WWJD in IRAQ?
by Tom Blodget
[10-19-02]
As this nation debates going to war, and reels from a
decade of institutionalized and glorified greed, it might be wise to
refer to one of the "gold standards" for behavior - the gospel
of Jesus. Certainly any Christian who has ever uttered the phrase
"What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD)" might find this exercise
profitable.
Although many of the Founding Fathers were enlightened
humanitarians, skeptical of organized religion, a great many were
Christians. Today, most of those who govern the USA profess to be
Christians; many invoke God in their public pronouncements and are known
to attend Church. Thus it is fair to ask aloud just what part of the
gospels they practice, and which part they ignore. Why not examine what
Jesus did and said, and see how their words and deeds measure up?
DID JESUS EVER SAY...? [Find his actual message in
brackets]
"Blessed are the warmakers, for they shall be
called sons of God. Kill those who you fear may kill you."
["Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of
God." Matthew 5:9]
"Those who live by the sword shall not only live,
but prosper by the sword." ["Put your sword back in its
place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword shall
die by the sword." Matthew 10:52]
"The rich shall forever rule the earth, so adjust
your loyalties accordingly." ["Blessed are the meek, for they
shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5]
"It is written, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth
for a tooth'; but now I say to you justice is better served by taking
out ten eyes for every eye, and ten teeth for every tooth"?
["You have heard it said, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for
a tooth; but I tell you, do not resist an evil person." Matthew
5:38-39]
"State your devotion to God often when making
public pronouncements that are devoted to politics, the economy, and
war, and associate it with the ends you are pursuing, as this is
pleasing to God." ["Not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord,'
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven." Matthew 7:21]
"Blame the poor and the suffering for their
condition, and ignore their plight; they deserve what is happening to
them." ["But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, and the blind." Luke 14:13] and ["Give to
the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to
borrow from you." Matthew 5:42]
"Forgive no one. Those who wrong you are wrong.
By forgiving them, you excuse the wrong, and only encourage them."
["If you do not forgive people their sins, your Father will not
forgive your sins." Matthew 6:15]
"Hate those who hate you; were they worthy of
your love, they would already love you. Tell me, if you love those who
hate you, why are you to be commended for that? Only a fool would return
love to hate. Loving those who hate you only encourages them to take
further advantage of you." ["If you love those who love you,
what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them."
Luke 6:32]
Seeing the familiar sayings of Jesus rewritten in
their reverse form offers the benefit of their being more instantly
recognizable to all of us, since we are either totally guilty of the
descriptions herein, or have had to witness them. As always, there is
still hope, there is still time; it is never too late for an epiphany.
Tom Blodget teaches
Spanish at Butte College and Shasta College in California.
Source: Sojourners 2002 (c) http://www.sojo.net
