THE AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE

The reflection below was on the Goshen College FM station, WGCS. Marlin Jeschske taught philosophy and religion at GC for 30 plus years. In retirement he does a regular radio editorial on the station.

It doesn't seem to be appropriate to continue with commentary as usual on this American Religious Landscape broadcast after the nationally traumatic events of yesterday, Sept. 11, 2001. The terrorist attacks upon the New York trade center towers and upon the Pentagon in Washington are on a scale unprecedented in American history and will long reverberate in America's collective memory. What's more, this attack will have a long train of repercussions in our society, affecting our travel, security measures every where, our consciousness of the vulnerabilities of our cities, the loss of a public sense of trust, and above all, direct and indirect economic costs.

To put it bluntly, this nation will suffer from the jitters for years to come, at least as long as we are a global military and economic power that seeks to intervene in conflict areas around the world. No matter what the U.S. State Department does, whether in the Balkans, the Middle East, or elsewhere, we are bound to make enemies from one side or the other of any given conflict, enemies who will then try to visit vengeance upon us, as some terrorists did in New York and Washington yesterday. Our modern world of communication and travel and trade seems almost tailor-made for terrorist groups to concoct their plans and then carry them out. It is ironic that our free and prosperous democratic societies end up the most attractive targets and the most vulnerable to such terrorism.

What do we do about yesterday's act of terrorism and the possibility of more to come? Most Americans feel rather helpless to do anything about it except to live in increasingly constant fear. That's why it's called terrorism. It produces terror. Until recently terrorism has largely remained a cliche to attach to images from other parts of the world on our TV screens. Now it has come home.

President Bush has already promised what this nation will do about yesterday's events. The U.S., he said, will seek out and bring to justice the perpetrators of these attacks in New York and Washington D.C.. Those are honorable-sounding words. But according to what we have seen in recent years in Libya, Sudan, and Iraq these words actually mean counter-terrorism. In other words, we are accepting the challenge to play the same game. If we do, we should know that, unlike the clock in football or nine innings in baseball, the game of terrorism and counter-terrorism has no definite or agreed upon end. Or agreed upon rules of play. The hazards in terrorism are almost inevitably escalation. It's not unlike the bullying that goes on on a school playground. That may start with words, then go on to shoves, then escalate to fists, then perhaps to rocks or knives, then to guns and death. Too often the winner, if that's what we should call him, is the one with the cheapest view of his and other people's lives. It's like that in terrorism, and that's why suicide is involved in so many acts of terrorism today. Those who get into the game of terrorism accept a constantly lowering regard for human life, both others' and their own.

The code in the spiral of counter-terrorism is vengeance, retaliation, reprisal. The spiral is self-reinforcing. Every act of violence must be answered by an act of counter-violence, with the false expectation that our retaliation will be the last. Retaliation closes the door to that other option, the option of showing the way toward another code of conduct, a non-violent way of life, an enhanced rather than cheapened regard for human life.

America's trauma of yesterday is eliciting a phenomenal national outpouring of sympathy and prayer and material help, unfortunately also of anger and a clamor for quick revenge. I don't want to entertain unrealistic expectations, but I sincerely hope many Christians in America will realize that their faith in Jesus Christ calls them to a code of life other than retaliation. We Christians are part of a worldwide human community that should be committed to works of mediation and reconciliation that can reduce the cycle of retaliation. It is tempting to join the chorus of voices in America today that call for retaliation. That response seems so logical and natural. But it is a departure from what the Christian church at its best has tried to teach America for over 200 years, which is a Christian way of life that is to a great extent responsible for the generosity and goodwill our society has enjoyed. May God grant America's Christians the vision, courage, patience, and faith to pursue a way other than terrorism in the wake of yesterday's terror in our terrorism-inclined modern world.

Marlin Jeschke
September 12, 2001