During last year’s presidential campaign, every candidate–save former New Jersey Senator, Rhodes scholar and New York Knick Bill Bradley–mentioned that whenever he made a decision he would ask himself “What would Jesus do?” Well President Dubya, now is the time to ask, WWJD? Why don’t we all ask WWJD?
First Jesus would not call for vengeance. It was just not his style. He would, in the very least, try and understand his enemy and why said enemy did such an act. You see He was not an angry man. I’m sure he had issues as the Son of God and all, but He was pretty well adjusted, and there were no visits to the high school counsellor for the Messiah.
You see, since the Second World War American foreign policy is reminiscent of an imperial power. Over the past 10 years, as the last and only superpower, it has had no checks against it. So when John Foster Dulles sent the Central Intelligence Agency to Guatemala to overthrow President Jacobo Arbenz in the name of United Fruit–Chiquita Banana nowadays–no one in the world community blinked. The Same happened when George Bush Sr. sent troops to fight a war for oil against a man, Saddam Hussein, who that same government armed in his war against Iran. Following the recent events, America must change the way it deals with other countries.
Second, when asked what the most important commandment was, Jesus said: “Love the Lord with all your heart and soul.” When asked what the second greatest was, he replied: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” This is the man who told his followers to turn the other cheek against those who mean you harm and to love your enemies. He did not ask people to do this because it was easy but because it was hard. This is not an easy time in the U.S. and it won’t get any easier.
Following President Kennedy’s assassination and with the country still in mourning, Malcolm X harshly and honestly stated it was just a case of the chickens coming home to roost. While it may have seemed insensitive at the time, he was right. When you put your chickens out in the morning, they come back to roost in the barnyard at night. The events of September 11 are again an instance of chickens coming home to roost.
So President Dubya, you must make the decision for your country. You can go the easy route or you can go the hard route. The easy route will appease your constituents and aid you in the next election. The hard route will challenge you like you and your nation has never been challenged before. It will take restraint not to retaliate against these acts. But it will prove to me and to the American people who did and did not vote for you, that when you ask yourself “What would Jesus do?” you are not just paying lip service.
One thing is certain. Jesus would not bomb Afghanistan back to the Stone Age.