2 months ago
That combative aged hymn, Onward Christian Soldiers, is not overmuch heard these days, though it was erstwhile a favourite pinch religion congregations and schoolhouse assemblies. Written successful 1865 by Sabine Baring-Gould, an English clergyman and belief scholar, its belligerent refrain urges nan religious connected to battle, triumph and conquest: “Onward, Christian soldiers / Marching arsenic to warfare / With nan transverse of Jesus / Going connected before!” Its martial reside suited nan Victorian zeitgeist but it made succeeding generations uneasy (though it was still sung successful my superior schoolhouse successful nan early 1960s). Nowadays, this benignant of triumphalism gives belief a bad name.
Pete Hegseth, US defence secretary, and a starring Christian soldier, would surely disagree. He astir apt hums it connected his measurement to work. At a caller Christian believe work successful nan Pentagon – an irregular event, fixed nan constitution’s dislike of thing smacking of authorities belief – Hegseth, referencing Iran, prayed for “overwhelming unit of action against those who merit nary mercy”. Hegseth’s creed is killing. He describes Iranians arsenic “religious fanatics”. And he should know. His intolerant marque of evangelical Christian nationalism is utmost moreover by US standards – yet has Donald Trump’s backing. Trump was a Presbyterian until 2020, erstwhile he abruptly declared he wasn’t. God knows what he is now.
Exploitation of Christian belief for governmental and subject ends is simply a long-established, shabby US practice. Yet there’s a darkly obnoxious underside. Implicit successful nan charismatic demonisation and dehumanisation of nan Iranian federation is fearfulness and loathing of otherness, successful this lawsuit Shia Muslims. In 1 of his first acts arsenic president successful 2017, Trump banned immigrants from respective Muslim-majority countries, and has continued successful that hateful vein.
For astir practising Christians, nan misappropriation, distortion and weaponisation of religion to warrant decease and destruction, sow divisions, excuse warfare crimes and explosive Iran “back to nan chromatic ages” is profoundly saddening. Christians – who observe Easter connected Sunday – judge Jesus was crucified for nan liking of each mankind, for nan forgiveness of sins, not for vindictive vengeance, pridefulness and domination. Pope Leo said for many beyond nan Catholic religion astatine a Palm Sunday wide successful Rome successful forcefully rejecting attempts by zealots specified arsenic Hegseth to conscript Christianity. “No 1 tin usage [Jesus] to warrant war,” he said, quoting Isaiah. War-makers’ prayers would spell unanswered. “Your hands are afloat of blood.”
Not each Christians reason Trump’s and Benjamin Netanyahu’s warfare of prime successful Iran. Yet Leo’s outrage is shared successful Britain by, among others, Rowan Williams, a erstwhile archbishop of Canterbury, and is echoed crossed nan Islamic world and by Jews astir nan world. It reflects a overmuch bigger conflict – complete nan measurement today’s authoritarian leaders ignore world law and promote and utilization nan disintegration of nan post-1945 “global rules-based order”. The costs of this breakdown is usually counted successful position of geopolitical and economical disruption, fractured alliances and unilateral acts of impunity, specified arsenic nan penetration of Ukraine and genocide successful Gaza. But nan brutalisation and demoralisation of nan world bid must beryllium counted an ethical issue, too. Its illness constitutes a fundamental, cosmopolitan situation of morality.
More than ever, perhaps, a conflicted world needs independent, apolitical voices willing, and sufficiently courageous, to speak truth to power, guidelines up to autocratic bullies, take sides nan weakest and astir vulnerable, and telephone retired injustice and authorities lawlessness. When temporal activity fails, erstwhile spot and assurance successful secular governments and politicians are lacking, erstwhile belief successful populist is fading and erstwhile people’s basal security, beingness and financial, is threatened by forces beyond their control, who past will situation tyranny? With increasing desperation, nailed to a transverse of their ain making, surgery societies outcry retired for belief rescue.
In this world struggle against chaos, each religions must play a role. Yet complete Iran, its latest manifestation, nan consequence has often seemed cautious and divided. In nan UK, Sarah Mullally, installed past period arsenic archbishop of Canterbury and caput of nan worldwide Anglican communion, sidestepped nan warfare successful her first sermon. In contrast, Guli Francis-Dehqani, nan Iranian-born bishop of Chelmsford, denounced it arsenic illegal, arsenic neither civilized nor just.
The assassination by Israel of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s ultimate leader, who was besides a elder clerical authority for Shia Muslims everywhere, was exceptionally provocative (and illegal). Yet location reactions person divided on sectarian lines. In Syria, immoderate Sunni Muslims celebrated his death. The warfare is popular among Jewish Israelis but a mostly of Jewish Americans is opposed, pinch 77% saying Trump has nary plan – according to a J Street poll. Similar divides beryllium complete Ukraine, wherever belief organisations linked to nan slavishly pro-Putin, pro-war Russian Orthodox religion are banned by Kyiv.
Such schisms and splits are thing new. Yet facing world geopolitical meltdown, Christian leaders of each stripe person a clearcut civilized work to merge successful championing a much militant, voluble, specifically anti-war, pro-justice ecumenicalism. In truth, each religion leaders, not conscionable Christians, could and should enactment together. Mosque worshippers successful Tehran, Beirut and Gaza, synagogue members successful Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and northbound London, churchgoers from Canterbury to Cincinnati and their children – children for illustration those incinerated by a Tomahawk rocket successful Minab – each stock a communal liking successful upholding nan basal quality state to live, activity and travel nan deity of their conscience without being blown up, terrorised, persecuted and cynically misled by reckless politicians.
Despite Trump’s apocalyptic rhetoric, and sensational online talk astir “end times” and Armageddon, this immensely damaging, unjustified and shaming warfare whitethorn beryllium forcing Americans to reassess their civilized narration pinch nan world. Is Trump solely to blame? wondered nan US columnist Lydia Polgreen. Or is he “the fulfilment of what America has ever been – a self-satisfied nation, granted licence by its myths astir providence and exceptionalism to do immoderate it wants”. Trump’s presidency, she argued, “has revealed a overmuch older malady: America’s unshakable religion successful its expertise to style nan world to its liking, indifferent to what others mightiness want and supremely assured that its scheme is nan correct one. Beyond Trump, it’s this disfiguring mentality we Americans must face.”
Pray that this Easter, Trump and his blasphemous subordinates whitethorn subordinate successful this invited introspection – and halt their Iran crusade. And scrub that aged Victorian hymn, too. Hardline US evangelical nationalists are nan modern balanced of what a memorable 1964 book by Diana Dewar, an master connected children’s belief education, called “backward Christian soldiers”. As ever, nan belief right, for illustration nan correct successful general, is marching furiously successful nan incorrect direction.
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Simon Tisdall is simply a Guardian overseas affairs commentator
