Blogs, Faith and Norway: Terror and Responsibility

Just as in the days after the Oklahoma City bombing and 9/11, people across the globe are pondering the meaning of terror in the wake of attacks in Norway. Central among the questions being asked this time are what roles religion, in particular the Christian faith, and Islamophobia played in the mass killings.

The Rev. Dr. Olav Fykse Tveit, a Norwegian Lutheran pastor and general secretary of the World Council of Churches, had just left Oslo when right-wing terrorist Anders Behring Breivik launched his violent assault.

Tveit issued a statement in the aftermath in which he asked for prayers from across the globe: "Let us all stay together for a world of justice and peace, without hate and revenge, but with the values of democracy, caring for the dignity and the human rights of every person. We are all created in the image of God."

That's just the kind of response that Breivik would see as weak.

As is now well known, Breivik wrote a 1,500 page manifesto in which he explains that his motive for the attack was to start a conflict between Christians and Muslims that would drive Muslims from Europe. He wrote in that manifesto of his anger with Christian churches that sought interfaith relationships with the Muslim community:

...pastors are the most fervent pleaders for the rights of Islam. Muslims in Europe are for them a substitute for the disappearing parish members. Separate Christian institutions, whose reason of existence is being questioned, find a new legitimacy in the fact that Islam in its turn is also opening separate schools, charities and even political parties. Islam has become a sister religion regularly praised as a religion of peace.

The New York Times noted today that Breivik closely followed right-wing U.S. bloggers:

His manifesto, which denounced Norwegian politicians as failing to defend the country from Islamic influence, quoted Robert Spencer, who operates the Jihad Watch Web site, 64 times, and cited other Western writers who shared his view that Muslim immigrants pose a grave danger to Western culture.

Jihad Watch routinely attacks U.S. church bodies, including the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (a member of the World Council of Churches). A 2007 post includes an article from Mark Tooley, the executive director of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, a right-wing political group:

At its recent convention in Chicago, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) honored the National Council of Churches' top interfaith official with its "Interfaith Unity Award." Undoubtedly, the award was well deserved! The NCC, like most of the Religious Left, defends or accommodates radical Islam, even as it denounces "fundamentalist" Christianity and condemns Israel. Despite the Religious Left's support for liberal social causes like same-sex unions and abortion rights, it prefers the supporters of Islamic "Sharia" law to Christians or Jews who might sometimes vote Republican.

One prominent U.S. blogger asks today: Are right-wing bloggers to blame for the Norway massacre?

He concludes that Breivik has to be held personally responsible for his actions but also notes: "Nevertheless, we would be foolish to discount the climate created by the torrent of invective and incitement emanating from America's right."

Is Christianity to blame? After all, Breivik self-indentifies as a conservative Christian and many conservative Christian groups have helped fan the flames of Islamophobia. It is worth noting that the websites of Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council and the American Family Association -- all strong anti-Muslim voices in the U.S. -- have been silent on the tragedy in Norway. You can bet if a Muslim had been responsible for attacks their websites would be full of statements condemning Islam as a violent religion.

But no, Christianity is not to blame. At the same time, we cannot ignore that the fringes of the religious right in the United States have created an atmosphere of intolerance and fear directed at Muslims.

The National Council of Churches has not been silent about what happened in Norway. The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon issued a statement this weekend in which he said, "The member communions of the National Council of Churches join persons of faith and good will all over the world in offering our prayers and support to the people of Norway."

In a time of profound grief, those prayers speak to the true nature of the Christian faith and the core of the peaceful and reconciling tradition shared by Christians, Jews and Muslims across the globe. The shared responsibility of all good people of faith is to continue to work for peace in a world torn apart by war.

 

Follow Rev. Chuck Currie on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RevChuckCurrie

Comments

[Postal dude]

03:49 PM on 07/28/2011

In his manifesto, Breivik admits that he does NOT have a personal relationship with Jesus, that he considers himself a "cultural Christian" - whatever that means. That means these claims that this guy is an example of conservative Christianity are bogus.

