War: In the Name of Politics
I have always felt that religion is behind all politics. That religion initiates and supports politics. Religion is the fuel and politics is the vehicle. This can be Christian, Islamic, Secular, Humanitarian, Monetary, Scientific or Atheistic religion, but nonetheless, a religion is behind every politician’s eyes.
But I think war is all politics – even if the war is explicitly initiated in the name of Islam or democracy or whatever. This is because war that is initiated in the name of religion has BECOME politicized, not because it’s inherently so. I don’t believe that there is any fundamental clash of civilizations (or maybe I just don’t want there to be one) but instead I believe in a clash WITHIN civilizations. After all, I refuse to lump people together under convenient labels such as Jews, Arabs, Blacks etc. because it never gives an accurate picture. There are divisions among divisions in every class and even if they personally ascribe to a label doesn’t make them just another number. But more often than not I think that people KNOW that there is a difference within nationalities or religions and will admit that they are fundamentally different from their own kind just as much as they are different from their perceived opponents.
So where am I going with this? My point is that religion is often exploited by politics but is not the actual reason for it. American moguls, snake-oil salesmen and politicians looking to score riches or power will stop at little if they feel it is in their interest to exploit God to achieve those ends. Bush isn’t a Christian. If he was he would demonstrate Christian values. Just because he runs under the banner of “values” doesn’t mean that he has any other than his pocketbook. The same goes for the Islamic terrorists who claim that 9/11 was justified or that they need to destabilize Iraq in the name of Islam. My Muslim friends tell me that this concept is just as alien to Islam as it is to us.
The mass-market Christians rarely cite or emphasize the living Jesus, the Jesus who speaks. They like their Christ dead. Or nearly dead as in Mel Gibson’s movie. The same goes for the radical Islamists who focus on killing, punishment, and submission. They share the same label as others who are perfectly peaceful, but obviously very different.
Therefore, when violence is spread from one region to another, A.K.A. war, it’s because of politics, not religion. That’s why I get so scared when I hear about faith-based science, or faith-based medicine, or faith-based news. When I need a leap of faith to understand and accept what my government is doing, I know that something must wrong. Politics shouldn’t require faith. So when faith is infused, it is just an excuse, not because it is inherently so.
But I think war is all politics – even if the war is explicitly initiated in the name of Islam or democracy or whatever. This is because war that is initiated in the name of religion has BECOME politicized, not because it’s inherently so. I don’t believe that there is any fundamental clash of civilizations (or maybe I just don’t want there to be one) but instead I believe in a clash WITHIN civilizations. After all, I refuse to lump people together under convenient labels such as Jews, Arabs, Blacks etc. because it never gives an accurate picture. There are divisions among divisions in every class and even if they personally ascribe to a label doesn’t make them just another number. But more often than not I think that people KNOW that there is a difference within nationalities or religions and will admit that they are fundamentally different from their own kind just as much as they are different from their perceived opponents.
So where am I going with this? My point is that religion is often exploited by politics but is not the actual reason for it. American moguls, snake-oil salesmen and politicians looking to score riches or power will stop at little if they feel it is in their interest to exploit God to achieve those ends. Bush isn’t a Christian. If he was he would demonstrate Christian values. Just because he runs under the banner of “values” doesn’t mean that he has any other than his pocketbook. The same goes for the Islamic terrorists who claim that 9/11 was justified or that they need to destabilize Iraq in the name of Islam. My Muslim friends tell me that this concept is just as alien to Islam as it is to us.
The mass-market Christians rarely cite or emphasize the living Jesus, the Jesus who speaks. They like their Christ dead. Or nearly dead as in Mel Gibson’s movie. The same goes for the radical Islamists who focus on killing, punishment, and submission. They share the same label as others who are perfectly peaceful, but obviously very different.
Therefore, when violence is spread from one region to another, A.K.A. war, it’s because of politics, not religion. That’s why I get so scared when I hear about faith-based science, or faith-based medicine, or faith-based news. When I need a leap of faith to understand and accept what my government is doing, I know that something must wrong. Politics shouldn’t require faith. So when faith is infused, it is just an excuse, not because it is inherently so.
posted by -R at 7:50 PM
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