JUSTICE MAKES THINGS RIGHT
Most people will agree that slavery is not right because it contradicts the God-given, inherent right to freedom that we infer from Biblical references to freedom and the Constitution. Similarly, most people will agree that it is not right for one person or group to enslave, oppress or cause pain and suffering (i.e. affliction) on another person or group. There is a general agreement about these relationships because of a prevailing sense of right and wrong (i.e. justice and injustice) that exists in most cultures.
Despite such agreement, few people will understand how the terms slavery, oppression and affliction can be applied to religion and government — especially their own religion. It is relatively easy for anyone to recognize signs of oppression and affliction in other religions and governments, especially cults. But the idea that their religion, or their government, which they consider to be the perfect because it was established by God, is unthinkable. Such is the stronghold of toxic religion.
The standard for righteousness of any religion, including Judaism and Christianity, is built on select scriptures that support religious beliefs and practices that lead followers of that religion to the conviction that the religion into which they were raised, or the religion which they have adopted, is the one true religion and all others are wrong. Many believe the same to be true for America. Even minor differences in doctrine are enough to make judgements about wrong beliefs and practices that create ongoing conflict, tension and division, at least, and physical conflict and warfare, at worst, between religions, and within the American culture.
Nevertheless, there is a charitable, condescending attitude by most religions that other religions have a right to exist — even though their religious beliefs and practices are not based on truth. The exception to this “live-and-let-live” rule is found in extreme fundamentalist religions that consider people who subscribe to any other religion to be sinners and/or infidels. Sometimes these attitudes about others are so strong that the fundamentalists will employ harsh, oppressive measures to punish or convert unbelievers to their version of the one, true, religion. History reports many examples of religious wars based on this attitude and examples abound even in contemporary news. Clearly, the fact that religion is the enemy is found in all past cultures and increasingly, it seems, in the present time.
We contrast these worldly attitudes with God’s attitude which is that all religions miss the mark. The mark, or standard to which we should all aspire is to hear God’s spoken voice which is the essence of faith.
For God, there are no religions that he favors more than others because all religion is sin. God’s attitude is that he is the one true God whom everyone should love and serve and that all religions practice idolatry. He does not waver from that attitude for any religion — even for religions like Judaism and Christianity that invoke his name freely in their religious writings and activities. For God, all religion is idolatry and all religious teachers are false prophets because they do not embody the characteristics of true prophets.
Bible stories tell us that Judaism and Christianity are not exceptions to God’s assessment that religion is idolatry. They, like all other religions, do not listen to God’s voice but do follow religious laws that are contrary to God’s spiritual laws. The only thing that is different about Judaism and Christianity is that they have the potential to lead religious people to faith. This potential will not be realized, however, until they learn to listen to God’s voice while learning to interpret the Bible symbolically instead of literally.
Putting these truths in the context of justice, we see that God’s attitude is that anyone in any religion who teaches and enforces doctrines that are not based on his definition of faith effectively enslave, oppress and afflict people who embrace that religion. This is true for both clergy and laity. Because these relationships obstruct the natural and right order of God’s relationship with his creation (i.e. spiritual people created in his image), God calls religion slavery, injustice, iniquity, the enemy, and unrighteousness from which they must be delivered.
The problem with using these natural examples of offensive behaviors as our frame of reference for understanding the Bible is that we do not think or do the way God does. In our humanness, most of us will respond with outrage and disgust when we learn about any of these abuses. Some will even rise up with righteous indignation that calls for the abuser(s) to be punished to the full extent of the law. And some will even vow to advocate in some way to eradicate such abuses from the face of the earth.
Experiencing such emotions and resolve about social issues is good, even though it is troubling for the soul. It is evidence of God’s spirit in us when we desire to eliminate abuse and bring the abuser(s) to justice. This is the kind of response that God wants to see in his people regarding religion. But it is not enough to want to do something about one or more of the kinds of social injustices of slavery, persecution and oppression if we do not first want to deal with the kind of abuse that God cares about most: Religious slavery and oppression.