The Christian Right declares that America is a Christian nation and demands a halt to building the “mosque at Ground Zero,” invoking anger over Muslim a thousand years ago. Does being Christian demand a return to the religious wars of past centuries?
Freedom of speech and religion provide a practical pathway for people of different faiths to live together in peace. They are part of an American domestic cultural fabric which maintains peace among our diverse people by treating everyone as equal and according everyone an equal right to believe and practice the religion of their choice. And, just as everyone has equal rights, everyone has — or should impose on themselves – an equal obligation to respect the rights of others.
The mosque controversy is intended to disrupt this fabric of domestic tranquillity. Like the other right-wing eruptions of the last few months, it has not been spontaneous. It has been planned, financed and executed for the political purposes of the Tea Party corporate sponsors.
Is America a Christian nation? Not in the sense that it endorses or enforces any religious view. But in the sense that freedom of religion may be an outgrowth of the teachings of Jesus, perhaps it is.
The Christian Right declares that America is a Christian nation and demands a halt to building the “mosque at Ground Zero.” In support of their view, they invoke memories of Muslims building mosques on Christian and Jewish holy sites in Jerusalem over a thousand years ago. See Stop the Mosque at Ground Zero.
Does being Christian demand a return to the religious wars of past centuries? Consider some of the history of religious warfare:
There have already been wars over the Muslim actions of a thousand years ago; they were called the Crusades.
The first victims of the crusades were German Jews. In one example, before leaving for the First Crusade, Count Emich of Flonheim announced that Christ had appeared to him in a dream and promised to crown him emperor; in his Christian zeal, Count Emich attacked and murdered thousands of German Jews and seized their property to finance his army.
Initially, the crusades were not related to Jerusalem, but were supposed to support the Christian Byzantine Empire in defending itself against the Seljuk Turks who were attacking its borders near what is now the eastern border of Turkey. This conflict involved different enemies and was a thousand miles from Jerusalem which was in Syria and had been under Muslim domination for over 400 years. After getting started, however, the crusaders changed their objective to Jerusalem.
The crusader attack on Jerusalem was successful. When the city was taken, the crusaders massacred men, women and children in the city; one crusader wrote that crusaders “rode in blood up to their knees and bridle reins;” another that “In this temple 10,000 were killed. Indeed, if you had been there you would have seen our feet coloured to our ankles with the blood of the slain. But what more shall I relate? None of them were left alive; neither women nor children were spared.”
Although the crusaders founded a knightly Kingdom of Jerusalem, Muslims under Saladin reconquered the area about a hundred years later. (In the meantime, the Turks had overrun much of what is now modern Turkey, beginning the end for the Byzantine Empire). A later crusade to reconquer the Holy Land for Christianity was diverted to conquer and sack Constantinople (still the Christian capital of the remainder of the Byzantine Empire). History records that the Christian army
“subjected the greatest city in Europe to an indescribable sack. For three days they murdered, raped, looted and destroyed on a scale which even the ancient Vandals and Goths would have found unbelievable. Constantinople had become a veritable museum of ancient and Byzantine art, an emporium of such incredible wealth that the Latins were astounded at the riches they found. Though the Venetians had an appreciation for the art which they discovered (they were themselves semi-Byzantines) and saved much of it, the French and others destroyed indiscriminately, halting to refresh themselves with wine, violation of nuns, and murder of Orthodox clerics. The Crusaders vented their hatred for the Greeks most spectacularly in the desecration of the greatest Church in Christendom. They smashed the silver iconostasis, the icons and the holy books of Hagia Sophia, and seated upon the patriarchal throne a whore who sang coarse songs as they drank wine from the Church’s holy vessels. …” Speros Vryonis in Byzantium and Europe
Christian-Muslim religious wars continued intermittently until the 17th century, when they were eclipsed by the Catholic-Protestant Wars. These had their roots in the Protestant Reformation which followed the reigns of the Borgia popes and other princes of the church who were scandalously unChristian in behavior. Most notoriously, the Borgia Pope Alexander VI condoned the public murder of helpless prisoners in St. Peter’s Square by his son, Cesare; the Pope also applauded the public spectacle of 50 Roman harlots coupling with 50 palace servants in a competition for best performance.
The Reformation prompted the Inquisition, complete with tortures and burning at the stake, the Spanish Armada and, ultimately, the Thirty Years War between Protestant and Catholic armies which devastated Germany and much of central Europe. Thousands of towns and villages were destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of civilians are estimated to have died as war casualties and from the devastation and resulting disease.
