All that Kills Abundant Living
March 4, 2011
Excerpt from Revelation 22:1-5
"And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."
Reflection by Lillian Daniel
I have been watching in wonder, hope and sometimes despair as people in the Middle East have stood up together for democracy. At the same time, people in my own country have been protesting too. What a blessing it is to live somewhere where protesters do not have to fear for their lives.
It is easy to see brutality elsewhere and assume that such cruelty could not happen in a democracy like ours. But when people are frightened about losing their power, when they fear for their safety, they are capable of justifying cruel behavior they would never otherwise condone.
That is why I was moved in reading the words of an Ethics professor at Duke Divinity School, Dr. Amy Laura Hall, who is planning a conference about torture for students, clergy, people of conscience and people of faith, later this month.
"This is not an academic debate . . . torture is always wrong, torture does not make 'us' safer," she said. "Torture dehumanizes both victim and perpetrator. And it ultimately renders the nation that practices it morally damaged, less secure, and less human than before."
When dictators and oppressors shoot on their own people, they think they are strong, but that kind of strength means nothing in God's eyes.
Let us pray for the liberation and flourishing of all people around the world. And before we judge other nations, let us look closely at ourselves.
The United States has much to be grateful for and proud of, but no nation stands above God's judgment. I recall, in our prayer, a verse from the beautiful hymn, "For the Healing of the Nations."
Prayer
All that kills abundant living,
let it from the earth be banned:
pride of status, race or schooling,
dogmas that obscure your plan.
In our common quest for justice
may we hallow brief life's span. Amen.
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