a cohesive worldview is hard work.<<
I hear you, also, it's not taught well in most churches.
By the way, there is a chilling documentary out there about abortion doctor killers by HBO called "Soldiers in the Army of God”.
My quick answer is that the state wields the sword, not individuals. So abortion doctor killers are committing murders.
Civil disobedience is like any other power, prone to misuse. Francis Schaeffer talks about exhausting other options before using force, such as fleeing, which I'm guessing Bonhoeffer tried.
So, I brought up a bad example with capital punishment, which is not the role of the individual.
Your original point stands: the individual today has no authority to use violence in response to blasphemy. But Muslims do not believe this. That's why I disagree with this statement:
>>If I judge a sinner, I am only doing what God would have done anyway. This is not productive. It does nothing for the cause of Christ, the cause of YHWH, or the cause of Allah.<<
Islam was spread by war. The cause of Allah is domination.
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