On Loving One's Enemies

On Loving One’s Enemies
November 12, 2002

I spent a lot of time in Iraq reflecting on Jesus' commandment to love our enemies:

Mt. 5:43-45 (Sermon on the Mount)
"You have heard it said that 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. "

Loving your enemy on the global scale is seeking the harder path. It means taking the time to seek out a wider variety of sources of news and information. In many ways, the internet has revolutionized the human rights movement by putting reputable HR organizations' reporting directly into the homes of the average person. If you do not have enough time to investigate other sources for yourself, it is good to enlist the help of a media savvy friend to send you a briefing of important international issues. Internet is really the last democratic form of media. Previously local and independent newspapers, radio and television stations are being bought up and thus controlled by an ever-decreasing number of 'media giants.' Many of these corporate executives have real financial investments in the outcome of international political struggles. The outcome in many international conflicts depends at least in part on public opinion, which is influenced by what news is reported and the perspective from which it is reported.

As a Christian committed to loving my enemy on a global scale, my travel itinerary would need to include Cuba, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Viet Nam, and Serbia. If you have a passport issued before this year, look inside. According to US law, it is illegal to for a US citizen to visit half of the countries I just listed. It is illegal to purchase a souvenir or any other good or product while visiting the country or from overseas in all of the countries I just listed.

Loving your enemy is visiting your enemy, seeing what that enemy is really like, hearing the grievances your enemy holds against you. That does not necessarily mean they are completely innocent. But how many times are you completely innocent when you are in a conflict with someone else? It is not easy. In fact, it is the least popular Christian commandment in all of history. It is refusing to have anyone tell you that someone is your enemy without first seeing it for yourself.

Loving your enemy is refusing to label an entire country "evil." Leaders may be evil, or at least have long histories of evil deeds, but it is wrong to equate political or military leaders with the civilians of their countries. The Fourth Geneva Convention, written after the Holocaust to define minimum standards for humane warfare, says as much. Those of us in the peace movement know how leaders do not listen to desires of the majority, even when the leaders are "democratically elected."

The churches in the United States are united and outspoken against the war. On October 26, 100,000 US citizens marched on Washington, DC; tens of thousands more joined in simultaneous marches around the globe. Did you know? Was it reported? The peace movement to end the Viet Nam war needed seven years of mass American casualties to get as large a crowd to march as there is marching now.

I urge you to read the newspapers with a new filter to help you in your understanding. Every time you read 'war,' or 'military force,' just substitute the phrase, "Kill their civilians."

A new variation on an old cliche came to mind while I was in Iraq: "War is temporary. Radiation is forever."

Our leaders are becoming like the leaders of Israel. Accompanying Iraqi civilians during a mass bombing campaign is like hiding the Jews. If you cannot stop the great evil, then you can at least bear witness to it. It is Christian to go to jail. Christians, after all, are since their very beginning well acquainted with jail.

Bonhoeffer never believed he could stop the war. But he left his place of safety and went to bear witness in the midst of the danger. His country was losing its soul. He had to speak, act, and teach against this to the capacity which he could.

We do not think of a bomb falling into the middle of a room full of people, burning the people, piercing them with shrapnel. Even with Sept. 11 (the closest our country ever got to experiencing this) we still can't ourselves imagine. Now imagine that in your neighborhood, this bombing is occurring every day. Children still have to be fed.

Perhaps the most deeply disturbing part of our delegation was passing an exit on the highway that led south from Basra. It is the highway joining Iraq to Kuwait. This is the place where our armed forces annihilated retreating soldiers. Voices does not allow activists less than 50 years old to go into the area. The radiation level has made the risk of producing deformed children or developing cancer is too high.

Some babies are so horribly mutated that they are almost unrecognizable as human beings. I thought to myself, How would I feel if I gave birth to a lump of flesh? These infants have a short life in the hospital's intensive care unit. They almost always die. Frankly, I thought a lot about my ovaries while in Basra.

The mainstream media paints an image of Iraq the country as nothing more than a crazed leader. While that is true, there is so much more. Next time, think of mutated babies. Then decide whether it is right to bomb.