The Disease is Religion
by Richard K. Toll

I’ve been trying to monitor my thoughts and feelings since the terrorist attack on September 11. I think I’m still in shock and am very confused as to the "why" of what happened. But I wanted to share some reflections this morning with you on what I believe to be a disease that is part of our planet; a disease that is spreading and is difficult for us to combat. Because in many ways we might have to admit that we ourselves have the disease and fail to recognize it. What is this disease?

I want to be careful how I frame this explanation of the disease because I don’t want to over-simplify the issues.

The disease is religion. But it’s more than religion. It’s taking religion and making the assumption that we know what God wants and we are therefore willing to kill and maim in the name of God. And I speak now of all three religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Those in all religions who hang their hat on fundamentalism end up with a radical view of God and cannot leave any options open for God because they are so busy being righteous in their own faith position.

Now I would like to speak to how the disease of religion can cause trouble in the world: fundamentalism. Those in all religions who hang their hat on fundamentalism end up with a radical view of God and cannot leave any options open for God because they are so busy being righteous in their own faith position.

Let me explain what I mean.

100 years ago the Zionist movement began in Judaism. It was a movement that wanted to reclaim the land of ancient Israel because God had given them the land and they would regain it. It didn’t matter that people lived there. They would have to leave. Most Jewish scholars and faithful Jews rejected this view of scripture until after World War II, and the 1948 U.N. resolution that established Israel fulfilled the dream of the Zionist movement. The fundamentalist in Judaism is alive and well today as the extremists move onto the West Bank, tearing down Palestinian homes and taking their property. I’ve seen maps of the extremists in Jerusalem that include Syria, Lebanon and Jordan as part of ancient Israel under David. Therefore the long-term goal of the extreme fundamentalist in Judaism is to eventually take over their lands also.

So the Zionist position today is clear: "We won the land back in 1948. We destroyed 470 villages and displaced a million people — all in the name of God who wants us to return to the ancient land. Anyone who opposes us can be accused of being anti-Semitic." There’s your fundamentalism at work in Judaism.

In Christianity the Bible is read differently by people of faith. But the fundamentalist in Christianity reads the Bible and leaves no room for discussion of science or modern thinking. It’s a book dictated by God, and in fundamentalism the clear interpretation is theirs and theirs alone.

You may have heard Jerry Falwell’s response last week. He represents the worst of fundamentalism in Christianity. He said America got what it deserved and proceeded to blame everything that happened on the feminists, gays, and the ACLU.

I received a letter from Jerry Falwell recently, cosigned by a Jewish rabbi… Why does fundamentalist Christianity support Israel?

I received a letter from Jerry Falwell recently, cosigned by a Jewish rabbi. They informed me that I could send $350 to them and it would guarantee that a Russian Jew could leave Russia and be established in his own home in a settlement on the West Bank within three weeks. Why does fundamentalist Christianity support Israel?

Because they read scripture. And the way that they read scripture says that God wants the Jews to return and there will be great calamity if they don’t convert to Christianity. And if they don’t it means the end of the world and the second coming. So the sooner we get them back, the sooner the end can come.

Does that sound bizarre? Not according to your Christian fundamentalist that is gathering money to support Israel. And Israel is willing to accept support wherever it gets it.

Now what about the disease of fundamentalism in Islam? I assume you know by now that Islam does not accept what happened in New York as an expression of their faith. But there are those within Islam — fundamentalists — who are captured by their understanding of God and are willing to die for their cause. Osama Bin Laden is one of those people. And of course he’s not happy with Western civilization and the new crusade in the Holy Land that brings a new religion and a different group than the Christians did 800 years ago — but a crusade it is, according to them.

In 1998 he wrote an edict in which he announced the International Islamic Front for Jihad and against the Jews and crusaders:

We with God’s help call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with God’s orders to kill the American and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it. We also call on Muslim scholars, leaders, youths and soldiers to launch the raid on Satan’s U.S. troops and the devil’s supporters aligned with them, and to displace those who are behind them so they may learn a lesson.

And so we see battle lines drawn between good and evil. The problem is that it is so easy for each side to be in the right and on the side of God. We certainly will not admit to participating in evil.

But look at what we’ve done. We supported Iran against Iraq and gave them their military hardware. Then we switched sides and supported Iraq against Iran and gave Iraq billions of dollars of military hardware. All the time [we are] building up the Israeli army and trying to ignore the Palestinians who have been under occupation. And it was our military that got the Taliban into control in Afghanistan.

So what about the disease of religion as it is reflected in fundamentalism? It’s dangerous. It’s not of God. It’s an aberration and Jews, Christians and Muslims portray it in ways that draw us away from God while simultaneously claiming God as the reason for our commitment.

Fundamentalism is an ugly stain on the three great religions of the world. And we are all tainted with it. Not a one of us is purely pure.

Fundamentalism is an ugly stain on the three great religions of the world. And we are all tainted with it. Not a one of us is purely pure. When we read the New Testament I believe that Jesus gives us an insight into a compassionate and loving God. When the first rain came to New York after the terrorist attack, one of the commentators expressed it as the tears of God coming down upon the desolation.

Ultimately evil is a part of what is happening. And evil in the name of God is a great cover-up. It’s in fundamentalism that evil seems to penetrate and perpetuate itself.

So I hope that as a thinking person you will allow yourself to focus on prayers of discernment and look for answers in prayer. Be open to the Spirit and try to stay away from the security of fundamentalism that is ultimately an insecurity.

Amen.

The Rev. Canon Richard K. Toll is rector of St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, Milwaukie, Oregon. He is also convener of the U.S. chapter of "Friends of Sabeel," a network of religious activists supporting a Palestinian ecumenical liberation theology center in Jerusalem. Dick can be reached by email at stjohns3@worldaccessnet.com

Related Links:

Read a sermon Dick Toll preached about a recent trip to the Middle East at http://www.thewitness.org/agw/toll.html