by Eric Walters
Ever since the execution of Saddam Hussein, a hush—a strange, eerie, silence—has overtaken many evangelical Christian online publications, commentaries, and weblogs. Very few, if any, have mentioned the episode. I previously wrote about how America’s failure to capture Osama Bin Laden gave President George W. Bush and neoconservative evangelicals license to fashion Saddam Hussein as the scapegoat for American angst after September 11, 2001. Won’t bother with that again.
This loud silence intrigues me. Perhaps many of the evangelicals who supported and promoted the unjust Iraqi war now sit silently in the dark, in dim shadows because, if they bear any conscience, they might be ashamed of their “Christian” arrogance that helped to fuel the destruction of an entire country that used to be called Iraq.
Perhaps the silence is because watching or imagining a dead body dangle from a noose is gruesome. Let’s face it, hanging just isn’t a “kindler, gentler” form of killing people. And besides, hanging for execution and entertainment purposes has been out of style in America for quite a few decades. We prefer techno-stuff like smart bombs, precision targeted missiles, and lethal injection; it’s so much more nouveau chic, with limited collateral damage to our psyche. Or at least we think so.
For many, Saddam’s hanging was just a bit too close to home. Neoconservative evangelical ideologs who promoted this war in the spirit of nationalism and patriotism must now wrestle with the emptiness and shame that comes from scapegoating Hussein. For their part, President Bush, Dick Cheney, and Tony Blair are predictably silent because the death of Hussein was not the political watershed or catharsis that they expected. If there is verifiable concept of a just war, the Iraqi war does not qualify. Invasion didn’t marshal the virtues of democracy, but instead, revealed man’s inhumanity to man.
[American military casualties, 25,000; almost 3,000 U.S. soldiers are dead; over 650,000 Iraqi civilians are dead. Do the math; calculate the cost.]
Ironically, Hussein got the last word on bloodthirsty neoconservative evangelicals, and on many of us who remain complacent about the criminal nature of this unjust war. The death of Hussein demonstrates to all of us that scapegoating only leads to more death and destruction.
Was Saddam an evil tyrant and dictator? You bet. Was he guilty of crimes against humanity? You bet. Do I believe that God will judge him for that inhumanity? You bet.
But new, and more probing questions must now be asked. Are there tyrants and dictators in America? You bet. Do those tyrants and dictators masquerade as Christians? You bet. Are they guilty of crimes against humanity? You bet. Will God judge the guilty for their inhumanity? You bet.
Eric Walters is Co-Founder of TheoSyst Group.
Ever since the execution of Saddam Hussein, a hush—a strange, eerie, silence—has overtaken many evangelical Christian online publications, commentaries, and weblogs. Very few, if any, have mentioned the episode. I previously wrote about how America’s failure to capture Osama Bin Laden gave President George W. Bush and neoconservative evangelicals license to fashion Saddam Hussein as the scapegoat for American angst after September 11, 2001. Won’t bother with that again.
This loud silence intrigues me. Perhaps many of the evangelicals who supported and promoted the unjust Iraqi war now sit silently in the dark, in dim shadows because, if they bear any conscience, they might be ashamed of their “Christian” arrogance that helped to fuel the destruction of an entire country that used to be called Iraq.
Perhaps the silence is because watching or imagining a dead body dangle from a noose is gruesome. Let’s face it, hanging just isn’t a “kindler, gentler” form of killing people. And besides, hanging for execution and entertainment purposes has been out of style in America for quite a few decades. We prefer techno-stuff like smart bombs, precision targeted missiles, and lethal injection; it’s so much more nouveau chic, with limited collateral damage to our psyche. Or at least we think so.
For many, Saddam’s hanging was just a bit too close to home. Neoconservative evangelical ideologs who promoted this war in the spirit of nationalism and patriotism must now wrestle with the emptiness and shame that comes from scapegoating Hussein. For their part, President Bush, Dick Cheney, and Tony Blair are predictably silent because the death of Hussein was not the political watershed or catharsis that they expected. If there is verifiable concept of a just war, the Iraqi war does not qualify. Invasion didn’t marshal the virtues of democracy, but instead, revealed man’s inhumanity to man.
[American military casualties, 25,000; almost 3,000 U.S. soldiers are dead; over 650,000 Iraqi civilians are dead. Do the math; calculate the cost.]
Ironically, Hussein got the last word on bloodthirsty neoconservative evangelicals, and on many of us who remain complacent about the criminal nature of this unjust war. The death of Hussein demonstrates to all of us that scapegoating only leads to more death and destruction.
Was Saddam an evil tyrant and dictator? You bet. Was he guilty of crimes against humanity? You bet. Do I believe that God will judge him for that inhumanity? You bet.
But new, and more probing questions must now be asked. Are there tyrants and dictators in America? You bet. Do those tyrants and dictators masquerade as Christians? You bet. Are they guilty of crimes against humanity? You bet. Will God judge the guilty for their inhumanity? You bet.
Eric Walters is Co-Founder of TheoSyst Group.
4 comments:
It is very, very sad to learn just how close to home the hanging of Hussein has hit. A story comes from Houston, Texas of how a 10-year old boy was mimicking the video of the hanging and ended his life. Authorities believe the act was not intended to end his life, although he was disappointed that he didn't receive a particular Christmas gift.
The news article indicated that an uncle was watching the video and permitted his nephew to watch with him. I won't even address the knuckle-headness of the uncle.
It's just another indication of how so many adults in today's world focus on self-fullfillment. That is purely what the Bush Administration has excerised. Something else comes to thought as I'm writing is, "Are the number of deaths suffered from this self-fullfillment any less than Hussein's self-fullfillment of deaths he ordered?" George Jr. you are simply a pathetic whoosy.
The story of Bush is somewhat similar to that of the Pharoah in the old testament. George Sr. was seen as allowing the Iraq nation to be somewhat set free. The people of Iraq continued under the dictatorship of Hussein, as opposed to being led by a greater man such as Moses. However, Bush Jr. came along and discovered that he could not allow the people of Irag continue to thrive in a nation in which they had what he thought he so rightly deserved. He called upon his troops, they mounted on their horses and proceeded to CLAIM something which never belonged to Bush Jr. in the first place.
Some churches don't have Pharoah's as we know them from the Old Testament. However, these modern day Reverend's are WILLING to change the course of a church's community vision in order to satisfy their OWN self-fullfillment. Does this sound like a church that many of us attend? (I could of saved this paragraph for the other article of the Church and it becoming Rich)
Omega Slim
It is my understanding that the term scapegoat implies laying one's sins on that which is sinless. Was Hussein sinless. If not, then how can the term scapegoat be applied correctly to him. Did he participate directly or indirectly in the murder of other human beings? His country has capital punishment laws. Should Hussein not be subject to the same laws that he used?
To comment on scapegoating, one who is made to bear the blame for other, or suffer in their place. I agree with the author that Hussein was used as a scapegoat for GBJr. If you clear your eyes and look at the broad picture, why are we in Iraq, What have we accomplished there, why, why, why, are our soldiers dying there. Lets stay in prayer for our Leaders, churches and fellow-countryman.
I shed no tears for Saddam, sure he was a scapegoat, but his execution is of no consequence, he reaped what he sowed. Hopefully for him, he recieved the Gospel and repented before he dealt with the worldly consequences for his actions.
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