Of course, Jesus was never a Christian. He was a Jew, a wise and
outspoken teacher. Jesus taught at a time when the harsh hand of Rome
ruled, and the people looked for a strong leader to take them to the
Promised Land. Jesus filled the bill.
Today we can see from the lessons of history that giving away such a
burden will never work, no matter how high we have elevated that
leader. If Jesus taught us one lesson, it is that we cannot rely on
others to save us. I must stand up for myself. Each of you must rely
on yourselves. Only when we understand this truth, will we be able to
be strong enough to remove Capitalism and set in its place,
Collectivism.
Carl Jarvis
On 12/25/18, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Jesus Christ Would Be Appalled by America's Immigration Policy
Major Danny Sjursen, a Truthdig regular, is a U.S. Army officer and former
history instructor at West Point. He served tours with reconnaissance units
in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has written a memoir and critical analysis of
the Iraq War, Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of
the Surge. He lives with his wife and four sons in Lawrence, Kansas.
Thomas Hawk / Flickr
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
Do you know what I know
In your palace warm, mighty king,
Do you know what I know
A child, a child shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold..
-Lyrics to the famous Christmas song, "Do You Hear What I Hear," written by
Gloria Shayne Baker & Noel Regney during the October 1962 Cuban Missile
Crisis.
Whether or not you believe Jesus was the literal Son of God-I have doubts
myself-two truths remain salient at this time of year: America is, by and
large, the most religious (Christian) wealthy country on the planet; and
the
founder of that religion was, according to its holy book, a refugee.
Depending on the gospel you favor, Christ was born on the run from wicked
King Herod, spending the first years of his life not in his reputed
birthplace, Bethlehem, but in Egypt and/or the small village of Nazareth in
the Galilee.
Ironic then, isn't it, that so many Americans lack empathy for a new
generation of refugees- many of them victims of U.S. foreign policy
generally and its militarism specifically. This has been especially true
for
people of color, which constitute the vast majority of migrants seeking
refuge and repatriation today. As 2018 turns to 2019, the largest migration
of people since the end of World War II has become a global crisis. And
U.S.
military policy is at least partly-if not mostly-responsible for some of
the
worst humanitarian disasters the world over.
The most shocking indictment of U.S. government action comes in Yemen,
already the Arab world's poorest country before the terror bombing and
starvation blockade began. Here, the American military is deeply complicit
in a Saudi-led, Washington-supported war on the Yemeni people. Without U.S.
intelligence, munitions, in-flight refueling and international cover, Saudi
Arabia's villainous regime could never have starved or bombed people,
mostly
civilians, with such effectiveness.
The results have been nothing less than horrifying: tens of thousands of
civilians killed in air strikes, 85,000 children already starved to death,
the world's worst cholera epidemic spreading, and, yes, the creation of
more
than 3 million refugees. Imagine the popular outcry if those starving faces
and bodies were white and Christian. (Side note: our beloved Jesus was
himself rather brown, despite the best efforts of the institutional church
to literally whitewash that inconvenient fact). To their credit, the U.S.
Senate has voted, however belatedly, to end U.S. support for that war.
Still, don't expect a change in Washington's criminal policies any time
soon: the president has announced his intention to veto the resolution, and
the Senate thus far lacks the votes to override him.
In the Gaza Strip, the most densely populated sliver of the planet earth,
Israel has forged the largest, all but permanent refugee camp in the
world-this with the unconditional backing of the U.S. Now in its 11th year,
the inhuman blockade of Gaza has reduced Palestinians trapped in the Strip
to a state of complete dependency on humanitarian aid, according to the
United Nations. And when the Gazans have the gall to protest their
deplorable (and preventable) conditions, they are indiscriminately mowed
down by Israeli Defense Forces. None of this would be possible, again,
without the support of Washington's $3 billion in annual military aid and
the reflexive cover of America's most powerful institutions.
Forgetting, conveniently, that Jesus Christ was himself a brown Palestinian
(Jew), the U.S. has relegated the Gazans to second-class citizenship,
subjugating them to an increasingly unhinged, far-right Israeli government.
For good measure, and as a final slap in the face to Palestinian
sovereignty, President Donald Trump has also unilaterally moved the U.S.
Embassy to Jerusalem. Despite it being home to three world religions, the
region is now for Jews only, Washington has apparently decided.
Paradoxically, and ever so cynically, American evangelicals have thrown
their full support behind the decision. A staggering 30 percent of
Americans
believe that end times are near and that backing of the Israeli government
will help usher in Jesus' return. Of course, according to the evangelical
view, when the messiah does materialize, all those Jews will promptly go to
hell unless they except Christianity, but that's a risk Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his reactionary government is willing to
take. The $3 billion in arms support goes a long way, I suppose.
Then there's the migrant crisis on America's own southern border. The
president, naturally, wants a "tremendous" wall to keep the stream of
asylum-seeking men, women and children out of the country. He's even proved
willing to shut down the government until he receives funding for his
"artistically designed steel slats." This Christmas, in fact, American
soldiers will spend the holiday season stationed on the border to halt an
"invasion" that isn't an invasion at all but a collection of impoverished
refugees seeking a better way of life. While celebrating the virgin birth
of
their refugee savior, away from their families, these troops will continue
sealing off the border with what the president has called "beautiful"
barbed
wire, empathy be damned. So much for Lady Liberty's call to "give me your
tired, your poor, your huddled masses. ."
To return to Americans' favored theology, let us admit the baby Jesus was
born a refugee, and the grown Jesus essentially died one. Beginning his
preaching mission, Christ had "nowhere to lay his head" (Matthew 8.20; Luke
9.58), and he and his followers counted on the hospitality of ordinary
villagers to survive (Mark 6.8-11; Matthew 10.9-11; Luke 9.3). Reflect for
just a moment this Christmas on the starving Yemeni children, perennially
blockaded Gazans and the migrants tear-gassed on America's southern border
or separated from their parents. Think then, as the song says, of the
children "shivering in the cold."
When you do, ask what role America, our government, has played in creating
and perpetuating the latest refugee crises. Is the United States living up
to the ostensible ethics of its zealously proclaimed Christianity? The
oldest gospel speaks of Jesus telling his transient apostles this: "And if
any place will not receive you and refuse to hear you, shake off the dust
on
your feet when you leave, for a testimony to them" (Mark 6.11).
This author, at least, reads that passage with much discomfort. Our
country,
which today does most of its teaching with bombs, is complicit in some of
the worst humanitarian and refugee crises in the world. And, by and large,
it will not receive its victims, refuses to hear them and bars entry to
most. That this is so, is, I fear, an unforgivable testimony to us all.
Merry Christmas, America.
Major Danny Sjursen, a Truthdig regular, is a U.S. Army officer and former
history instructor at West Point. He served tours with reconnaissance units