MLK and a New President and Our Violent Ways
“Men [sic], for years now, have been talking about war and peace. But now, no longer can they just talk about it. It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it’s nonviolence or nonexistence.” (Martin Luther King Jr., “I See the Promised Land,” April 3, 1968, sermon, Dr. King’s last before his next day assassination)
“Our species has an ongoing trajectory of escalatory violence against the environment, other species, and ourselves. In that situation, sustainability of Homo Sapiens may make it rigorously necessary to believe in [the] metaphor of cosmic responsibility and global accountability and act accordingly before it is too late. To repeat: disbelief about extrinsic divine punishments at end-time does not excuse us from belief about intrinsic evolutionary consequences as end-time. That is why we can read Paul [the biblical author of 7 books in the New Testament of the Christian Bible] bilingually: within the biblical challenge for Christianity’s legacy and/or within the evolutionary challenge for humanity’s destiny.” (John Dominic Crossan, Paul the Pharisee: A Vision Beyond the Violence of Civilization, Polebridge Press, 2024)
“Maybe every other American movie shouldn't be based on a comic book. Other countries will think Americans live in an infantile fantasy land where reality is whatever we say it is and every problem can be solved with violence.” (Bill Maher, comedian, actor, and writer, from Thought for the Day on Wordsmith, Jan. 20, 2025)
Many of us don’t believe in an end of time scenario where a divine being, God, supernaturally intervenes in the natural world and brings a moral judgment and dishes out positive or negative consequences of that judgment.
I do not believe such.
But does this mean there is no God and does this also mean there are not consequences for our behavior?
I learned years ago the critical difference between a parent who delivers punishment/reward vs. a parent who relates to their kids by leaning on natural and logical consequences in order to right the ship.
The official story now, as told by our newly inaugurated President, is that today begins the “golden age” of America and that these next four years will be glorious and marvelous by putting “America First” in and through all things. And this will all happen, come what may. And how? American Muscle. American Strength. American Power. And what, do you think, is our new President thinking is the mechanism and delivery system of such muscle, strength and power. Nonviolence? Don’t make me laugh.
Violence wins stuff. It creates pain and agony for those on the losing end, but also, in the end will bring an end to us all, not just the losers. The winners too will lose. That kind of thinking, the thinking that says the winners today will be the losers tomorrow, is anathema to our new President. Winners only win. Winners only win? Again, don’t make me laugh.
I believe in God, but not a God who will swoop in and change things. There are, and will be, natural and logical consequences. If we continue to use and live by violence we will all die by violence. God help us. Oh, wait. No, that doesn’t work.
God is not in the business of helping. God is in the business of saving.
And the God I believe in does that saving in Jesus Christ. God save us. Yes, and that is not something to hope for, but something that happens whenever the forgiveness of sins is declared. Now then, that being said (and it needs to be said daily) do you think we could possibly see ourselves clear to be responsible and accountable for our own actions and try something else besides violence to solve our withering world’s weary and wayward ways?
