A MEANINGFUL ANTIDOTE FOR TERRORISM

Another terrorist attack! It happened this past week in Bernardino California and, oddly enough, by a young couple with a six-month baby. Shocking! How can that be? What could possibly lead a young couple to go on a murder spree, killing 14 people and planing to kill many more? Most puzzling is why—Why would a young mother with a baby choose to become a terrorist? Some they were “radicalized” by their religion. What does it mean to be radicalized by religion? How does that happen? How could they think they are doing their “religious duty” and blame Islam for this way of thinking?

Prior to carrying out the murders and dying in a shootout, Tashfeen Malik, the woman swore her allegiance to ISIS on Facebook. She apparently “radicalized” her American husband, Syed Rizwan Farook. In contrast, the entire Farook family and the Muslim community in that area strongly condemned the killings. This speaks about the contrast between people of the Muslim faith who are not “radicalized” and those who are. Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik, like many deluded people before them, thought it acceptable to create terror in the name of Allah. This is an insult to peaceful Muslims and every time it happens, it threatens to further discredit Islam.

Now while I cannot speak for the Islam faith (I don’t know it well enough) I can speak for the Christian faith (my first master’s degree was in Biblical Language and Literature). From that perspective I can identify the Christian principles that prevent one from the crazy thinking that validates killing. Accepting these principles effectively inoculates one against twisted thinking that justifies killing. This also explains why “Christians” are not involved in “holy wars” or acts of terrorism.

Starting with the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that in relating to neighbors and enemies, we should love them, we should bless them, we should give to them without expecting anything in return. These are the kind of ideas that create “a religion of peace.” Anyone who is your “enemy” and anyone who is ‘persecuting” you is not someone to hate or kill, but someone to seek to understand, want the best for, forgive, etc.

“You have heard that it has been said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, ‘Love your enemies, bless them who curse you, do good to them who hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:43-44) “As you would that men should do to you, do you also to them likewise. For if you love them who love you, what thank have you? For sinners also love those who love them. And if you do good to them who do good to you, what thank have you? For sinners also do even the same. And if you lend to them of whom you have to received, what thank have you? For sinners also lends to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the highest; for he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil.” (Luke 6:31-35)

Later in stating the first and second commandments, that is, the most important commands, Jesus compares the love we should have for others as the same kind of love that we should have for ourselves.

“Jesus said, ‘Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment, and the second it like unto it, ‘Thou shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39) To posit “the first and great commandment” in these words completely eliminates anyone from ever thinking that he has any right to hurt people. That’s an inoculation passage against every kind of revenge killing.

Of course, my favorite anti-fundamentalist passage and statement that establishes the foundation for followers to be psychologically healthy is Paul’s statement to Timothy. In urging him to be courageous and not governed by fear or timidity, he explains the “spirit” that God gives: “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (II Timothy 1:7) Any religious message of fear is not from God. That’s not the spirit (attitude) that God encourages. Instead, he gives the spirit of power, love, and sanity. These are our basic needs and create a healthy perspective. We need a sense of power so we feel that we have some control in our lives— self-control and the ability to respond (response-ability). We need love so that we feel compassion, concern, empathy, and even sympathy with others. This allows us to humanize them and treat them as equally valued persons. We need sound mind or sanity so that we can comprehend what’s real and what’s not, to understand life as we experience it, and rationally think things through. In another passage Paul urges critical thinking: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (I Thessalonians 5:21-22) I could continue, but these sufficiently establish the basic principles for Christians to be psychologically healthy—caring about others, accepting that life is often unfair, forgiving hurts, getting on with life, mentally “proving” things (critical thinking), and abstaining from evil. Passages like these, as well as the list of the “fruit of the spirit” (e.g., love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, humility, self-control, Galatians 5:22-23), prevent one from being radicalized. These ideas innoculate one against any “religious killing.”

To prevent Muslims from being radicalized, I call upon Muslim leaders and clerics to make their peaceful principles more predominant. In Mosques they need to be speaking about compassion, kindness, and love. Because every outbreak of “Muslim” terrorism like this besmirches Islam, the religious leaders need to be stepping up to condemn the terrorists acts who murder “infidels.” They need to be teaching tolerance, non-violence, and even love for one’s enemies.

I don’t know if there are such passages in the Koran but surely in a “religion of peace” as Islam is presented, there have to be such passages somewhere—passages which need to be presented thousands of times at Mosques to create a mindset of peace as an antidote to the pathology of the terrorists who have been hijacking Islam. So for any and all who are leaders in Muslim communities, it’s time to step up and change the culture to one of peace and love. When that’s the meaning, the performance will follow.