Peace At What Price?

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. - Luke 2:8-11 (KJV)

So, there was this hideous shooting this past Friday. You all know about it, so I don't have to tell you about it, but if you don't, go to CNN or something and it will tell you everything you need to know right down to what Wolf Blitzer had for breakfast that morning.

One of the worst things to come out of this I saw as I was sifting through the ever-changing news accounts. It was a T-shirt that I won't justify by linking an image to that reads:

"Dear God, why do You allow so much violence in our schools? -Signed, a Concerned Student
 Dear Concerned Student, I'm not allowed in schools. -God"

I was truly jaw-droppingly shocked. And sure, it bothers me on a political level, because, y'know, get over yourselves, Christians. You're not the only ones who have morals, ethics and laws to live by. It's also really not fair to the other children of a multitude of different faiths who attend public schools all over this great nation to say that yours are the best ones of all, so little Moishe Ratzenberger and Sanjay Patel have to either pray to your ideation of Deity or remain silent. You want your kids to pray to your version of Deity, send them to a private school that caters to your beliefs. Public school's for everyone. This shirt's a disgustingly snide way to take advantage of a deeply tragic event, and I'd be happy to take the person who came up with it to task for it.

That aside, however, I'm far more upset by this on a more foundational level: faith.

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. -Matthew 1:23 (KJV)

"God with us." Highly powerful imagery, when you stop to think about it, and truly beautiful if you truly believe it. There is no place where you can go that God is not with you, and thus you need never be afraid (it even says so in at least one song!). When I was taught this as a child, I was alternately comforted and terrified by the notion depending on what I was doing in the course of the day -- but the idea was still there.

Note, however, that it doesn't say "God is with you, and Billy, and Sara, and Timmy, and everyone else is on their own". Granted, there are different translations of the Bible that have twisted "Divine Inspiration" to say as much; that the whole peace and goodwill thing only applies to those who believe and everyone else is fucked. But -- if you are among the believers in the Christ -- it is "God with us".

Not "God is only with you when you're in Church".

Not "God doesn't go to Kohl's, He only likes Macy's".

Not "God doesn't accompany you to school unless you go to one where you can pray".

Props to the person on Memebase.com who came up with this beauty, which demonstrates perfectly the kind of flawed thinking that's come to permeate many believers' (of any persuasion, I fear) way of imagining their relationship with Deity:  Bless This Area in Particular!

If you, as a Christian (and I'm honestly, desperately not trying to pick on Christians, it's just that that's where the screaming is coming from these days since some branches feel oh so persecuted), believe that violence happens in schools -- or anyplace else for that matter -- because people are not allowed to pray there, then I'm deeply sorry for the emptiness of your faith. If you can believe at this time of year that the Child who was born to all the world (ALL the world!) is named "Emmanuel ... God with us" but bitch about how God doesn't cross the threshold of a damn brick-and-mortar building, you've got some serious issues. He's either with you, or He isn't; this isn't one of those things you get to pick and choose.

If you believe that that child whose birth you celebrate with cards, a tree, a pretty manger and a fat guy in a chimney (wait, what?) is named Emmanuel, that He is God With Us, Wonder-Counsellor, Prince of Peace, I challenge you to LIVE THAT BELIEF. Stop pretending to be persecuted, stop playing at being offended because I wear a pentacle or Awen instead of a cross, and stop pointing the finger at your God for "failing" you because some nutbar did something utterly hideous and start looking at the way that you can improve this world by living your faith always instead of arguing about why it's right. I issue this challenge to all faiths, really, and not just the ones who are yelling at this moment.

Then, and only then, will we truly have peace on Earth. The question is: is this too high a price for you to pay for it?