"Then an odd thought occurred to me: What if the Amish were in charge of the war on terror? What if, on the evening of Sept. 12, 2001, we had gone to Osama bin Laden’s house (metaphorically, of course, since we didn’t know where he lived!) and offered him forgiveness? What if we had invited the families of the hijackers to the funerals of the victims of 9/11? What if a portion of The September 11th Fund had been dedicated to relieving poverty in a Muslim country? What if we dignified the burial of their dead by our respectful grief?
"What if, instead of seeking vengeance, we had stood together in human pain, looking honestly at the shared sin and sadness we suffered? What if we had tried to make peace?
"So, here’s my modest proposal. We’re five years too late for an Amish response to 9/11. But maybe we should ask them to take over the Department of Homeland Security. After all, actively practicing forgiveness and making peace are the only real alternatives to perpetual fear and a multi-generational global religious war.
"I can’t imagine any other path to true security. And nobody else can figure out what to do to end this insane war. Why not try the Christian practice of forgiveness? If it worked in Lancaster, maybe it will work in Baghdad, too." - Diana Butler Bass
A month or so ago, I began reading Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw, a book written to point out all the many reasons why Jesus would never run for President. If you want your faith strengthened, your mind stretched, and your ideologies questioned, I highly recommend this book. But I warn you, you may wind up becoming a pacifistic, Jesus-loving environmentalist who is convinced that America, with its debt and greed-driven capitalism (Fannie Mae? Fannie Mac? $5 Trillion of Debt? Need I say more?) and foreign policy (which has led to the death of 1 million Iraqis since 2003), is not the hope the world has been waiting for but Jesus alone - lived out by a Community of people serious enough to follow in his leading. Heck, read the book for its sheer accessibility and enjoyability (the book is full of artwork, quotes from a vast diversity of people, and is quite easy to read).
2 comments:
Today I heard this FANTASTIC interview from a woman who made a documentary on Rwandan reconciliation...keep your eyes peeled for when it comes out! Website for the documentary is www.asweforgivemovie.com. Your post makes me think of the radical idea of forgiveness, in what you say, in this documentary, and in people's call-in responses.
hey where did you go?? Did you fall off the proverbial planet? We want baby news!!! And you know you have to give the people what they want.
(confession: I just wanted to use the word "proverbial").
On a more serious note, I was reading your blog and thinking about how much you have changed since high school, and then I was thinking about how much I have changed since high school, which in turn got me wondering, "do you (I) ever wish you (I) could go back and talk to the person we once were?" And a follow-up, do you think they would listen?
Post a Comment