During this time, English Puritans (Protestants) fled to Massachusetts Bay seeking religious freedom from the Church of England (also Protestant). Shortly thereafter, Roger Williams, also seeking religious freedom after a dispute with the Puritans, fled from Massachusetts Bay to Rhode Island. At a time when the Church of England oppressed Catholics, Lord Baltimore obtained permission from pro-Catholic King Charles I to settle Delaware with Catholics and allow them freedom of religion. A few years later, a Puritan army overthrew King Charles, beheaded him and established a Puritan-style Church of England. Former High Church adherents fled to Virginia, seeking religious freedom. After the monarchy was restored, William Penn obtained permission to settle Pennsylvania with Quakers, who thereby obtained freedom of religion.
By the time of the American Revolution, our country was populated with dozens of competing religious denominations. The central tenet of the Revolution, published in the Declaration of Independence, was that “all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights …” The Founding Fathers included freedom of speech and religion as among these inalienable rights. Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence as well as the 1st Amendment to the Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech and religion, used the phrase “separation of church and state” in explaining the meaning of the amendment. That phrase has come down through the court system to this day, although the same elements of the Christian Right which demands “no mosque at Ground Zero” also denies any constitutional separation of church and state (The Myth of Church-State Separation ), apparently ready to abandon freedom of religion.
The Founding Fathers were intimately familiar with Christian teachings. Jefferson had even extracted “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth” from the Bible, eliminating the supernatural aspects, miracles, references to the Trinity, perceived misinterpretations, divinity and resurrection which he considered unbelievable; the result is published under the title “The Jefferson Bible.”
The remaining teachings included, of course, Jesus’ central directive to “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Luke 10:27). When asked, who are our neighbors, Jesus replied with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37), thereby including other communities, ethnicities and religions as neighbors.
Jesus lived at a time of many religious beliefs. Millions worshiped idols, others worshiped animals, others practiced not only animal but human sacrifice. Religious and ethnic hatred was rampant, especially in the Middle East. There were enmities between Jews and Gentiles, Jews and Samaritans, Jews and Romans. Everyone hated tax collectors.
Yet Jesus did not condemn any of these. He did not threaten to burn books, or attack the places of worship of other religions.
Jesus doctrine was radical for its time in part because of his refusal to condemn others for their race, ethnicity, religion, disabilities or even misconduct. He preached a doctrine of love and peace and respect for others, even healing the wound of one of the soldiers sent to arrest him.
Jefferson and the Founding Fathers may have drawn from Jesus the lesson that we should give other people and their political and religious beliefs, the same respect that we would like to receive from them — freedom of speech and religion. This aspect of American democracy could be considered an effort to put Christian teachings into governmental practice.
Or, perhaps, the Founders were just being practical. They knew that, through the centuries, religious differences, often in the name of Christ, had been either the cause or pretext for frequent and devastating wars as well as domestic violence, discrimination and oppression. They realized that no religion couldpoint to itself as free of violence, iniquity and vice. Yet, Jesus had never advocated a religious war, or said anything calling for the killing of innocent women and children, or devastating whole countries over the proper way of being one of His followers. Instead, He cautioned that “he who is without sin should cast the first stone.”
Freedom of speech and religion provide a practical pathway for people of different faiths to live together in peace. Obama’s first comments on the Muslim community center which is planned to be a few blocks from Ground Zero focused on legal rights. But freedom of speech and religion are much more than just legalisms. They are part of an American domestic cultural fabric which maintains peace among our diverse people by treating everyone as equal and according everyone an equal right to believe and practice the religion of their choice. And, just as everyone has equal rights, everyone has — or should impose on themselves – an equal obligation to respect the rights of others.
The mosque controversy is intended to disrupt this fabric of domestic tranquillity. Like the other right-wing eruptions of the last few months, it has not been spontaneous. It has been planned, financed and executed for the political purposes of the Tea Party corporate sponsors. It is central to the campaigns of the Republican candidates for governor of both New York and Florida, and a favorite topic of Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich and right-wing Republicans across the country. Like the racial slurs against Obama, the issues over his birthplace, the claim that perhaps he is Muslim, the claim of death panels in Medicare, the mosque issue is a planned effort to create fear and hatred for political advantage. Like most incitement to religious hatred, this campaign relies on lies — the plan is for an interfaith community center, it is not at Ground Zero, the imam leading the effort has condemned terrorism and actively worked with the FBI prevent radicalization of American Muslims. Truth has never been a requirement for bigots.
This is not the first use of religious bigotry in our history. Jefferson was attacked as “the anti-Christ,” the “Know-Nothing Party” of the 19th century viciously attacked Catholics, Jews and foreigners, President Kennedy was attacked for his Catholic religion during his election campaign in 1960. But incitement to religious hatred in America today is equally as despicable as in other times and places — whether 19th century America, Nazi Germany, or 21st century Palestine. Americans of good will should equally reject all appeals to religious bigotry, especially for selfish political purposes.
Is America a Christian nation? Not in the sense that it endorses or enforces any religious view. But in the sense that freedom of religion may be an outgrowth of the teachings of Jesus, perhaps it is.
And what about those who stir up religious hatred for political purposes? Are they Christians?