Which Side is God on?

Events in various parts of the globe - especially Egypt and Tunisia - have shown the transitory nature of political regimes - nothing seems to last in the world of politics and government. recent upheaval in Egypt and Tunisia have displayed a rarity for the middle east. The political changes seem to encompass a diversity of faiths (click here for more). Instead of Muslims versus Christians or other religious tensions, Muslims and Christians are coming together to bring down political establishments.

A BBC reporter witnessed this rare unity:

I saw three elderly men, two Muslims clutching gilded copies of the Koran, arms flung around a third, hugging an ornate cross to his chest.

A group of young men and women belted out a song of the 1919 revolution, accompanied by a guitar. "Arise O Egypt, arise. Arise Egyptians: Muslims, Christians and Jews."

We have grown used to seeing the very opposite of this. Too often, both sides of a conflict will claim God to be on their side. In recent years, in the United States, Muslim terrorists have attacked or attempted to attack American targets for religious reasons. Often, the American response has been religious.

Soon after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush addressed congress and forthrightly claimed divine sponsorship of the American cause:

The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them. (source)

So, how do you know when God is on your side?

Abraham Lincoln explored this conundrum in his second inaugural address. He pondered upon the fact that both sides of the conflict thought that God was with them. Abolitionists of the North claimed that God had called them to fight for justice on behalf of the enslaved. Southerners felt sure that Slavery and State sovereignty was a divine mandate.

Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes.
- Abraham Lincoln (read the rest here)

In other words, God wasn't on wither side.

The question we will explore for our conversation is Which Side is God On? How do you know? How does God's will affect your political and moral proclivities?

Join us, Thursday, 7pm at Short's for a discussion about God and picking sides.

Spirituality and Opium

Karl Marx once famously stated that "religion is the opiate of the masses." What Marx meant by that is that religion is a place that people flee in times of hardship instead of actually doing something about it.

Do you think that is true? Does religion hinder social progress? Does faith keep us sated while inequality runs rampant? Are we too doped up by spirituality to see the reality around us?

Join us at Shorts Brewing tonight for an interesting conversation on whether faith inhibits or initiates positive societal change.

Torture and Faith

Disclaimer: The following is one person's opinion and not necessarily yours or any organization's. It belongs to the author, alone.

Some people carry around the tag "American" like it is a woeful burden. Not me. I love my country. I always have. However, there are times when my country's government does things that are hard to accept, times that seem shameful.

I was hopeful that the previous administration would have ended the dreadful practice of torture and inhuman interrogation. However, I had to wait until our current administration to see such an injunction come to pass. I am glad that the president signed the injunction and hopeful that our country can leave such madness behind.

What does this have to do with faith?

Faith should remind our leaders of basic moral rights that God gave to every human being. Without faith, I worry how our moral compass will work. America has faith and should look to its faith(s) to inform it s policies.

No matter where you are at politically, I believe that the idea of torturing another human being should shock and nauseate. It is sad to me that America would allow things to be done to other humans that we have outlawed against animals.

The notion that national security is a legitimate reason for such acts is also an inadequate reason. For, every act of torture lessens us as human beings. No matter what an inmate has done, does he deserve to be treated as less than an animal - like a lab rat? Additionally, can we really expect good to come as a result of an evil deed?

Martin Luther King JR said,

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

This nation has unprecedented dangers and threats to respond to. It is our government's responsibility to keep its citizens safe. However, we must be careful not to violate our most intrinsic values in the process of securing our lives and our liberty. we cannot achieve morality through immoral means, and if we do, what have we really gained?

We have tried for years now to pursue a means of securing our nation that resembles the tactics of Jack Bauer more than the high ideals of our greatest spiritual leaders. As a person of faith, I am thankful for the wise and moral decision of our current leader, and I am not alone in this gratitude.

So, what do you think of torture and faith's role in the conversation?