“From whence come wars and
fightings among you?” – James 4:1
During
a time of feasting and festivities when we deck the halls, hang ornaments and
lights, resurrect the nativity scene from the attic or garage, buy and wrap
presents, bake and consume cookies, enjoy dinners, concerts, friends and family
– lost is the fact that violence and refugees are part of the story of the
first Christmas.
Just
before Herod’s massacre of the innocents in Bethlehem an angel warned Joseph to
take Mary and Jesus, and to run for their lives to Egypt. Idyllic scenes
depicted on Christmas cards notwithstanding, an undercurrent and backstory of
violence forms the story of the first Christmas – just as it does during this
Christmas season of 2015.
The
following is an excerpt from my book “Rejecting Religion – Embracing Grace,”
published in 2010. In this section I maintain that “religious violence is an
inevitable product of Christ-less, fundamentalist, legalistic religion, followed
to its most logical and extreme conclusion.”
Here, on pages 133-135, are five steps/stages leading to religious
violence:
Stage One—Acceptance: Acceptance of the belief that rules, regulations
and rituals build a relationship with God is the first stage that actually lays
the groundwork for religious violence. Within Christendom, Christ-less religion
is the belief that our performance of prescribed rules and rituals is the only
way to please or appease God, and that our standing with God is dependent upon
the quality of our performance. The idea that what we do enhances or improves
our standing with God, so that he will love us more because of our performance
(more than he would have had we not put forth the effort) is the un-grace of
religion. This “philosophy” by definition involves no grace, no relationship,
and therefore no Jesus. This “philosophy” is religion—rules and performance.
Performance-based religion itself is the foundation that can lead to violence
and bloodshed.
Stage Two—Immersion: After buying into the belief that performance of
rituals and rules determines a loving relationship with God, many become even
more deeply involved in religion. They immerse themselves in a religious
organization/charismatic teacher whereby their religious progress can be
monitored and directed. Within this religious cocoon and holy huddle, they can
be guided by professional religionists and co-religionists who preach and preside
over a philosophy of salvation-by-self. Those who practice Stage Two religion
are deluded into thinking that God is happy with them because they are doing
what the religious organization prescribes. This stage often blurs the
distinction between God and human religious authorities.
Stage Three—Indoctrination: Those who descend to Stage Three become true
believers. Without reservation those who are enslaved to religion embrace rules
of measurement whereby they condemn not only themselves, but everyone
else—within their own religious institution and without. Followers of religion
who function at Stage Three are fully indoctrinated, becoming religious
addicts. Those unfortunates who are imprisoned in this stage begin to accept
their religious organization and its religious authorities as “the word of God”
and “his only true, anointed prophets/leaders” on earth.
Stage Four—Extremism: Religious slaves who experience Stage Four find
themselves in some of the deepest cesspools and most foul swamps religion has
to offer. Extremism begins to characterize those who are hopelessly in bondage
to their particular religious chain gang. In some cases, individuals at this
stage blow up abortion clinics while others blow up civilian targets of the
“Great Satan.” Those in Stage Four have so totally bought into religion that
they have sold their soul to the devil. Once individuals believe they are
acting on behalf of God, physical violence often follows. This violence in the
name of God can be turned inward, as in self-inflicted wounds,
self-flagellation, self-starvation, and the like. It can be aimed at fellow
religious organizational members as punishment for infractions in the form of
beatings, isolation, exposure, and even torture. When the violence is directed
toward one’s own peers, then it is thought to be “for their own good.” Of
course, the violence also targets perceived enemies of God on the outside using
vandalism, muggings, torture and the severing of body parts. Rules must be
obeyed to please God. Punishing rule-breakers pleases God. Stage Four stops
short of murder, which leads us to Stage Five.
Stage Five—Fanaticism: The most toxic and dangerous religious slaves are
somewhat like robots, so brainwashed that they will take human life in the name
of God. Enemies on religious hit lists may be inside or outside of the
organization. Lynchings, honor killings, assassinations, public beheadings and
suicide bombings are all too familiar examples of religiously motivated
killings. Religious fanatics who experience Stage Five become judges and
executioners, and if “martyred” they become a hero to their fellow-extremists.
In Stage Five, all pain is projected outward, and the enemy is identified,
hated, attacked and annihilated. All inner ugliness is projected onto
“sinners”—all hate (especially self loathing) is projected onto “heretics,” all
of whom must die.
Al Qaeda, by all reports, is a
Stage Five religious organization. The Judean leaders of the 1st century A.D.
were perhaps a Stage Three organization with some Stage Four elements, and with
an unfortunate pattern of using some of its followers who “progressed” into
Stage Five when deemed necessary. They were no Al Qaeda. But they were no
sewing circle either.
The common denominator, the
common ingredient present in all five stages is the rejection of God’s grace.
Each stage progressively diminishes critical freedom and thought, and becomes
more legalistically demanding than the one before. It all begins with the
religious delusion to which humans so easily fall for—the glorification of
human performance. All this hatred, bigotry, violence and mayhem begins with
religion.
