Jesus and 9/11

On a day like today, September 11, it sure is tough to do as Jesus said and did.  In the nine years since that fateful, tragic day, it seems like as a nation we fall further and further from the ideal that Jesus laid out for us.  In the days following 9/11, there was a beautiful sense of national unity and resolve that killing our people and destroying our buildings would not undermine who we are as our nation, our values, and our way of life. 

 In this intervening period we have seen a tragically unnecessary war conducted in Iraq and what is amounting to an endless military conflict in Afghanistan, a land where empires have entered paying enormous tolls in human life and treasure, seeking to tame what forever has been ungovernable region. We have seen torture performed in our name and endless incarceration without any process for determining guilt, let alone due process. 

 At home, we are now in the midst of a rising tide of anti-Islam rhetoric and behavior.  The threatening of Koran burning and the hostility of which an Islamic center a few blocks from the World Trade Center has been met, is largely propogated by a strain in our body politic that is intolerant at best and hateful at worst. 

We are clearly not living up to the values our national has held dear and for the three quarters of us who identify as Christians, we are falling even further short of what Jesus's commanded us to do.  Let us be clear:

Luke 6:27-36 [27] "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, [28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. [29] If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. [30] Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. [31] Do to others as you would have them do to you."

 Amidst all of this, I find myself struggling in particular with my faith as a Christian.  I know I fall woefully short of what Jesus commanded as my feelings on 9/11 shifted from shock, sadness and horror to fear, anger and vengeance.    I supported war in Afghanistan.  I support covert operations to undermine terrorist networks.   I find myself struggling with the line between religious intolerance and an honest and open critique of radical and fundamentalist Islam.

Like so much of what Jesus taught us, I think acknowledging that you are falling far short and seeking to genuninely improve is at least half of what is required.  But given the current political discourse on Islam, I wonder how many fellow Christians are asking the critical questions of their politics and their opinions on Muslims.  Some questions:

• If  you supported war in Iraq and support war in Afghanistan, how does that meet the test of loving your enemies?
• How does support torture and Guantanamo doing good to those who hate you?
• How does fighting the building of a Mosque in lower Manhattan or in your own community meet the criteria of doing unto others as you would have done unto you?

These questions in many cases are simply just not being asked.  I am reminded of my friend's evangelical Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach County, Florida.  I was there for the New Year service that year and heard Pastor Tom Mullins speaking of 9/11 say from the pulpit, "Thank God we have a Texas sheriff as President of the United States."  The not so implicit reference was they he was happy that the President would be extracting vengeance for the attacks.   While many shared, or indeed share that opinion, it demonstrated little regard for Jesus's teachings.  This pastor of course has gone on to support Glen Beck by frequenting his program, even as Mr. Beck does his best to continue to create an environment of fear, loathing, and rancor within our political discourse. 

This 9/11, we remember all those innocent Americans who lost their lives because a few people thought God justified acts of extreme violence and mass killing. I remember how a nation and indeed the world, for a brief period, came together to mourn and decry senseless violence and extremism. 

But beyond remembering, we Americans, especially Christian Americans need a gut check.  Are we living up to the American values of religious tolerance and rule under law?  How do we as Christians do more to reflect the teachings of Jesus in offering the other cheek and walking the second mile?  Nine years hence, we ought to be doing much better than we are in living up to what Jesus has required us to do.