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| Discovering Love |
As mentioned in the previous section, there is in the air a great stir about morality with an undercurrent of us vs. them. While I have alluded to love (the Golden Rule) as the moral principle to be applied, let us now look systematically at the difference the moral principle of love can make.[45] An appeal to morality tends to label someone the enemy and justifies a witch-hunt. In the history of Christianity, an appeal to morality often resulted in the followers of the nonviolent Jesus cheerfully committing acts of atrocity against other religions (see the Crusades). When not directed toward other religions, the moral zeal focused on wiping out heresy (see the Spanish Inquisition and the religious wars in Europe between Catholics and Protestants between 1500 and 1648). Somewhere the idea of overcoming evil with good got lost in the zeal to bring in the kingdom of God with the sword.[46] Jesus indicated that his kingdom was not of this world.[47] The kingdom of God once equaled the borders of the Roman Empire. Colonialism and the modern mission movement coincided with the general outlook that the laws of Christ were to become the laws of the nations, bringing in an earthly kingdom of God. Today, in some Christian circles, political activism and even foreign policy are being dictated by the notion that Christ will return and establish an earthly kingdom through political and military action on our part. Forces within Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism are all interpreting the political domination of land areas as essential to their visions of faith, setting up bloody conflicts in the name of God. How sad that we seem bent on returning to an era of religious wars. Perhaps it is time to return to the words of Jesus in his answer to the legalistic Pharisees who inquired about the first and great commandment. The Pharisees were, after all, the spiritual ancestors of all who believe that law is the answer to civilization's imperfections. According to Jesus, loving God is the first moral law, and loving one's neighbor as though you were that neighbor is the corollary.[48] In fact, Jesus brought love to bear on every interpretation of law.[49] The cross became the central symbol of Christianity because the death of Jesus on the cross revealed the power and wisdom of Love.[50] Yet what is the meaning of love? Jesus gave his definition clearly in what we know as the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated.[51] Jesus maintained that such love fulfilled all the law dictated and all the prophets proclaimed. One is to take the initiative in loving others rather than merely not doing something. Love means putting yourself in the skin of another, looking at the situation from the other person's point of view, and then asking yourself how you would like to be treated. Love is essential for all social relationships, so parents must teach love rather than rules. However, love without empathy (putting yourself in the skin of the other) becomes only another legalistic burden. The Golden Rule is not easy to apply and may involve us in conflict. If I were an alcoholic hurting the people around me and not remembering my drunken behavior, would I want someone to love me enough to confront me? If I were a child molester, unable to control my actions, would I want someone to love me enough to prevent me from acting out such behavior? If I were an employee not doing my job, would I want my boss to confront me before firing me? If I were an employer abusing my employees, would I want someone to confront me before my best employees quit? Moral sensitivity is involved in answering such questions. Love is not soft and mushy passivity.[52] The nonviolent love of Jesus led him to a cross. Think of the difference the Golden Rule would make if applied. If I were my boss, would I want my employees to come to work ready to put 100% effort into getting the job done? If I were my employee, would I want to be treated with respect and paid a good wage? If I were gay, would I want to be abused, threatened, beaten up, and denied my rights as a citizen? If I were Black, Hispanic, Anglo, or an immigrant, would I want to be treated with respect? We dehumanize others in order to justify not loving. Jesus, however, deprived us of exceptions by telling us to love our enemies, love those who persecute us, and love those who abuse us.[53] Of course, a society must have laws, but a lawsuit is a failure of love just as criminal behavior is a failure of love.[54] Good attorneys often help clients settle cases out of court, calming emotions and finding solutions. Love always does more than law would ever require. We can destroy a society with a pathological obsession with law that pits economic groups against one another, social groups against one another, and racial groups against one another. On the other hand, we can apply the moral principle of love to social problems as well as to problems between individuals. We can apply the moral principle of love to foreign policy and treat other nations as we would like to be treated. I am aware in some circles that moral principles are thought not to apply to foreign policy, just as in some circles moral principles are thought not to apply in the boardroom. However, I disagree. The ugly American is more than the result of individual conduct of Americans abroad. The successful functioning of a nation in the world is related to the concept of law and to the application of love (the Golden Rule). Individuals in power (administrations) carry out foreign policy; thus, foreign policy is about relationships. Conflict resolution requires the moral principle of the Golden Rule. Freedom separated from love leads to destruction; but the whole moral law is fulfilled in one word: love your neighbor as though you were that neighbor.[55] _________________________ [45] This chapter is essentially an essay I published in local newspapers and on my web page under the title of "Saving America." Minor adjustments in wording have been made to fit the context of the current discussion. In this section I am simply taking the New Testament teachings about love and stating them briefly. [46] Romans 12:21 [47] See John 18:36 & Matthew 26:51-52. [48] Matthew 22:34-40 ]49] See John 8:3-11. [50] See I Corinthians 1:18-26 & Romans 5:8. [51] Matthew 7:12 [52] Matthew 23:13-38 [53] Luke 6:27-35 [54] I Corinthians 6:7-8 [55] Galatians 5:13-15 (C) 2004, Don Mize |