Love Mercy, do Justice, and . . .

Batoche

A man walks into a mosque during Friday prayers with an automatic weapon and clips of ammunition and commences emptying his weapon over and over into the crowd. He manages only about 100 dead and wounded but according to his manifesto, his deed falls well short of his intentions.

Claiming, apparently, that his act was retaliation for acts of violence by Muslims in Europe, one may be left to wonder if the perpetrator saw himself as the Christian god’s avenger, or if he possibly fell into a recurring pattern so often connected to violence particularly by lone individuals, namely the feeling of worthlessness, of rejection sublimated in a fixation on a perceived enemy and the most “noticeable” act of violence against that enemy.

The Holocaust should have taught us to watch for the signs that fixated hatreds can become epidemic in a population where unfairness and injustice are allowed to flourish. So far, the overwhelming rhetoric surrounding the New Zealand massacre has been a condemning of the violence, a comforting of the victims and declarations of solidarity with their sorrow, but what about tomorrow?

Christians are being routinely attacked in separate incidents in Pakistan and Egypt, the attacks against Muslims in predominantly Christian countries is on the rise. Populations neglected, discarded in the public arena become vulnerable to manifestos of hatred against minorities. We should know this.

History seems to tell us that violence against perceived enemies will always happen, if for no other reason than that we are humans with free wills, have needs for recognition and acceptance, are sensitive about injustice and unfairness, and increasingly have the means to do massive mayhem. Marc Lepine was obsessed with the certainty that feminists were responsible for his feelings of worthlessness and he took his misdirected, awful revenge. 

Events like the Christchurch massacre, 9/11, Shock and Awe, etc. can easily lead us to the conclusion that there are religious wars building. I suspect that a better explanation for the shocking events of our time is found in the depths of human nature itself.

A practicing Muslim, for instance, could hardly see this admonition from God through Mohamed as anything but key to his behaviour: “You who believe! show integrity for the sake of Allah, bearing witness with justice. Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not being just. Be just. That is closer to taqwa. Fear [and respect] Allah. Allah is aware of what you do. (Surat al-Maida, 8)”

An obedient Christian, similarly, can hardly skate around this admonition from Christ: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5: 43-45, KJV)”

Is there anything we as Christian believers can do besides “send our thoughts and prayers” at such a time and after such horrible events? What action logically follows upon the admonition in Micah 6:8 (What does the Lord require of you but to love mercy, do justice and walk humbly with your God.) If we were to take more seriously what we already know, namely that injustice invariably breeds violence, would we not be unflagging advocates for the just society so that violence would never gain a foothold? So that worshipers need never again die in a hail of bullets while at prayer? So that no visible minority need again be made scapegoats for the rage of the few against perceived or real injustice?

In Canada, enormous injustice arose out of the displacement of indigenous people to make room for settlement. The benefit to settlers at the expense of the indigenous peoples resulted in a massive, persistent injustice. For starters, let’s follow our own scriptures in doing what we can so that this injustice is rectified. Otherwise, we may end up with no other choice but to fortify our walls, barricade our homes to protect ourselves against violence.

“Love mercy, do justice and walk humbly with your God.”