The Sermon on the Mount and Iran

Do we really believe what Jesus said when he said we should love our enemies? That we should bless those who curse us? That we should not return evil for evil, but instead return evil with good? It amazes me that so many of those who claim the name of Christianity are the first to call out for war against whatever the new national enemy may be. They might call themselves Biblical literalists or fundamentalists, but they certainly have not taken Jesus seriously with what he said on the Sermon the Mount?

So, what do these teachings of Jesus mean? Are they just nice sayings to work out family rough patches? Do they have no application to real struggle and violence in the world? If the teachings of Jesus are worthless on a grand scale, they are pretty insignificant on a personal scale. If it is morally justified to create a pre-emptive war and kill hundreds of thousands of people in the name of stopping a “hypothetical threat” then all the teachings of Jesus about loving our enemy, about how those who live by the sword will die by the sword, and turning the other cheek are pretty much worthless, and the teachings of Jesus should be abandoned.

So many in the Christian community have focused their social and political attention on issues that Jesus never even addressed like birth control, abortion, and gay marriage. While I am not saying that none of these issues are important, what I am saying is that the actual teachings of Jesus on violence, peace, and revenge are ignored. We are ready to go to another war with a Bible in hand justifying our actions. However, the teachings of Jesus are nicely brushed aside so that we can justify killing others to “defend” ourselves. Let’s take the teachings of Jesus and actually apply them to the way we treat our enemies. If Christians fail to do so, they are denying the faith they claim to follow. Even for those outside the Christian faith, Jesus’s teachings about peace, love for enemies, and the futility of revenge is the only path to follow to get us out of this crazy cycle of war.

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Will the U.S. Church Bless Another War?

“War is Hell, and Christ did not come to justify the creation of Hell on earth by his disciples. The justification of war may be compatible with some religions and philosophies, but it is not compatible with the nonviolent teaching of Jesus. I was wrong. And to those of whatever nationality or religion who have been hurt because I fell under the influence of the father of lies, I say with my whole heart and soul I am sorry. I beg forgiveness.”

These were the words of Father George Zabelka, who had served as the U.S. Navy chaplain in the Pacific for the forces that would drop the atomic bomb. He spoke out years later in regret for his choice to essentially “bless the bombs” that would destroy thousands upon thousands of lives.

As the rhetoric picks up towards another war with Iran, the U.S. church has a choice. They can choose to be the voice of empire and war, making another pre-emptive attack “sacred” or they can stand with a prophetic voice and state that those who live by the sword will die by the sword, and if our country wants to follow the path of militarism, we too will come to ruin.

Regarding the most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many in the U.S. church were largely supportive of the war, with a minority standing with a prophetic and decrying the militarism and violence. Of course, in the eyes of the rest of his world, the name of Jesus is cursed when his church uses him to promote and defend their nationalistic wars. Instead of loving our enemies, we have said it is morally acceptable to kill them. We have said that pre-emptive attacks are justified, out of the slight possibility that our enemy could pose a threat in the future.

I hope and pray that in this new conflict, the U.S. church will not be cowardly and remain silent or even worse, play the role of warmonger and openly push and support a new war. Instead, I pray they choose the way of peace, the way of Jesus, and realize that this war is not the answer.

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