This past summer I was fortunate enough to spend four days in one of the world’s most fascinating cities, Paris. There is elegance in Paris, but also earthiness, sensuality and vibrant aliveness. Just sitting in a Paris café watching the world go by is one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had.
It is hard to believe that there are people in the world who would violently attack the people in those cafes and the young partiers at a rock concert. How could they be so tragically wrong about life? And yet this has actually happened, and not just in Paris. We have to accept that harsh reality. We may love peace, but right now, every civilized country has to pitch in and rid the world of these violent marauders.
It has been said before, but it must be said again. These fools do not represent Islam. Every Muslim leader I know or have read about makes it perfectly clear that this insanity is not Islam. Some people point to violent passages in the Koran, but there are violent passages in all the scriptures and in secular literature as well.
Karen Armstrong, one of the world’s foremost authors on religion, makes a powerful argument in her latest book, “Fields of Blood.” She says that human nature itself includes a tendency toward violence, and that this violence gets inserted into scripture and into everything else for that matter. Both religious and non-religious people have done horrible things and wonderful things.
Now our country is debating whether or not we should welcome refugees from Syria into our country. These poor people are fleeing a country being blown apart, not just by ISIS, but by a cruel, compassionless dictator, and numerous other factions including our military forces too, no matter how well meaning. These are human beings fleeing for their very lives.
Do we as Americans have a place for even a small number of such refugees? We are hearing diverse answers to that question. Some politicians say we should take only Christian refugees. That answer is deeply embarrassing for a country that claims to stand for religious freedom. Others say we should not take any. There is just no room in our inn for those in need. Never mind the Christmas story or the statue in the harbor welcoming all the down trodden to our land. Yet others say we need more vetting, but on the day of the House vote, none of them could say what kind of vetting was lacking in the established system. Perhaps vetting techniques are not the real issue.
We are in the season of hope, hope that love will triumph and peace on earth will come. But peace will not come unless we express peace and compassion in our own lives, in our institutions and in our public policy. If we turn away the stranger in need or value some human lives more than others we can’t expect peace to just happen anyway. If we can’t treat people of different faiths with respect and dignity, good luck finding peace.
Our world is facing deadly challenges on many fronts. There is a time for clear boundaries and a time to open our arms. No, you can not commit violence on defenseless citizens of any background or religion. Yes, we will do all we can to treat the wounded, feed the children, and open our doors to those who desperately need a refuge from the hell of war. On this path lies the best chance for peace on earth.
Michael Brown is the minister at Universalist Unitarian Church in Peoria where he has served since 1991. Social justice and interfaith dialogue are among his areas of particular interest.