The warrior Moses is a member of the religion of Militarism. Militarism lauds warriors and the warrior deity they invent, who, for his Chosen People, inflicts godly suffering on an enemy, and kills them. For example in ordering the sufferings of the Plagues, and killing the enemy’s first born children in the 10th Plague. Members of Militarism receive a reward from the blood of the troops who do the killing and from the blood of the children who are killed, it is “the soil which you, O Lord, have given me.” The peacemaker Jesus rejects warriors who demand blood and soil. Jesus is instead “Filled with the Spirit.” He does however have to deal with members of the religion of Militarism and was thus “led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.”
Jesus’ spirituality, or his experience of God, is a Spirit, an earthly transforming power able to convert temptations of a devil. Devil translates as adversary – like the religion of Militarism’s supremacy, abuse, and violence that hinders the transforming spirituality of Jesus’ communion, love, and healing. Many Militarists oddly call themselves Christian / Christ-like. This oddness was on display in Orlando this past week at the America First Political Action Committee (AFPAC). AFPAC was founded by the militant Nick Fuentes who fashions himself a new Moses, a white supremacist saving his Chosen People, other white supremacists. He attended the January 6th riot and the deadly Unite the Right riot whose chant was the militant Nazi ideology “Blood and Soil.” Fuentes is a devil, an adversary who fell for Militarism’s supremacy, abuse, and violence and tempts others to fall for it too, “This is going to be the most racist, sexist, antisemitic, Holocaust-denying speech.” “(T)hey’re going on about… Putin is Hitler, (like) that’s not a good thing.” The crowd followed with a cheerleading chant supporting Putin and the troops who had invaded and spilled children’s blood on Ukraine soil just the day before. It is not so different from supporting Bush and the troops that invaded and spilled children’s blood in Iraq, or supporting Israel that does the same to Palestinians, or any supremacists’ claims of blood and soil. Fuentes calls himself a Christian as does Marjorie Taylor Greene whom he introduced at the event. She too has fallen for Militarism saying at AFPAC, “I am… washed in the blood of our savior Jesus Christ.” But both are blood letting devils who tempt people away from Jesus and his transforming spirituality. Like their devil forbearers Moses, Hitler, Trump, Putin, these U.S. tempters and their supporters intend supremacy, they intend abuse, and they intend violence. They are waging a battle for blood and soil – oddly in Jesus’ name. AFPAC, Fuentes, Greene, and other members of Militarism receive social media services at Gab. Gab CEO is Andrew Torba who also calls himself a Christian. Torba claims AFPAC members and those of other such groups are the “young Christian thinkers who, like it or not, are the future of right wing politics in this country.”
Jesus’ spirituality, so diminished in the self-titled Christians above, is sought by Brittany Packnett Cunningham. She describes herself as “a woman of faith” and is a social justice educator and founder of Love and Power Works. She grew up near Ferguson, MO and has experienced too much supremacy, abuse, and violence – at Ferguson, Charlottesville, the Charleston church, the Tree of Life Synagogue, at Chicago’s Homan Square police station and at ICE’s Southern border. Amidst this culture’s militant religion of supremacy, abuse, and violence, that target her as a Black woman, she acts for communion, love, and healing. “Transformation has to be… the aspiration in front of us… (not) reform, (not) incrementalism… If we are radical enough to believe that everyone living fully and thriving fully should be the norm, then we’ll get there and we’ll get there together… People need to access the power that already lives inside of them… We always have to remind ourselves of who we are… a people (who) choose that tomorrow can be better… I understand that cynicism can be so tempting (yet)… We have the power we need to change the world… Our aspiration should always be to (transform) as co-conspirators” (people breathing in the Spirit together).
Prayer: Spirit, make me a co-conspirator, breathing transforming power.
Question: How can I be more powerful with devils who tempt me with the religion of Militarism?
March 6, 2022 Gospel Luke 4:1-13 First Sunday of Lent