Concerning Powers

In our further research there will probably be continuous dialogue between war and peace, Just War and Just Peace, Pacifism and Realism. However, in looking at these various dichotomies, I began to see a real problem in the Powers, which we spoke about in class.

As Loren Cobb, the Quaker Economist says, “peace is seldom threatened by military war between nations, even though these wars receive the most attention in history. The absence of peace is, instead, far more an issue of civil war and local conflict, of urban violence and rural lawlessness, of domestic violence and the abuse and neglect of children. When peace does not exist at the level of families, towns, cities, or ethnic groups, then we have a problem every bit as serious as formal warfare. Peace is a critical attribute that extends across all levels of society, with equal importance at each level.” We must, therefore, question the morality at these institutional levels, especially in the U.S.

One problem with questioning the Powers (military, government, global corporations, etc.) is that we may come across as un-American or traitorous, which in itself shows how successful the state has been in its coercive language. It is of consequence because it shows how aspects of nationalism have crept into our individual belief systems, and how easily the state can become paralleled with our religious beliefs.

Here is an example of a question which might seem to be un-patriotic but needs to be asked… and answered. “If the military exists to defend our freedoms, and does not just function as the force behind an aggressive, interventionist U.S. foreign policy, then why are our troops scattered across 150 different regions of the world? Why doesn’t the military control our borders? Why do we need a Department of Homeland Security if we already have a Department of Defense?”

It is with these eyes that I see the pro-Christian view of war to be most troubling. The article on “Pro-war Christians Should Come Clean” shows the consequences of professed Christians who become aligned with the state. The logic and rhetoric from these people is disturbing because ultimately their hope is in America.

The desire to split groups based on political affiliation also shows how religion can often become aligned with the state. For example, there are Republican strategists who target people of a certain faith as a way to expand the base of their party. Through this base, the religious leaders use the Republican platform to gain dominion over society. Therefore it becomes a fight for political power through a skewed lens of religion. A perfect illustration of this is the Theocratic Right (what is commonly referred to as the Christian Right), who, believe that Christians are mandated to gradually occupy all secular institutions until Christ returns. (It should be noted the Theocratic Right is opposed by many Christians however, and should not be seen as synonymous with Evangelicals. Evangelicals run a wide range of political alliances).

It is my belief that Christians need to take a stand, especially within the structures of our government. However, we need only to look at the pitfalls of becoming aligned with these structures, to see how easily we can drift off course. If we are to be peace-makers we must become active not only on the issues of war, but also in the microstructures of society.