[Skepticat]

07:24 PM on 07/26/2011

The religious fanaticism, or ultra-nationalist sentiment behind much of our current terrorism isn't the cause but more of the rationalized justification for their bad behaviour. The cause is the inability of certain individuals or groups to cope with the unpresidented rapid social, political, economic, cultural and environmental change. Thus many countries have resurgent self proclaimed nationalist "patriots", religious fundementalists and militant anti government "free market" or libertarian zealots embracing the illusion that if they could turn the clock back to 1956, 1787, 1400 or earlier that all would be well.
Problem is - they can't. Toffler's 3rd Wave of post industrialism is reshaping the world as much as agriculture did about 6000 years ago. Most of these groups hoping to go backwards to the future eventually attract some folks who embrace the cause way beyond the rhetoric and demonstrations - such folk eventually become the McVeigh's and Breiviks.

[DrSnuggles]

09:42 AM on 07/26/2011

I see a disconnect between the man who initiated these killings and the man who wrote that (1518 page) manifesto. Not in spirit, of course, but in practice. It seems to me that someone who spent nine years of their life meticulously putting together this tome might come up with a more fruitful plan on the day.

[KrautMan]

09:05 AM on 07/26/2011

"But no, Christianity is not to blame."

This claim is stated very matter-of-factly and without any substantiation. The other day I read an article here on HP about the 'merits' of religion regarding ethics. In a nutshell, it claimed that god and his superior ethics would provide firm ground for human ethics. This, of course, is nonsense, as is easily demonstrated by the 36.000 or so Christian denominations, each interpreting scripture subjectively and with huge differences. Rest assured that Breivik lives in the certainty that his atrocious actions would, somehow, please his personal interpretation of a god.

I wish someone could explain to me how, in principal, this mass-murderer's righteousness is any different from any other Christian's righteousness. Both are based on their subjective interpretation of scripture and their individual 'relationship with god'. From within the circular logic of religion there simply is no objective way to validate one while refuting the other.

The bible, with all its inconsistencies and contradictions, can be (and is) used to justify virtually everything. Everyone granting it any authority is, to a degree, contributing to preparing the breeding ground for extremists like Breivik.

So why is it again that "Christianity is not to blame"?

[DrSnuggles]

09:43 AM on 07/26/2011

Because if Christianity had never existed, monsters like Breivik would find some other excuse to be monsters.

[KrautMan]

10:35 AM on 07/26/2011

That's akin to "If I wouldn't have done it, somewhat else would have." VERY popular, yet ineffective cop-out during the Nuremberg trials.

[brklynivn]

07:55 PM on 07/25/2011

Fundamentalism is to blame.

[Wesley Holbrook]

02:09 PM on 07/25/2011

Just what is Christianity??? Followers of the teachings of Jesus Christ??? If so, why haven't they surrendered to Him and forsaken worldliness??? I have visited many different Christian churches and they talk about the things of the world, not about the teachings of Christ. They talk about worldly concerns; money, jobs, homes, cars, vacations, fashion, and the like.

[SimonBao]

01:07 PM on 07/25/2011

Would the author please consider a follow-up essay in which you elaborate on your comments, "But no, Christianity is not to blame. At the same time, we cannot ignore that the fringes of the religious right in the United States have created an atmosphere of intolerance and fear directed at Muslims."

It seems to me that the overwhelming majority of Christian clergy and their Christian congregations have done exactly that, and ignored what the religious right has done.

Many have NOT ignored it, obviously.

But perhaps the author would like to spell out very clearly and specifically just what Christian clergy and congregations ought to do from here out, to show they've stopped ignoring that. Specific steps to be taken...

Without that specific call to action, this is just fog and vapor.

[Rev. Chuck Currie]

08:12 PM on 07/25/2011

There are lots of ways to get involved. here are just two examples.

Work with The Interfaith Alliance to counter act the work of the Religious Right in the United States:
http://www.interfaithalliance.org/

Join Faith in Public Life's Faithful America online campaign to build common ground between people of faith:
http://www.faithfulamerica.org/

- Rev. Chuck Currie

[SimonBao]

08:35 AM on 07/26/2011

In future, please put any calls to action in very specific terms, and put them in the article.

[bobbyeve]

01:00 PM on 07/25/2011

christianity, whose very symbol is a murder, is never questioned about that fact. I subscribe to the old
saying, "you can fool most of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people, all of the
time". I am not fooled.

[whirlpool]

12:52 PM on 07/25/2011

Of course Christianity is to blame. Time to grow up and take some responsibility for the festering mess called religion.