Religion Gone Wrong
By Jesse Wheeler
Scrolling through my social media feeds this week, I came across the above graphic depicting Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of the prophet Amos’ iconic declaration. I am not a regular reader of Peterson’s The Message, but there is something I absolutely loved about this particular version:
“I can’t stand your religious meetings. I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals.
I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making.
I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it.
That’s what I want. That’s all I want.
(Amos 5:21-24)
To be true, it’s difficult to surpass the translation immortalized so eloquently by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 60 years ago this week as he stood before the Lincoln Memorial and declared: “No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until ‘justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.’”
These words are as urgent and true today as they were then. But, there is something so wonderfully contemporary and “in your face” about Peterson’s version: “Justice and fairness. That’s what I want. That’s all I want.”
For, at the end of the day, this is ultimately our demand as well. Throughout the prophetic books we are presented with a revolutionary understanding of the heart of God and of God’s expectations for us. As revealed by the prophets, we see that God would choose to reject our religious practices, even our very worship, so long as we persist in fomenting violence, perpetuating injustice, and practicing exclusion. And those who do so in the name of God and religion are especially condemned, as would become a recurring theme in the life and ministry of Jesus. As the prophet Isaiah elsewhere declares:
“The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals . . . Stop bringing meaningless offerings! . . . I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
“Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow” (Isaiah 1:11-17).
So much of our religious activity, it might be said, constitutes a giant exercise in missing the point. At times, our misguided religiosity can seem relatively benign. At others, it can reach ever-destructive and unimaginable heights. In either case, we are guilty in our self-obsessed worship of trying to love God while simultaneously ignoring the exploitation and oppression of our neighbors in need. This, the prophets tell us, is impossible.
So, on the one hand, individualized and spiritualized approaches to religion are often the product of intentional attempts to divorce faith from its socio-political context, neutering it of its prophetic power and rendering it impotent in the face of the powers that be. On the other hand, religion has been co-opted and exploited so often by those in power seeking to justify the dispossession, exploitation, and abuse of others. From the Doctrine of Discovery and the vile defenses of slavery, segregation, and apartheid up to contemporary support for “Christian nationalism,” we have seen this time and again.
In the context of Palestine, I can’t help but think of the countless ways in which religious ideologies and institutions have been employed in the service of violent dispossession and oppression. Specifically, I have been reading and thinking this week about the multiplicity of Christian Zionist ministries and organizations that have worked to provide theological justification, financial capital, and political cover for decades of land confiscation, ethnic cleansing, settlement activity, and apartheid.
One such organization raises “around a million dollars annually from Christians, who aim to materially and morally strengthen Jewish settlements.” Over the decades, this group has been unapologetic in its mission to expand the settlements (an international crime involving the theft of land and resources from the indigenous Palestinians) and intentionally derail the (now defunct) peace process. Another organization brings in American Christians, as if they were "missionaries," to build up the settlements and work the land. Meanwhile, events like the annual International Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem “links millions of Christians across 175 countries annually to lift Israel up in prayer” (over and against the Palestinians). Ultimately, the Palestinian people are held captive in so many ways to the conservative American Christian voting bloc as much as they are the military occupation.
From my perspective, I can’t help but see this as a case of religion gone horribly wrong. In scripture, the prophets remind us time and again of that which truly matters to God: justice for those most vulnerable and at risk. And yet, we find here a situation in which religious devotion is weaponized in the service of profound injustice. As a person of faith who takes the actual content and message of scripture seriously, I say that we must be the first to expose, condemn, and confront injustice wherever it’s found. My prayer is that we might heed the words of the prophets and remain forever unsatisfied until the day comes when “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Take Action!
Masafer Yatta: Urgent action needed to Defend the Defenders
In recent weeks, Israeli repression of human rights defenders in Masafer Yatta has intensified. This is part of a long-standing policy of intimidation and repression of non-violent activist work, particularly against HRDs affiliated with Youth of Sumud.
The repression of HRDs in Masafer Yatta, most recent of which is the case of 19-year-old Mohammed Huraini coincides with the increased Israeli ethnic cleansing of several communities in the area.
Youth of Sumud is calling on people, rights groups, third states and the United Nations to protect Mohammed Huraini and other HRDs in Masafer Yatta from escalated Israeli violence against them.
Get Involved!
We invite you to join us in the following events and activities:
September 3: Clifton
AMP-NJ’s second annual Palestine Fest
Join AMP-NJ in the heart of Clifton THIS Labor Day weekend!
When: Sunday, September 3 | 1-7pm
Where: Clifton Memorial Park | 1395 Main Ave. Clifton, NJ
Don’t miss out on a full day of Palestinian art, entertainment, and food. Learn about Palestine in a walkthrough the rich culture and history of the Holy Land! Bring the whole family for Palestinian vendors, carnival games, bouncy houses, prizes, and more!
September 5: Berkeley, CA
Decolonizing minds, land, and the environment in Palestine
Join NorCal Friends of Sabeel on Septmember 5th at 7:00pm to hear from Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh "Decolonizing minds, land, and the environment in Palestine" at University of California Berkeley in the Berkeley Law Building – Room 175.
Please also save the date to join NorCal Friends of Sabeel on September 15th at 3:00pm on the UC Berkeley campus to hear from Dr. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian: "The Developers" and the Land/Life-Grabbers in Palestine: Between Silwan and the Armenian Quarter."
September 10: Online
VFHL Film Salon: Erasing Palestine from US School Curricula
Where is Palestine? What are the occupied Palestinian territories? What is the Palestinian-Israeli struggle about?
Do teaching materials in US public schools and Jewish private schools provide accurate answers? Probably not.
People who seek to maintain US support for Israel, both within the Jewish community and in the larger US population, have profoundly shaped the teaching of Israel and Palestine. VFHL examines this issue through two films. Between the Lines presents interviews with students and teachers at American Jewish day schools about “Israel education.” The Fight Against Israeli Propaganda in Virginia Textbooks reveals the behind-the-scenes efforts of an Israeli affinity group to erase Palestine from US public school teaching materials and reduce Palestinians to peasants and terrorists.
Watch the film for free at your convenience; Join the Q&A Discussion
Ali Kriegsman: filmmaker, author, entrepreneur, and small business leader
Ezra Beinart: Jewish day school senior; facilitator of on-line discussions between US Jewish teens & Palestinians
Susan Douglass: educator, author, outreach director for the CCAS at Georgetown University
Faedah Totah (moderator): Associate Professor, School of World Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University
You must register to get the free film link and to participate in the Q&A discussion.
Weekly
Sabeel Prayer Service. Join Sabeel every Thursday (6pm Palestine) for online Bible Study, discussion, and prayer. Examine scripture in light of the ongoing realities confronting the Palestinian Church and the pursuit of Palestinian liberation.
Wave of Prayer. Subscribe to receive Sabeel's Wave of Prayer, enabling friends of Sabeel around the world to pray over issues of critical concern to the Holy Land on a weekly basis.
Kumi Now! September 3 to September 9: Week 36 - Education Funding and Policy. Kumi Now is an online gathering every Tuesday (6pm Palestine) with a guest speaking on the weekly topic. Register here.
It’s that time of year! Students across Palestine and Israel, and around the northern hemisphere, have headed, or are about to head, back to school. Sadly, Palestinian citizens of Israel face discrimination when it comes to education funding from the State of Israel. Jewish, Christian, Muslim or Druze: all deserve a quality education and equal support from the state. Here’s what you need to know about education funding and policy in Israel and Palestine, and what you can do so that, together, we can pressure Israel to end its unequal treatment of its citizens’ education as we rise up.