An Urgent Search for the Myths of Peacemaking
April 15th, 2003 by sfuqua
In the context of current global turmoil, the Rt. Rev. William E. Swing briefly explores a few of what he sees as the “myths” of the peacemaking process.
By The Rt. Rev. William E. Swing
In religious circles there are at least two meanings to the word “myth.”
A myth is (1) a noble story which points toward the truth about history
rather than declaring what is historically true (Creation myths in the
Book of Genesis) and (2) a compelling story with a false premise that has
the potential of doing cataclysmic damage (Hitler's master race myth).
When leaders of our nation declare that we are not at war with Islam, I
can't help wondering which definition of myth I am hearing.
I look at my Iraqi sisters and brothers of Islam, and I wonder about:
The myth of precision: For two straight wars we have been
assured that our smart bombs would land only on the bad Muslims and not
the good ones.The myth of time: We have been told that we would be in and out.
Yet by the end of the 1991 hostilities, we left between 300 and 800
tons of depleted uranium in that part of the world. Its half-life is
4.5 billion years. Radioactivity forever on Muslims.The myth of coalition: Coalition sounds like a pulling together.
In reality it appears to be rending asunder the hard-won United Nations
global alliance, dismantling our European partnerships, and stirring up
animosity between a Christian/Jewish coalition and a global Muslim
coalition.The myth of democracy: A former Islamic fundamentalist leader
who has made a radical transformation toward tolerance writes, “I am
frightened from the breakdown of democracy, transparency, international
law. Is this the end of the democratic free world? They kill our women
and children and talk about freedom, peace, and democracy.”The myth of our rightness: I tremble when I read of the myth
circulated at the core of our leadership. That we are uniquely endowed
by Providence to save the world from evil forces if only we would take
the risks of leadership. Because of our moral superiority we must not
be limited by petty agreements such as mutual nuclear restraint,
landmines, or global emissions. Whatever happened to the understanding
that “we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God?” What
about checks and balances? About all people being equal? Muslims, too.
Religions are the custodians of many of the great myths. And these myths
have power, good and bad, to change life. If a myth encourages
religiously motivated violence, it deserves to be hauled out and
examined. In Indonesia the head of the most moderate, tolerant Islamic
organization says that this “war in Iraq is a sort of jihad, its own sort
of fundamentalism.” There's an aroma, a smell in the air of myth and
murder, righteousness and reward, fear and faith. I worry not that
religion is dabbling in politics. On the contrary, I am scared that
politicians are working from their homemade myths to create a national
patriotic religion. Bad for Muslims. Ultimately bad for the rest of us.
For the sake of Muslims, Jews, Christians and the whole Earth, we had
better embark on a massive, urgent search for the myths of peacemaking in
our religious traditions. Not the myths that foster cataclysmic damage
but the myths that tell the truth of history that is deeply embedded in
the primitive stories of faith. We are on the road to war with Islam if
our guiding myths say so. We are on the road to peace with Islam if our
guiding myths say so. The myth behind the policy is what ultimately
matters.
The Rt. Rev. William E. Swing is the founding spirit behind URI and
serves on its Global Council as President and Founding Trustee. He is the
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California.
