(Each Saturday, a faith leader offers a personal perspective in this space. To become part of this series, email religion@recorder.com)
By THE REV. JAMES KOYAMA
Writing on the heels of the shocking attacks on Ukraine, I think I should join the chorus of those who are stating the obvious. This war is totally unjustifiable. It is an expression of sheer brutality and disregard for the rights of the Ukrainian people to determine their own destiny. It is a tragedy on all sides, from the Ukrainian families that are being torn apart, all the way to those dying Russian soldiers who had to betray their own hearts to invade in the first place.
On the one hand, this terrible breach seems very sudden, almost out of nowhere. In reality, it is the latest and most tragic expression of a trend toward authoritarianism. And for many of us, the inability of our democratic institutions to break free of this trend has been a source of ongoing frustration and anger. So what I would like to discuss is the anger itself and the temptation to violence that it represents.
One of the most searing bits of footage that appeared early on was of a medical team trying to save a 6-year-old girl, still in her pink pajamas. Her body was shattered beyond repair, perhaps by artillery fire. The team were sobbing, as they realized the futility of their efforts to save her. And one of the doctors looked up at the camera and said, “Show this to Putin.”
I could not have chosen more appropriate words and, hot with anger and heartbreak, I added my own: “Stop this insanity now, if you are not a heartless monster!” I’m sure they are words the doctor would have added himself, were he not so overcome by the cruelty behind this one among the countless tragedies that have unfolded since Putin decided to invade.
But I was not finished reacting. My own anger grew ruthless and cold as I brooded over Putin’s cruelty. I felt tempted into a daydream within the realm of what some scholars call the “myth of redemptive violence” — the belief that, by a corresponding act of violence, we can eradicate evil and make everything better again. It is the kind of dream sequence delivered to us in “Dirty Harry” movies where, at the end, Clint Eastwood blows away the heinous villain and we all feel a sort of joyful euphoria, as though the killing were a salvific act. It’s a powerfully seductive story line. Boy, would I like to be Vladimir Putin’s Dirty Harry!
The words of the Lord’s Prayer, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” come to mind here. If we give in to the temptation to become ruthless and cold as a way to overcome the ruthlessness and cold-heartedness of the world’s authoritarian leaders, then we have not overcome them. Rather, it seems to me that we become them, in miniature.
And so the question becomes, “How can I respond to the inhumanity around me without losing my own humanity? I think that is an important question for us to ask ourselves, not only in the face of this war and its perpetrators, but in the face of all the expressions of inhumanity that we experience.
Living with the reality that there is so much violence in the world, it is sometimes hard to keep in mind that there is, in fact, a reality that can and does exist, where families don’t get torn apart and diverse peoples are able to live together in peace and prosperity. But the existence of that most beautiful place depends on there being people who are able to resist the temptation to fight evil on its own terms. It depends on people who live by a firm commitment to being rooted in loving kindness, justice and humility, no matter what happens. May God grant us the courage, the creativity and the strength to be those people.
The Rev. James Koyama is the pastor at the First Congregational Church of Montague Trinitarian, a member church in the United Church of Christ. The church is located at 4 North St. in the heart of Montague Center. Worship is at 10 a.m. on Sundays, followed by a social hour and refreshments. Choir practice is on Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. We are also participating in a Lenten Wednesday night series with several area congregations. See our website for details. https://montaguechurch.org/ or call us at 413-367-9467. All are welcome!