Current Events Monday: The Taliban and Jesus
The heart wrenching pictures from the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan sent shockwaves across the globe yesterday. As Taliban takes Afghanistan, Kabul airport is last stand for U.S. (usatoday.com).
Many Americans who are old enough to remember the 9/11 attacks cannot help but ask soul-searching questions about the continued and often violent conflict between totally different ideologies. On the one hand, we have the American ideology which is mainly rooted in the ideas of the Enlightenment as well as classical Greco-Roman philosophy. On the other hand, we have an Islamic form of theology called “Deobandi,” which came to prominence in India in the late 1860s. Without getting too technical, Deobandi is part of the Sunni branch of Islam and seeks a more puritanical form of faith practice. The Taliban formed out of Deobandi theology, meaning that they desire to practice and enforce a legalistic, rigid interpretation of the Qur’an. They would view most, if not all, interpretations of the Qur’an null and void if it differs in any way from their own. Any type of reform would be seen as an affront worthy of violent pushback.
The Taliban specifically rose to power in Afghanistan in the 1990s and promised peace, law, and order—especially after the fall of the Soviet Union. Such a “peace” included barbaric treatment of women and explicit support for worldwide terrorism and murder with which we have become much too familiar over the last twenty years.
Many helpful resources are available to people who desire more familiarity with Islamic history and some of the dynamics between American and Middle Eastern philosophies. Suffice it to say, a blog article like this one cannot be exhaustive in its treatment of the issue at hand. We can however easily contrast the teachings of Jesus with other world ideologies. An examination of such contrasts may be quite helpful in answering at least some vital questions concerning a helpful Christian response to this ongoing crisis.
Even a cursory reading of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7) provides ample contrast between the way of Christ and the ways of the world. Here are a few examples.
The world says Jesus says
No murder Calling a person “fool” condemns on to hell
No adultery No lust
Language is complex. A simple “yes” or “no” is sufficient.
An eye for an eye Turn the other cheek, walk an extra mile, give to all who ask.
Love neighbor and hate enemies. Love enemies and pray for them.
Make a big deal out of giving. Don’t let your right hand know the amount your left hand gives.
Make a big deal out of public prayer. Pray in order to be heard by God, not by other people.
Get a lot of possessions. Store up treasure in heaven, not earth.
You can serve God and wealth. No one can serve two masters. Pick one.
Anxiety is a part of life. If God takes care of birds and flowers, why worry?
You can reach a level of infallibility. Take the log out of your eye before reproving anyone.
The goal of life is to be happy. Take the narrow way which leads to life.
Build your own life. Build your life on the wisdom of God.